The first rays of dawn, pale and weak, crept over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of grey and bruised purple. Inside the cave, Thomas stirred, the embers of the fire reduced to a bed of glowing ash. The night's revelations had left him with a restless unease, a sense of being caught between worlds. He was no longer the solitary shadow, the lone avenger. He was a Seeker, though he had yet to meet one, a potential savior, and a hunted target, all at once. He ran a hand across his face, feeling the stubble that had grown over the last few days, a small, human detail in his increasingly inhuman existence.He rose, his body moving with a fluid grace that belied the raw power simmering within. He gathered his cloak, the dark fabric feeling like a second skin, a shield against the world's scrutiny. He took up his pistol, the cold steel strangely comforting in its familiarity, and then turned his attention to his two books - the old glyphs and the strange, newer ones. They were both starting to become too heavy for a single small bag, and he knew he needed to consider another storage solution. His mind buzzed with questions and half-formed plans. He needed answers, he needed guidance, and he needed to understand what it truly meant to be a Seeker. His mother's words echoed in his mind - "They will find you when the time is right." - but that passive waiting felt alien to the nature he was adopting.He left the cave, the morning air crisp and cold against his skin. The surrounding quarry, a skeletal graveyard of stone and shadow, seemed to hold its breath, watching him depart. He moved with a newfound purpose, a sense of direction that pulled him towards the heart of London, despite the dangers it posed. He wasn't just wandering; he was seeking, searching for any hint of the Seekers, any sign of their hidden presence. He was walking towards his new destiny, a destination that felt more predetermined than he'd hoped.He spent the next few days moving through the city, a ghost in the daylight, a whisper in the night. He frequented places where rumors thrived – dimly lit taverns, bustling marketplaces, and hidden back alleys. He listened to hushed conversations, read faded notices on walls, and watched people's faces, searching for any flicker of recognition, any clue that might lead him to the elusive order. He knew, instinctively, that he was not alone in this world of hidden powers. He felt their presence on the periphery, like a distant hum, just beyond his grasp. He saw hints and glimpses of what looked like glyph users, but none that seemed like "Seekers," those that could potentially understand him and what he was.He practiced his glyph weaving, perfecting his control, but tried not to draw too much attention to himself by staying well outside of central London. He worked on speed, aiming, energy bolts, and the art of concealment. He learned to bend light and shadow, making himself all but invisible, an ephemeral presence in the city's chaotic ballet. The pistol became more than just a weapon; it was a tool of precision and focus, an extension of his will, each shot infused with raw power, a symphony of destruction channeled through cold steel. He practiced relentlessly, each day building on the last. He wasn't just training, he was preparing for a war he knew was coming, a war between those who sought control of the Eternal Spark, and those who sought to protect it, and he would inevitably, be in the center of it.One evening, as dusk painted the sky in hues of blood orange and deep indigo, Thomas found himself in a quiet corner of an old library, a place of forgotten lore and whispered knowledge. He had been drawn to the place by a strange pull, an unusual resonance that thrummed beneath the city's hum. He was drawn to this space by an energy that matched his own, but it was not a chaotic energy, but something more measured and intelligent. He moved slowly through the tall stacks, his fingertips brushing against the spines of old leather-bound books. He felt as if he was not looking for information, but that the information was looking for him, and that it was all happening according to a plan beyond his knowledge.He paused before a particular shelf, his attention drawn to a simple, unassuming volume tucked away at the back. It was small, bound in dark cloth, and its title faded beyond legibility. He pulled it out, and as his fingers touched the cover, a surge of energy pulsed through him, a familiar resonance that echoed deep within his soul. He opened it carefully and inside were handwritten words, not in English, but in the language of the glyphs, the secret tongue he had been learning for years. He wasn't quite as fluid in reading this as he was with the first book, but with each attempt, it felt as if the language was pulling from inside his heart.The words seemed to leap from the page, forming sentences, instructions, and directions. This wasn't a book of glyphs, but a coded message, a map leading him further down the path he was destined to take. As he translated, an old, hoarse voice cut through the silent library. "Intrigued by the whispers of the past, are we?"Thomas whirled around, his pistol already in his hand, the movements swift and precise. Standing before him was an old man, his face a roadmap of wrinkles and age, his eyes bright with an unusual light, almost iridescent. He was tall and thin, and his clothes were a mix of faded finery and worn practicality, but there was an energy about him, a quiet confidence that seemed to radiate from him, almost like a warm, guiding light. He had his hands in his coat pockets and had a strangely knowing smile on his face. "You can put the weapon away, child. We've been expecting you."Thomas lowered his pistol slowly, his senses still on high alert. "Who are you? How did you know to find me?"The old man chuckled, a dry, rasping sound that filled the silent library. "We are the Seekers, young ones, the keepers of the flame. And we know of your existence, we know of what you are, and we know of what you are capable of. You are no mere legend, but an inevitability." He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving Thomas's face. "My name is Elias, and I have been entrusted to guide you on this journey. You are not the first of your kind, nor the last, so do not hold this burden too heavily."Thomas stared at the old man, a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and relief washing over him. "Seekers? You're… real?"Elias nodded, a faint smile gracing his lips. "More real than the shadows you've been hiding in, young one. We have watched you for a long time, tested you, and seen the potential within you. You have the gift of the Spark, but not a full understanding, and it is why you must come with us."What about the Watchers? Are they after you?" Thomas questioned."They always have, and always will. They seek balance and we seek progress. They must contain us, as we must live. We've been hiding from them since before your existence, we've learned how to avoid them, to remain unnoticed. It seems that they are actively tracking you, because of the great power that you now possess, but with us, it would give you much-needed time to practice." Elias's calm expression changed slightly to a look of sadness. "Though… We had hoped you would choose to remain unseen. I can feel the volatile energy that swirls around you. It is very strong, but has great potential to be disastrous."You saw what I can do? You were watching those fights I had?" Thomas asked with his eyebrow raised.Elias chuckled. "Young Thomas, we are not naive. We have watched you for quite some time and have seen how quickly you escalate to violence. Do you not feel how easy it has become for you to injure, or end someone's life? This needs to be understood, or the power itself will be your end." He reached out his hand towards him, his eyes looking with kindness, "Join us. Together, we can find a better path than your father tried."Thomas paused for a moment, considering everything that had happened. His old life, his mother, the violence, the hunt, and now these Seekers that had found him. A sense of exhaustion overcame him, but in that space, there was a sliver of hope that started to grow. "Alright, Elias. I'll go with you." He knew that was the right path to take.A small smile formed on Elias's lips, and he took a step closer to Thomas. "Follow me, then. There is still much to learn." And with those words, he led Thomas out of the library, deeper into the city's labyrinthine streets, towards a hidden sanctuary, a place where the echoes of the past met the whispers of the future, and where Thomas's destiny, it seemed, was about to truly begin.They traveled for the next day in silence, using the smaller paths and backways of London to get further into the hidden depths, Elias, however, did have to teach Thomas how to move around and not be tracked, as the methods he had were very different. Thomas seemed surprised by this, seeing how invisible he felt, but understood that it wasn't about being stealthy, but more about camouflaging the energy of the Eternal Spark inside his soul, something he had not even considered when being alone. It was strange that Elias could still feel that, even with how concealed he believed his soul was.They arrived, after much travel, at a hidden entrance to a dark basement in what seemed to be an abandoned building. The wooden door creaked as it was opened, but was otherwise unnoticed by any outside observers, thanks to a series of hidden glyphs that had made it practically invisible."Welcome, Thomas, to the Seeker's Haven," Elias said with a strange hint of pride as he entered.Inside, a dimly lit space unfolded. It was not a vast cavern like Thomas imagined, but a series of interconnected rooms and corridors, hidden deep beneath the city. The walls were adorned with intricate glyphs, not the violent glyphs of the raw energy that he had learned, but of symbols for peace and progress. Candles flickered softly, casting dancing shadows that seemed to whisper with forgotten wisdom. Bookshelves stretched to the ceiling, filled with ancient volumes and scrolls, each containing fragments of the Spark's intricate history. There were other figures present, but only as a collective, some with books, some looking at charts on the walls, others practicing with strange, smooth stones, but it was clear to Thomas, that all of them had a hidden power, and were like him, in many aspects.Elias led him to a large table in the center of the main room. The room was silent, save for the soft shuffling of papers and the distant crackling of fire. He pointed to the center of the table. On it were small pouches with an assortment of tools, each one unique with glyphs embedded in their wood and metal, and other various tools that were unrecognizable to Thomas."You must first learn more than you already know," Elias stated calmly, breaking the silence. He pulled one of the pouches towards Thomas, "These will be your tools. You have your pistol, and you understand what it does, but you have not understood the very essence of it. Everything is connected, nothing exists separately, and you cannot master your inner fire, without mastering that, too."Thomas looked around at the group of figures, their eyes filled with a strange calmness, yet also a sense of knowing. These were not just students, they were masters of a hidden art, guardians of a forgotten knowledge. He finally felt like he had reached a place that was both familiar and vastly unknown. The path ahead would not be easy. It was a road filled with danger and choices that could either save his soul or condemn it. But for the first time since he was a child, he didn't feel alone, or that he had to carry this weight on his shoulders. He felt a part of something, an important part that was both familiar and a complete mystery. The storm was gathering, and Thomas, the immortal gunslinger, was about to take his place in the eye of it, not with anger and violence, but with a new perspective, understanding, and potentially, salvation. His journey was just beginning, and he knew, instinctively, it was about to get very, very interesting. He took the pouch, feeling an immediate connection to the tools, almost as if they were a part of himself, a realization that there was a vast amount of the universe left to understand. The other Seekers, it seemed, felt the same.
He opened the pouch, the worn leather feeling supple beneath his fingertips. Inside, nestled on beds of soft cloth, was a collection of objects that seemed both strange and strangely familiar. There was a small, smooth stone, obsidian black, etched with swirling glyphs that pulsed with a faint, internal light. There was a series of slender metal tools, each crafted with meticulous detail, their surfaces shimmering with subtle patterns, some similar to the ones on his pistol, but not as brutal or aggressive. A compass with a needle that seemed to spin almost independently. He picked up the stone, and the sensation that pulsed from it was of raw energy, the type that came from creation and not destruction, and his hands felt like they were being recharged, not by violence but by life. He picked up one of the metal tools; a slender stylus with a sharp point and when he touched it, he felt the movement of energies, not his own, but almost as if he was seeing what the world truly is made of, an understanding of all things. Each object vibrated with a hidden potential, and as he held them, he felt a deep connection to them, a sense of recognition as if he were finally coming home to something he had lost."These tools," Elias said, his voice low and patient, "are extensions of your will, instruments that can help you understand and channel the power of the Spark. They are not weapons of destruction, like the pistol you carry. They are meant to create, to heal, to build, and to unravel." Thomas ran his finger over the edge of one of the tools and a single droplet of water appeared in the space next to it. He tilted his head slightly in both curiosity and confusion as to how this could even be possible. "How does this work? The gun makes sense in how to use, to hurt, and to damage. But…these, these feel… gentle."Elias smiled a warm expression that made him seem even more welcoming and reassuring. "The Eternal Spark is not just about destruction, young one. It is the life force of all things, the power that animates every particle of creation. These tools will help you learn to wield both the light and the shadows, the chaos and the calm. You must understand all to see your potential. We have much work ahead, so you must open your mind and realize the power you already wield, to try and control the potential you've already been blessed with. You cannot continue to just wield the gun and think that you have power." He placed a smooth, polished rock on the table, the size of a human skull, but almost seemed to radiate light. "The true test for all Seekers, is in being able to create, to understand the potential within, without having to end something first."The other Seekers, those that he had only seen in passing before, now started to gather around, and he got a proper view of their faces. Some were young, some were old, some were from various races across the globe, and each had unique and knowing expressions, their eyes filled with curiosity and potential for his future. He started to realize, that while he had felt powerful, in the shadows of his secluded life, these men and women were powerful in different ways, with different potentials that would probably dwarf anything he could ever achieve with a pistol. He felt a surge of both excitement and trepidation. He felt he had so much more to learn and a need to show that he belonged in this new place.Over the next few weeks, Thomas immersed himself in the teachings of the Seekers. His days were filled with arduous study, long hours spent poring over ancient texts, deciphering intricate glyphs, and practicing the subtle art of manipulating energy through the use of the new tools he had been given. The Seekers taught him not only about the physical manipulation of the Spark but also the philosophical aspects of its nature, its connection to the universe, and the moral responsibility that came with wielding such immense power. He practiced control, first starting with just tiny sparks of light, moving onto levitation of simple objects, and after long practices, finally started to move elements with small amounts of his soul and will, small sparks of light would become raging flames with his intention. He discovered how the tools responded to his intent, the stylus could channel energies into delicate patterns of light, the smooth stone amplified the calming energy in the room and was used as a beacon to gather when it pulsed brighter and louder, and the compass was a method of finding paths of least resistance and to learn more about where his destiny was truly taking him. He started to feel a sense of calm, for the first time in his life, not the tense quietness he had before, but a pure state of understanding.He learned how to mend wounds not with raw power but with soothing energy, mending tissue with concentrated thought, moving blood, tissue, and bone with care and strange gentle guidance that was a complete juxtaposition to how he wielded his gun and glyphs. He learned the art of crafting protections, weaving intricate patterns of glyphs into his clothing, the protective talismans almost acting as a new kind of cloak, that would make the watcher's senses confused, allowing Thomas more space to prepare. He was taught how to see energy and not just to sense it, with various stones, and liquids. His understanding grew daily, his mind and soul expanding with every concept. It was still hard for him to let go of the pistol; after all, that is what he was comfortable with, his safe space that felt familiar and easy to grasp, but even that tool was slowly changing the way he interacted with it. He started to channel energies not for a final destructive blow but to have every shot be perfectly placed with a single intention, and it became almost a ritual.The Seekers, each a unique individual with their skills and understanding, acted as his guides, each contributing to his unique and well-rounded path. There was a calm and patient woman named Anya, with skin the color of desert sands, who showed him the delicate art of healing and how to understand the patterns of living things. There was a gruff, yet gentle giant, named Ronan, whose hands were as rough as stone and yet were able to work the earth and all of its gifts into shapes that felt both strong and alive. He understood how to create and that all creation came from death, that this was just another cycle of his immortal existence. Then, there was Elias, whose quiet wisdom guided Thomas not only through the knowledge of the Spark but also the understanding of its influence, of the vast world of chaos and order that he had yet to understand.But his learning was not limited to practice alone. He also studied the history of the Seekers, learning of their ancient origins, the battles they had fought, and the sacrifices they had made. He learned about the Eternal Spark, its chaotic origins, and its constant struggle for balance. He read about the Watchers, their history, their motives, and their rigid approach to containing the volatile forces. And he started to see more, the story, wasn't a simple dichotomy of good and bad, light and dark, but with the many variations and layers in between, his black-and-white view of the world was starting to become clearer. His time alone with Elias was usually philosophical and often confusing, they seemed to take a step back from talking about specifics and into grand, often bewildering, narratives, "Imagine time as a sea, but instead of moving, the sea ripples around it." was one of the phrases that stuck in his mind from one of their many discussions, making his understanding of it all just that much more difficult.One evening, as Thomas was lost in the pages of an ancient scroll, he felt a familiar chill, the subtle pull that marked the presence of the watchers. It wasn't a whisper this time, but a clear, distinct echo of purpose. The feeling was stronger than it had ever been before as if they were getting closer to him, his shield of secrecy was starting to fail."They are near," he said, his voice low, his gaze fixed on the scroll he was holding.The other Seekers stilled, their eyes turning to Thomas. Elias approached him slowly, his expression grave. "They have been watching you, waiting for you to reach this place. Your potential shines too bright to keep contained." He nodded slowly towards Thomas's hidden pistol. "Your weapon, while refined, is not a key to salvation, it is your crutch, a method of creating order from chaos, but it should not be the main thing you rely on."Anya spoke next, her voice calm but firm. "We have protected ourselves with the tools we learned, and they are far away from us, but they have been learning, too, so it will be harder for us to hide you now."What do we do?" Thomas asked, his hand unconsciously moving towards the grip of his pistol."We do not engage directly, not yet," Elias said, his eyes meeting Thomas's gaze. "We have to learn more before we step out into the world fully. Your practice will not be in the library anymore, but within controlled environments and battles, like your recent fight. The power you have, young one, needs to be mastered, and it needs to be with the understanding of all the tools. The watchers must be met with not just force, but strategy and knowledge." He placed the skull-sized smooth rock on the ground between them and started to speak "This, this stone is what the original Seekers used to find a space free of the watchers, to practice the Eternal Spark, to make themselves as powerful as possible. We shall all be joining inside. The others were also warned of a large surge coming to the energy around the city, and from what you have explained, we understand it is from what happened the other night. I understand your need to find power through your gun, but in this new training, you will not be allowed to use it."Thomas felt a wave of both disappointment and relief as he realized what that meant. This training was far beyond the normal and it required all of the energy and concentration he possessed. The Seekers stepped away to continue their current studies and practice and Thomas sat on the ground looking at his new stone, as Elias brought a chair behind him and rested a hand on his back. This was the start of his next test, his newest challenge that was meant to build him for a better tomorrow, one where violence is an option, but is not the first. "I know it is hard, Thomas, but trust me when I say that what you think is power now, will feel more of a nuisance later. All good comes from change. Let us continue on the next part of your journey, together." As he looked up, his eyes met Elias, and the journey began.He closed his eyes as he focused on the stone between them, slowly starting to channel his focus, letting his new tools lead the way. The air in the room started to pulse and hum with a slow and consistent frequency. This journey was not going to be easy, and this chapter in his life was about to be even more intense than he could ever possibly imagine, and a path forward to the destiny that had laid waiting for him, since he was a small boy with no shoes. The Gathering Storm had finally arrived and its eye was focusing on him, in all of its potential and power, but he was now finally ready for it, and whatever challenges it decided to bring.