IMMORTAL QUEST
Chapter 2: Shadows and Secrets
The next morning, Scott woke up feeling like he'd barely slept. His dreams had been filled with fragments of the vision he'd seen—flashes of a looming fortress, an ancient symbol glowing against a stormy sky, and his friends standing beside him, their faces determined but wary.
As he got ready for school, his eyes flicked to the medallion still resting on his desk. Its surface was dull now, looking as ordinary as it had for years. But Scott knew better. Whatever power it held, it was far from ordinary.
---
At School
Ridgewood High was alive with the usual chaos: students rushing through the hallways, lockers slamming shut, and teachers barking last-minute instructions. Scott found himself scanning the crowd, half-expecting the cloaked figure from the park to reappear.
"Hey, over here!" Mia called, waving him over to their usual spot by the lockers.
The group was already gathered—Derek leaning casually against the wall, Allison flipping through her textbook, Theo sketching something in his notebook, and Malia sipping her ever-present coffee.
"You look like you saw a ghost," Derek said as Scott approached.
Scott hesitated, unsure how much to tell them. "About yesterday," he began, keeping his voice low. "That figure…didn't it seem like they knew us?"
"Us?" Allison asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They said something about us awakening," Scott continued. "And last night, I—" He stopped, unsure how to explain the medallion.
"Last night you what?" Mia prompted, her gaze narrowing.
Before Scott could answer, the first bell rang, cutting the conversation short.
"Saved by the bell," Derek joked, slinging his arm around Mia as they headed to class. But Scott couldn't shake the feeling that the conversation wasn't over—it was just beginning.
---
History Class
Mr. Donovan's lesson for the day was on ancient civilizations, but his tone was subdued, almost cautious. Scott found himself scrutinizing the teacher, looking for any sign that he might know more about the medallion or the figure in the park.
Halfway through the lecture, Mr. Donovan's eyes met Scott's. For a brief moment, something unspoken passed between them—a flicker of recognition.
"You're awfully quiet today, Mr. Hayes," Donovan said, his voice breaking the silence. "Care to share your thoughts on the immortality myths we discussed yesterday?"
Scott shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Not really," he muttered.
Mr. Donovan's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Perhaps you'll find the next topic more engaging." He turned back to the board, writing a single word in bold letters: Artifacts.
Scott's pulse quickened.
---
Lunch Break
The group reconvened at their usual spot in the park, the tension from earlier still lingering.
"Okay, spill," Mia said, crossing her arms. "What's going on with you, Scott?"
Scott took a deep breath. "There's something you need to see."
He pulled the medallion from his pocket, holding it up for them to see. In the daylight, it looked ordinary—just a tarnished piece of metal with faint engravings.
"What's that?" Theo asked, leaning in for a closer look.
"It's been in my family for years," Scott explained. "But last night, it…glowed. And when I touched it, I saw things—visions of another world, battles, and…us."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
"Us?" Malia echoed.
Scott nodded. "We were standing together, fighting against something. I don't know what, but it felt…real."
"Okay, this is officially weird," Derek said, running a hand through his hair.
"Do you think it's connected to that figure in the park?" Allison asked, her skeptical tone replaced by genuine curiosity.
"I don't know," Scott admitted. "But I think we need to figure it out."
---
The Library
That afternoon, the group met at the Ridgewood Public Library, a sprawling building filled with dusty books and the faint smell of parchment.
"All right," Theo said, setting his notebook down on the table. "If we're going to figure out what's going on, we need a plan."
"Start with the medallion," Allison suggested. "There has to be something about it in one of these books."
The group split up, each of them searching through shelves of ancient mythology and folklore. Hours passed, and the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the library.
Finally, Malia let out a triumphant cry. "Got something!"
She held up an old book titled The Guardians of Eternity. Flipping through the pages, she stopped at an illustration of a medallion identical to Scott's.
"This medallion," she read aloud, "is said to be one of six artifacts tied to the Immortal Guardians, beings tasked with protecting the balance between worlds."
"Balance between worlds?" Derek repeated.
"Apparently, there's more than one world," Malia continued, her voice steady despite the gravity of the words. "And these artifacts are the key to keeping them connected—or separated."
"Does it say what happens if they're not protected?" Theo asked.
Malia's expression darkened. "It says chaos. Total collapse of both worlds."
---
Back at the Park
As the group walked home, the weight of what they'd learned hung heavy in the air.
"We need to figure out who that figure was," Scott said. "And why they came to us."
"Maybe they were warning us," Mia offered. "But about what?"
Scott didn't have an answer, but one thing was clear: their lives were no longer normal.
And the medallion was only the beginning.