Azriel's eyes snapped open. The darkness of the night surrounded him, thick and suffocating, but the image of the warrior's final moments haunted his mind. He could still hear the old man's voice, barely a whisper before he passed:
'Take the Sigil. It's your burden now.'
His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the relic, the cold metal of the Warlord's Sigil resting on his palm. The strange symbol seemed to pulse faintly in the moonlight, and Azriel couldn't help but wonder, 'What is this thing? Why me?'
He clenched his jaw, the weight of the relic growing heavier with each passing moment. As he turned it over in his hands, he could feel the faint hum of energy inside it, like the faintest whisper of something ancient and powerful, lying dormant within the metal.
'What does this mean?' Azriel thought, his gaze narrowing on the intricate markings etched into the surface of the Sigil. The patterns seemed to shift, almost as if they were alive, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. He shook his head, as if trying to dislodge the odd thoughts racing through his mind.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him seemed to tremble, and a sharp, biting pain surged through his chest. Azriel gasped, dropping the Sigil to the ground. His body was wracked with spasms as waves of energy poured from the relic, flooding his veins like fire. His mind spun, disoriented and overwhelmed by the flood of foreign sensations. 'What's happening to me?'
With a strangled cry, Azriel collapsed to his knees, clutching at his chest. The pain was unbearable. It felt like his very soul was being torn apart. He could feel the magic of the Sigil seeping into his bones, an overwhelming force that threatened to consume him entirely. 'I can't... I can't control it!'
His thoughts were muddled, confusion clouding his mind as the power continued to surge within him. It was as if the Sigil was alive, sentient, reacting to him, pulling him into its depths. 'Is this... the power the warrior spoke of?' Azriel wondered in a fleeting moment of clarity, before the pain intensified again.
Then, just as quickly as it had come, the pain stopped. Azriel's breath came in ragged gasps, his body drenched in sweat, but the world around him seemed unnervingly still. His heartbeat slowed, and for a moment, he could hear nothing but the pounding of blood in his ears.
He rose slowly, eyes wide, and cautiously looked at his hands. His fingers were no longer trembling. The weight of the Sigil felt different now, as though it had somehow fused with him. The mark it left on his palm burned faintly, the symbol still glowing softly in the dim light.
'This is real,' Azriel realized, his thoughts racing. 'The Sigil isn't just a relic... it's a key. A key to something far greater than I can understand. But how do I control it?'
His mind flickered to the words of the dying warrior. 'You must awaken the magic within it, or it will consume you.' Azriel's heart skipped a beat. 'Consume me?'
The sound of footsteps broke his reverie. He spun around, his instincts kicking in. But there was no one there—just the empty forest, silent and still.
'I need to stay calm,' Azriel thought, trying to steady his breath. 'Focus.'
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rustling in the underbrush. His senses heightened. Someone was definitely nearby. 'Is it friend or foe?' Azriel wondered, reaching instinctively for the Sigil, though he knew it would be useless without learning to harness its power. 'What do I do now?'
The rustling grew louder, and a shadow moved swiftly through the trees. Azriel could see it now—a figure. Someone was coming toward him.
He didn't have time to think. Azriel darted toward a nearby tree, crouching low to the ground. His heart hammered in his chest as he tried to control his breathing. 'Why now? Why today?' His thoughts raced as he pressed himself flat against the bark, waiting for the figure to reveal itself.
The figure stepped into the clearing, a tall, muscular man dressed in weathered armor. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his eyes glowed with an eerie light. He moved silently, as if he didn't even touch the ground.
Azriel held his breath, watching the man's every move. 'Who is this? A mercenary? A scout?' Azriel wondered. The figure was too calm, too calculated. He was no ordinary wanderer.
The man paused, his gaze sweeping across the clearing. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Azriel felt a chill run down his spine. The man's eyes—pale, almost glowing—locked onto his with unnerving precision.
'He saw me? How?' Azriel's heart leapt into his throat. His grip tightened around the Sigil. 'I need to get out of here. I can't afford to be found now.'
The man's lips curled into a faint smile, but there was no warmth in it. Azriel could feel the man's gaze piercing into him, as if he were reading his very thoughts.
'He's dangerous,' Azriel realized, his instincts screaming at him to flee. But he couldn't move. The Sigil, still burning faintly in his hand, seemed to hum louder, reacting to the presence of this stranger.
The man took a step forward, and Azriel tensed. 'What does he want?'
Then, as if sensing Azriel's thoughts, the man spoke in a voice as cold as the grave. "You have it," he said. "The Sigil."
Azriel's breath caught in his throat. How could this man know? 'Who is he?'
The man's eyes glimmered. "Don't think for a second you can keep that power hidden. There are others who will stop at nothing to take it from you."
Azriel gritted his teeth. 'What does he know?'
The man took another step closer. Azriel's pulse quickened. He had no choice. 'I can't let him take it.'
Azriel clenched the Sigil, a surge of energy flowing through him. He barely understood what was happening, but his body moved as if guided by instinct. He raised the Sigil high, and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze.
Then the power surged.
The man's eyes widened as the ground beneath him cracked, and the air around them twisted with the force of the Sigil's magic. Azriel, his mind clouded with confusion and fear, was suddenly flooded with an overwhelming sense of power—raw, untamed, and deadly.
'What's happening? What am I doing?' Azriel wondered frantically as the energy continued to grow stronger.
The man staggered back, his expression one of disbelief. "What have you done?" he muttered under his breath, more to himself than Azriel.
Azriel's hands shook as the energy continued to spiral around him, the Sigil glowing brighter than ever before. 'I don't know what I'm doing!' Azriel's mind screamed. 'What is this power?'
The man raised a hand, and in an instant, the energy surrounding Azriel seemed to dissipate, retreating into the Sigil. The glow faded, and the power seemed to settle.
"Don't get too comfortable, boy," the man said, his voice barely above a whisper. "That Sigil is just the beginning."
With that, he turned and vanished into the darkness of the forest, leaving Azriel alone, trembling, and more confused than ever.