The village had gone dark. Only the soft glow of lanterns flickered in the distance, swaying in the wind like dying embers. I stood in the middle of the silent square, my breath visible in the cold air. Beneath my feet, something shifted.
A faint, golden light seeped from the cracks in the earth. Slowly, it took form—an ancient book rising from the ground. Its cover was worn, the leather cracked and faded with age, yet it pulsed with a strange warmth, as though alive.
I hesitated, my instincts screaming to walk away, but my hand moved on its own. The book was heavier than it looked. Not physically—it weighed little—but something deeper, something unseen pressed against my chest as though the air itself had thickened around me.
When I opened it, strange symbols filled the page. At first, they seemed foreign, incomprehensible. Then, like whispers in the back of my mind, the meaning unraveled.
"If you are reading this, you have been chosen to guard the knowledge within. This is no ordinary book—it holds the truth of countless ages, knowledge that can change the world itself. But beware… there are those who would use this knowledge to bring ruin, to twist the natural order into chaos. You must protect it at all costs, for in the wrong hands, it could doom everything."
Chosen? To guard ancient knowledge? My pulse quickened. My fingers tightened around the book as the weight of those words sank in.
I turned the next page, the script growing more urgent.
"The cycle of torment endured by this village was no coincidence. It was all to protect this knowledge, to seal it away from those who would twist its power. Every soul here has paid the price to ensure its secrecy. Their lives were the cost, their suffering the seal."
My stomach churned. The truth was suffocating. These people—they had sacrificed everything for this book. Their lives, their families, their futures—all to guard something they never asked for.
I turned another page. A hastily scrawled note stood out among the flowing text.
"The world is not as it seems. Shadows lurk in every corner. Beware the Void Cult. They seek the end—the return of all things to nothingness. Their leader is a madman, an existence at the Immortal Sovereign Realm. They will stop at nothing to claim this knowledge. Run. Hide. They will come for you."
I snapped the book shut, my breath coming in short gasps. I wasn't ready for this. I had just barely survived the last trial. Now, this burden—this responsibility—was suddenly mine to carry?
Run. That was the only thought that made sense. Run before they find me.
The formation that had once protected the village was gone, its shattering a beacon that would surely draw the cult's attention. The hooded man... he had sent a signal.
I spun around, clutching the book tightly, and bolted into the forest.
The trees closed in around me, their branches clawing at my clothes as I ran. The cold air burned my lungs, but I didn't dare slow down. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out all sound.
Keep moving. Don't stop.
The forest was a labyrinth of shadows, every corner a potential hiding place—or a trap. I activated the amulet around my neck, and my body shimmered, fading into the darkness.
I crouched beneath a cluster of bushes, my breath ragged. The smell of damp earth and decaying leaves filled my nostrils. The air was cold, biting at my skin. I pressed myself closer to the ground, willing my racing heart to slow.
The world around me was unnervingly still. Even the wind seemed to have vanished, leaving only silence. I strained my ears, listening.
Crunch.
A single footstep echoed through the forest.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound grew louder—slow, deliberate, each step calculated. My pulse thundered in my chest as a hooded figure came into view, his dark robes blending with the shadows.
He stopped a few feet away, his head turning slowly from side to side. His face was obscured by the hood, but I could feel his gaze sweeping over the area, searching. My muscles tensed.
The figure reached into his robe and pulled out a talisman, his fingers tracing the glowing symbols on its surface. He muttered something under his breath, and the talisman flared with light.
I held my breath, every muscle in my body screaming to run.
The figure turned his head in my direction. My heart nearly stopped.
He sees me.
I pressed my back against the cold ground, the damp earth clinging to my clothes. I could feel his gaze lingering, the weight of it pressing down on me.
The hooded figure took a step closer. His hand tightened around the talisman, its glow intensifying.
Don't move. Don't breathe.
For what felt like an eternity, he stood there, his eyes locked on the spot where I hid. Then, without warning, he spun on his heel and bolted into the forest, vanishing into the shadows.
I exhaled slowly, my body trembling.
But the relief was short-lived. The air changed.
It thickened, heavy with an ominous energy. The forest held its breath once more, and the ground beneath me began to tremble.
Above the treetops, a sphere of crackling energy formed, swirling with chaotic power. It grew larger, the hum of its destructive force filling the air.
I stared, frozen in place. My mind screamed at me to run, but my legs refused to move.
The sphere descended with terrifying speed.
The amulet around my neck flared, forming a barrier just as the blast hit. The ground shook violently, a wave of force tearing through the forest. The barrier held for a brief moment before cracks spread across its surface like a spider's web.
It shattered, and the full force of the blast slammed into me. Pain lanced through my body, and I was thrown backward, crashing into the ground. Blood trickled from my wounds, warm against my skin.
Darkness crept into my vision. My body felt heavy, my limbs unresponsive.
Then, amidst the chaos, a voice whispered in my ear—soft, cold, and twisted.
"I got you."
The world spun, and everything went black.