Azriel couldn't shake the feeling that the events of the last few hours had irrevocably changed him. The battle with the creature, the strange encounter with the cloaked figure, and the mysterious woman—his mind was a storm of thoughts and questions. Everything felt overwhelming, as though the world had expanded in ways he couldn't yet understand.
'What the hell just happened?' Azriel thought as he paced back and forth. 'This is too much for me to handle. I was never supposed to be involved in something like this.'
The woman, now awake and alert, sat on the ground a few feet away. Her eyes were wide with confusion, as though she couldn't fully grasp what had just occurred. Azriel couldn't blame her—he barely understood it himself.
The figure, who had introduced himself only as a "friend," had left them with only a few cryptic words of guidance before disappearing into the forest. Azriel had half-expected the stranger to stick around, but there was something about him that felt... elusive. Like he was part of a world Azriel wasn't ready to see.
'That guy knows something I don't,' Azriel thought, his mind still whirling. 'I have to figure out who he really is... and what he's talking about with all this Sigil stuff.'
He glanced at the woman, who was still trying to get her bearings. Her expression was distant, and her gaze flickered between Azriel and the ground, as though she was piecing together fragments of her memory.
"What happened?" she asked weakly, her voice raspy. "Where am I?"
Azriel stopped pacing and turned to face her. He knelt down beside her, trying to give her a reassuring smile, though he wasn't sure how convincing it was.
"You were attacked by a creature," Azriel said gently. "But you're safe now. The... thing is gone."
Her eyes widened, and she looked down at her body, as if expecting to see the wounds that had been there only moments ago. Azriel's heart clenched as she ran a hand over her arms, where the dark tendrils of the creature had wrapped around her.
"You saved me?" she whispered, her voice full of disbelief.
Azriel hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "I didn't do it alone," he said, his voice low. He glanced toward the trees, but the figure was gone, leaving only the haunting echoes of his cryptic words.
She seemed to understand the unspoken truth. She nodded slowly. "The creature... What was it?"
Azriel felt his stomach twist at the question. He had no answers, no real understanding of what he had faced. He wasn't even sure what he had done to defeat the creature—he had acted on instinct, tapping into the power of the Sigil, but it had all happened so fast.
"I don't know," Azriel admitted, his voice quiet. "But I'm not sure it was the last of them."
The woman looked up at him then, her eyes sharp and calculating, as though she was sizing him up. "I know you're not telling me everything," she said. "There's something you're hiding. Something important."
Azriel froze, feeling exposed. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as though she was reading him, understanding him in ways that were unsettling.
"I don't have all the answers," Azriel said, his voice strained. "But I'm trying to figure it out."
The woman's gaze softened, but there was still a distant wariness in her eyes. "You're not the only one," she murmured. "I'm looking for answers too. We're not alone in this, you know. There are others who will come for the Sigil—others who would do anything to take it from you."
Azriel's blood ran cold at her words. He had suspected something like this, but hearing it confirmed out loud made the threat feel real. He had no idea what to do, no idea how to protect the Sigil—or even if he could.
'What have I gotten myself into?' Azriel thought, his mind clouded with doubt and fear. 'I just wanted a normal life. Now... I'm running from things I don't understand, with a power I can't control.'
"You're not alone in this," the woman said again, more forcefully this time, as if sensing his inner turmoil. "We need to find the others who are connected to the Sigils. They'll help you understand what's at stake. If we don't act fast, the whole world will change—and not for the better."
Azriel felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The weight of her words sank in, and a deep sense of urgency settled within him. This wasn't just about him anymore. It was about the entire world, and the power he now carried—whether he wanted it or not.
"I'm not ready for this," Azriel whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
"But you don't have a choice," the woman replied firmly. "None of us do."
Azriel closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. The weight of everything that had happened in the past few hours—and everything that was to come—was almost too much to bear.
"I don't know where to start," Azriel admitted, his voice heavy with frustration.
The woman gave him a sympathetic look, but her expression was also one of determination. "I do," she said. "There's a place—a hidden city where the guardians of the Sigils are gathering. We can start there. It's our best chance to learn what we're really dealing with."
Azriel's mind raced as he processed her words. A hidden city? Guardians of the Sigils? Everything she said sounded like it was part of a larger plan—something beyond his understanding. But at this point, he had no other options.
"You're sure about this?" Azriel asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
The woman nodded, her eyes fierce. "I'm sure."
Azriel looked at her, a strange sense of resolve rising within him. He didn't fully trust her yet, but he couldn't deny that he had no better lead. And, deep down, he knew that whatever this journey was—whatever was waiting for him at the hidden city—it would be the beginning of something far bigger than he could ever have imagined.
'This is it,' Azriel thought, his heart pounding in his chest. 'I'm in this now. No turning back.'
He stood up, his eyes meeting hers with newfound determination. "Let's go," he said. "We don't have time to waste."
And with that, they both set off into the unknown, the weight of their shared fate pulling them toward an uncertain future.