The scroll weight heavy in Janice's hands as she ascend from the crypts, her mind a storm of unanswered questions.
Its ancient script seemed to pulse faintly, as though alive, as if mocking her inability to decipher its full meaning.
Beside her, Jason's concern was palpable.
The guards trail silently, their nervous glances revealing that even they could feel the weight of what had just transpired.
When they reach the throne room, Janice gave the scroll to her steward with instructions to summon the kingdom's scholars.
But deep in her heart, she knows there was only one person who can truly uncover its secrets: Moana.
The healer stand in the shadows of the chamber, her expression unreadable. "You have taken the first step," she said. "But the journey ahead will demand more of you than you can imagine."
Jason stepped forward, his voice sharp. "What exactly are you leading us into, Moana? The crypts were dangerous enough, and now you speak as if this is only the beginning."
Moana turned her piercing gaze toward him. "Because it is."
The scholars arrives in haste, their robes trailing as they bowed low before the queen.
Janice laid the scroll on the table before them.
Its surface shimmer faintly, the symbols shifting and twisting in ways that defied comprehension.
"This is no ordinary text," murmured one of the scholars, his voice trembling with awe. "It appears to be written in the Old Tongue, but there is... something more."
Moana step forward, her presence silencing the murmurs of the scholars.
"The language predates even the Old Tongue. It is the script of the First Circle, the architects of magic itself. Only one versed in their ways can translate it."
"Can you?" Janice asked, her voice taut with urgency.
Moana nodded, though her expression darkened. "I can, but there is a cost to such knowledge. The symbols are not merely words; they are imbued with power. To read them fully is to risk the mind, the spirit... and perhaps the soul."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Jason placed a protective hand on Janice's shoulder. "There must be another way."
"There isn't," Janice replied firmly, her gaze lock on Moana. "If the answers are in this scroll, we need to uncover them. Whatever the cost."
Moana instruct the scholars to prepare a sacred chamber for the reading of the scroll.
The room, deep within the castle, had not been used in generations.
Its walls were inscribed with protective runes, and the air is thick with the scent of ancient incense.
As the ritual begin, Moana sit at the center of the chamber, the scroll before her.
Candles flickers wildly as she chanted in a low, melodic voice.
The symbols on the scroll begin to glow brighter, casting an otherworldly light across the room.
Janice and Jason watches from the edges of the chamber, their hands clenches in silent tension.
The scholars stand in a semicircle, their expressions a mixture of awe and fear.
Moana's chanting grew louder, her voice resonating with a power that seemed to shake the very foundations of the castle.
The symbols on the scroll lift into the air, swirling around her like fireflies.
And then, without warning, the room plunge into darkness.
When the light return, it isn't the candlelight they had left behind but a vivid, golden glow that fill the chamber.
Janice gasps as the walls seemed to dissolve, replaced by a vast, open plain bathed in sunlight.
"What is this?" Jason whispered, his voice trembling.
"It is a memory," Moana replied, though her voice sounded distant, as if she were speaking from another time. "The scroll does not merely reveal the pastz, it allows us to witness it."
Before them, a great battle unfold.
Warriors clad in armor adore with glowing runes clashes against shadowy figures whose forms shift and twist like smoke.
At the center of the chaos stand a man wielding the same sword they had seen in the sarcophagus.
His face was obscure, but his presence was unmistakable, this was the ancient king of Danica.
Janice's breath catch as she saw him raise the sword high. A surge of light erupt from its blade, driving the shadowy figures back.
But the victory was short-lived.
The shadows regrouped, and the king's forces began to falter.
Moana's voice narrated the scene. "The First Circle sought to bind the darkness, to trap it within their own bloodline so that it could never escape. But such power comes with a price."
As they watch, the king plunges his sword into the earth. The shadows recoiled, their forms dissolving into the ground. The battlefield grow still, but the air is heavy with a sense of foreboding.
"By binding the darkness, the king ensured that his descendants would inherit both the throne and the curse," Moana continued. "The Council of Shadows is not merely your enemy, Queen Janice. They are your kin."
The vision shift, revealing a council chamber much like the one Janice now rule.
The king stand at its center, flanks by advisors who argues heatedly.
"We cannot allow the curse to persist," one of them said. "It is a danger to the kingdom."
"And yet it is also its strength," another countered. "The darkness grants us power beyond measure. Without it, we are vulnerable."
The king's face was etched with anguish as he raised a hand to silence them. "Enough. The curse is ours to bear, but we must wield it wisely. If we fall into corruption, the kingdom will fall with us."
Janice's heart ached as she watch the king's struggle.
The weight of his choices mirrored her own, and she realizes that the decisions he had made centuries ago still rippled through the present.
The vision begin to fade, and the chamber returned to its original state.
Moana sat motionless, her face pale and drawn. The scroll lay before her, its glow diminish but not extinguishes.
"The scroll's message is clear," Moana said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Council's power is tied to the royal bloodline. To destroy them, you must sever that connection but doing so will strip your family of the magic that has protected this kingdom for generations."
Jason's expression hardened. "You mean to say that Janice's choice is between saving the kingdom and destroying her own lineage?"
Moana nodded solemnly. "It is a cruel choice, but one that must be made. The Council will not stop until they reclaim the throne and plunge the kingdom into darkness."
Janice's mind raced. The revelation was both a curse and a call to action. She thought of her people, of the sacrifices made to protect them, and of the legacy she had inherited. Could she truly sever the bond that had both protected and plagued her family?
As the weight of the decision settle over the room, one of the scholars gasped. He pointed to the scroll, which had begin to glow again.
"There's more," he said, his voice trembling.
Moana's eyes widened as she leaned forward. "Impossible. The ritual is complete."
But the scroll disagrees.
Its symbols lifted into the air once more, forming a new pattern a map.
At its center is a glowing mark that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Janice stepped closer, her pulse quickening. "What is it?"
Moana's voice was grave. "It is a location. The source of the curse."
Jason frowned. "You mean to say we can undo it?"
Moana hesitated. "Perhaps. But the scroll warns of great danger. Whatever lies at that location is both the origin of the curse and the key to its destruction. If you go there, you may not return."
Janice straightened, her resolve hardening. "Then we have no choice. If there's even a chance to end this, we must take it."
Jason's jaw tightened. "I'm coming with you."
"And so am I," Moana said, though her voice was tinged with uncertainty.
Janice turn to her council. "Prepare the kingdom for our departure. If this is our only chance to save Danica, we cannot delay."
As the castle buzzed with preparations, Janice stand alone in her chambers, staring out at the moonlit city.
The choices before her loome like storm clouds on the horizon.
Can she truly risk everything, her lineage, her kingdom, her life for a chance to end the curse?
Her thoughts is interrupt by a soft knock. Jason enter, his expression a mix of concern and determination.
"You don't have to do this alone," he said, his voice gentle.
Janice turn to him, her eyes shining with both fear and resolve. "I know. But whatever happens, Jason, promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"Promise me you'll protect the people, no matter what."
Jason's jaw tightened as he nodded. "I swear it."