As Aiden stepped through the swirling portal, the world around him shifted with a sudden, dizzying pull. His surroundings solidified into a different time, a different place.
It was like stepping into another reality, but not truly being in it. The ground beneath him felt steady, the air carried scents he recognized, but none of it responded to his presence. It was as though he had become a silent observer, caught in a memory that didn't belong to him.
The scene before him was grim, the air heavy with the stench of fire and blood. A village lay in ruin, its houses engulfed in flames, its paths littered with bodies. Men, women, and children alike.
Smoke curled into the darkening sky, mingling with the cries of agony that seemed to ripple through the air, though no lips moved to utter them.
Aiden's breath hitched, his eyes drawn to the figure in the center of the carnage, a lone hooded man, cloaked in darkness, his very presence exuding dread. The figure moved methodically through the chaos, his hand extended as though commanding something unseen.
From each body he passed, a soft, ethereal blue light began to emerge, swirling upward like mist caught in a gentle breeze.
Aiden stared, horrified, as the lights, small, orb-like forms floated through the air, converging toward the figure. They were spirits, torn from the bodies of the villagers, their faint, ghostly shapes still writhing in pain.
The hooded man raised a hand, and a container strapped to his waist opened. The blue orbs flowed inside, disappearing into its void, their light dimming as they were consumed. The cries of agony grew louder, their torment resonating in Aiden's very soul.
He clasped his hands over his ears instinctively, but it was futile. The sounds didn't come from outside; they echoed within his mind, clawing at his thoughts.
"Stop it…" he muttered, though no one could hear him.
"What are you doing to them?"
The figure moved with precision, his every action calculated. As the last of the spirits was drawn into his container, he turned and strode toward the entrance of a cave, hidden beneath jagged cliffs. Aiden's vision followed, drawn forward by the same force that had brought him here.
Inside the cave, the air grew colder, heavier, and an oppressive silence filled the space. At its center, suspended mid-air, was a ring. A sinister object that seemed to devour the very light around it.
The ring was crafted from an unknown black metal, its surface etched with ancient, indecipherable runes. At its center was a skull, its hollow sockets emanating a faint, malevolent glow.
The hooded man approached the ring with reverence, his hand outstretched. The container at his waist opened again, releasing the stolen spirits.
One by one, the blue orbs floated toward the ring, their glow dimming further as they were absorbed into the object. Each spirit let out a wail as it was consumed, their cries fading into a terrible silence.
Aiden watched, frozen, as the ring began to pulse with power. The air around it shimmered, rippling with an invisible force that made his skin crawl. He could feel it, even as an observer—the sheer weight of its dark aura, a sinister energy that seemed to radiate malice and despair.
"That's… no ordinary artifact," Aiden whispered, his voice trembling.
The hooded figure stepped back, watching the ring with satisfaction as it spun slowly in the air, its glow intensifying with each spirit it absorbed. The cries of the departed echoed in the cave, their agony trapped within the cursed object.
Aiden's heart pounded, a mixture of fear and curiosity gripping him. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene, even as every instinct screamed at him to leave. The ring's aura was suffocating, a presence that promised nothing but ruin.
The hooded man reached out again, his voice a low murmur of ancient words that Aiden couldn't understand. The runes on the ring flared briefly, and the cave fell silent once more.
Aiden took a step back, his gaze locked on the ring. Something about it called to him, as if the artifact itself were aware of his presence. It was a pull he couldn't explain, a whisper in the depths of his mind.
But as quickly as the scene had begun, the world around him began to dissolve. The cave, the hooded man, the cursed ring, they all faded into darkness, leaving Aiden standing alone in an empty void.
His breath came in shallow gasps, his mind reeling from what he had witnessed.
"Was that… the past?" he asked aloud, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Aiden's hands trembled, and he clenched them into fists, trying to steady himself. But then, a cold sensation prickled his palm—a weight that wasn't there before. His breath hitched as he slowly opened his hand.
The ring.
The same cursed ring he had just seen in the vision, with its sinister skull and dark metal etched with runes, now rested in his palm. Its malevolent aura sent shivers through him, and he could feel them. The faint cries of the spirits trapped within, their agony resonating through his very soul.
"What the—?!" Aiden gasped, his heart racing as he stumbled back.
Without thinking, he yanked the ring from his hand and hurled it away with all his strength. It clattered to the ground several feet away, spinning once before coming to a stop. Aiden stared at it, his breath heavy, his mind racing.
But as he blinked, the ring was gone.
His eyes darted around the ground, searching for where it might have rolled, his pulse pounding in his ears.
"Where...?" he whispered, panic rising in his chest.
He turned, scanning the space around him, his movements frantic.
Then, he froze.
The ring was back. On his finger.
"No," he muttered, his voice shaking as he tried to pry it off again.
He pulled and twisted, his nails digging into his skin as he tried to remove it, but the ring didn't budge. It clung to him like it was part of his body, its cold metal unyielding.
"Damn it!"
"What kinda cursed artifact is this? Forcing the host to accept it? Really? Are you that desperate?"
The ring gave no response, but its faint, eerie glow seemed to pulse slightly, almost as if it were mocking him. Aiden let out an exasperated sigh, running his free hand through his hair.
"Oh, great. A clingy, cursed ring with abandonment issues. Just what I needed in my life," he muttered sarcastically, his voice dripping with frustration.
"You know, normal artifacts wait for someone to choose them. But no, not you. You've gotta be all... extra."
He yanked at it again, harder this time, but it was like trying to pull a tree from its roots with bare hands. The ring didn't even budge.
"Of course, because why make anything easy, right?" Aiden said, his tone now teetering on hysteria.
"Why let me just walk away from this nightmare? Nope! Let's strap on the creepy murder jewelry and call it a day!"
He finally dropped his hands in defeat, glaring down at the cursed ring with narrowed eyes. It pulsed faintly again, as if smugly reminding him of its presence.
As he stared at it, an unsettling sensation washed over him, not just in his body but in his mind. Images began flashing before his eyes.
He staggered slightly, clutching his head as the influx of information subsided. The knowledge was there, clear and precise, embedded into his mind as if it had always been.
"So... that's what this thing does," he muttered, his voice low, almost reverent.
"I should give it a try later."
But as the realization of its function settled in, his awe quickly gave way to unease. His gaze returned to the ring, now feeling more like a predator staring back at him. Its faint glow pulsed again, almost as if it were alive.
He glanced at the faint glint of its skull-shaped ornamentation, the ominous black metal that radiated an unnatural aura. The cries of the spirits within it still echoed faintly in his mind, a constant reminder of the ring's sinister origins.
"It's not just a tool. It's alive. It's aware." he muttered, his throat dry.
"What if..." Aiden's voice wavered, his fear bubbling to the surface.
"What if it decides to control me, instead of me controlling it?"
"No," he growled through gritted teeth, his voice resolute despite the tremor in it.
"I won't let that happen. You think you can scare me into submission?" He glared at the cursed artifact, his fear mixing with defiance. "Think again."
The ring pulsed as if mocking his fear, and Aiden clenched his fists tighter.