Alden's breath came in short gasps as he clenched his trembling fingers, trying to suppress the unnatural warmth pulsing beneath his skin. The Mark of Eldoria still glowed faintly on his palm, the golden light fading, but its presence remained—like an ember refusing to die.
The stranger before him, cloaked in midnight fabric, stepped closer. The lantern light flickered as if responding to their presence. Their silver eyes glowed like twin moons trapped in a storm, unreadable and knowing.
"Who are you?" Alden asked again, this time his voice steadier.
The stranger tilted their head slightly, regarding him with an air of quiet amusement. "Names hold power, heir. You will know mine when the time is right."
Alden scowled. He hated riddles. "Why do you call me that?" He held up his palm, the mark still faintly warm. "What is this?"
The stranger's gaze flickered to the mark, and for the first time, Alden saw something almost like reverence in their eyes.
"The Arcane Throne has been without an heir for centuries," they murmured, barely audible. "And now… the world moves once more."
Alden took a step back. "I don't understand."
"You will," the stranger promised. "But not here. Not now." They turned, their cloak whispering against the cobbled street. "Come with me."
Alden hesitated. The stranger had appeared the moment he touched the Mark—almost as if they had been waiting. His instincts screamed at him to be cautious, but something deeper, something primal, whispered that this was the path he had unknowingly been walking his whole life.
And if they had answers…
"Where are we going?" he asked.
The stranger smiled, just barely. "Somewhere safe. The Mark has awakened, and so have those who seek it."
Alden's gut twisted at their words. He had no idea what that meant, but he didn't like the sound of it.
Still, he nodded and followed.
They moved through Eldoria's winding streets, their steps silent despite the uneven stones. The town was eerily quiet at this hour, the mist curling around the rooftops like ghostly fingers. Alden had never seen Eldoria this way before—so still, so watchful.
They reached an alleyway behind the Elder's Hall. The stranger pressed a hand against the worn stone wall, murmuring something too quiet for Alden to hear. A low rumble filled the air, and then—without warning—the wall melted away into darkness.
A hidden passage.
Alden's pulse quickened. He had read about the hidden paths beneath Eldoria, but he had never found one himself.
"Quickly," the stranger urged. "We are not alone."
Alden hesitated only for a moment before stepping into the darkness. The air inside was thick, laced with the scent of old parchment and burning embers. The moment he crossed the threshold, the wall sealed itself behind them, cutting off the outside world.
A single torch flickered to life on the wall, revealing a spiraling staircase carved into the earth. The stone beneath his feet was ancient, worn smooth by centuries of footsteps.
"Where does this lead?" Alden asked, glancing at the stranger.
"To the truth," they replied.
They descended in silence, the air growing cooler with each step. Shadows danced along the walls, shifting in unnatural ways. Alden swore he saw figures moving just beyond the torchlight—whispers that had no mouths, eyes that vanished the moment he tried to focus on them.
And then they reached the bottom.
The chamber before them was vast, stretching beyond what the torch could reveal. Pillars of black stone reached toward a ceiling shrouded in mist, and at the very center of the room stood a pedestal. Upon it, a single object rested—a book.
But this was no ordinary book.
The cover was bound in something that looked like living shadow, shifting and writhing as though resisting its own existence. Symbols Alden had never seen before pulsed across its surface, whispering in a language that made his bones ache.
The stranger stopped at the edge of the pedestal, their silver eyes unreadable.
"You are the heir," they said softly. "And this is your birthright."
Alden swallowed. His instincts screamed at him not to touch it.
But deep inside, in the place where his blood whispered secrets even he did not understand, he knew.
This book had been waiting for him.
And whatever lay within its pages would change everything.