The forest surrounding the Arcane Field was so quiet it seemed to hold its breath. Colossal trees stood like the pillars of a natural temple, their canopies blocking most of the sunlight. Only small golden beams broke through, illuminating trunks, roots, and glimmering moss.
Evan walked alone, the mission scroll still in his hand. He opened it again to reread the instructions:
Objective: Collect 5 basic rune fragments.
Reward: 15 merit points.
Time limit: Until sunset.
Fifteen points. He did the mental math, bitterly. Just staying in the Field cost 50 points per week. To keep a roof over his head and access to basic meals, he would need to complete missions like this at least four times—and that didn't include tools or materials he might eventually need to buy.
The Arcane Field was not kind to the weak.
Evan kicked a rock on the path and sighed. He knew that rune fragments were rare in this part of the forest since most beginner apprentices had already scoured the area. Basic fragments, as the name suggested, were small pieces of ancient runes, broken and worn. Yet, they were valuable—used as study tools or in minor magical experiments.
Finding fragments meant scrutinizing every detail of the environment: moss-covered rocks, fallen trunks, holes in the ground. It was a task that required patience and a bit of luck.
After twenty minutes of searching, Evan finally found something. A small piece of stone, hidden under damp leaves, bore faint traces of rune inscriptions. He picked it up carefully, brushing the surface clean with his fingers.
"A basic fragment," he murmured. It was small but would suffice.
He placed it in his pouch and continued his search.
As he moved through the forest, Evan felt something strange. A sudden warmth ran down his neck, like a warm breeze. He stopped and looked around, but everything seemed normal. Trees, leaves, absolute silence.
Yet the sensation didn't fade. On the contrary, it grew stronger, almost tangible. It felt as though something was trying to catch his attention.
Evan hesitated. He knew that simple collection missions rarely involved surprises. Still, something about this feeling was irresistible, almost hypnotic.
"It's not like I have much to lose," he muttered, veering off the path and walking toward the warmth.
The forest grew denser as he advanced. Low branches scratched his clothes, and the ground became uneven. After a few minutes, he reached a small clearing.
In the center stood a stone structure.
The altar looked far too old to be of any importance. Its stones were covered in moss and cracks, and the inscriptions adorning its surface were almost imperceptible, worn down by time.
Evan stopped, observing it from a distance. He recognized the structure from stories he'd heard: an ancient altar, one of many scattered throughout the forest. Visited by generations of apprentices but supposedly drained of any useful magic.
Still, the warmth on his neck intensified, pulsing like a drum. He took a step forward, his heart beating faster.
The closer he got, the stronger the feeling that something was calling him.
And then he saw it.
The inscriptions on the altar began to glow faintly, almost imperceptibly. It was a subtle light that seemed alive. Evan took another step, almost unconsciously. He didn't know why, but his eyes were fixed on the runes. They seemed to move, rearranging themselves into patterns he couldn't look away from.
Inside his mind, a vision began to form.
Evan blinked, and suddenly, he was no longer there.
In his mind, he saw the altar's runes shifting, connecting like pieces of a puzzle. The patterns grew, intertwining, forming something larger. A structure. A design.
It was like an unknown constellation.
The runes connected in luminous lines, tracing the outlines of stars and symbols Evan didn't recognize. He felt as though he wasn't supposed to understand it, yet somehow... it all made sense. Every line, every curve, every connection was exactly where it belonged.
The vision was mesmerizing. Evan barely noticed when his knees began to bend. An irresistible urge to kneel overtook him, growing stronger with every second.
It was as if the constellation demanded reverence, as though something greater was watching him.
He tried to resist. He clenched his fists, held his breath. But the pressure was unbearable, like a silent voice commanding him to bow.
"No..." he murmured, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
And then, the constellation vanished.
Evan opened his eyes, gasping for air. The altar was there, as still as ever. Old, cracked, covered in moss. No light, no glowing runes.
He stepped back, still feeling a faint warmth on his neck.
"What was that...?" he whispered.
The clearing was familiar. He'd heard veterans say the altar was useless—just a relic of the past, visited out of curiosity. But what he had just experienced didn't feel ordinary.
And then, he felt it.
His core pulsed for the first time.
It was a weak sensation but unmistakable—a faint warmth in the center of his chest, like a spark about to ignite. He placed a hand over his chest, startled. He had never felt this before.
"My core..."
He tried to activate it. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sensation. And for the first time, he saw something.
In the darkness of his mind, small runes began to appear, glowing faintly. They weren't complete, but they were there.
He opened his eyes, and the warmth faded. The altar remained inert, and the clearing was silent.
With one last glance at the altar, he turned and began walking back to the Field.
The sun was already setting when Evan reached the central square. He handed the mission scroll to one of Jonas's assistants, explaining that he hadn't collected all the fragments. The assistant shook her head disdainfully and marked the mission as partially completed, awarding him only 3 merit points.
As the other apprentices around him discussed their missions and results, Evan walked to his tent. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the forest.
Sitting on the floor of his tent, he closed his eyes again, trying to sense his core. Once more, he saw it: the runes, the connections, the patterns.
Something inside him had changed.
And for the first time, he felt that maybe he wasn't as empty as he had thought.