Calcium wanted to ask him what he knew, what exactly caused the Shadows to appear, but she knew this was neither the time nor the place for conversation.
They walked quickly away from the alley. The night city was still full of a mysterious silence, which now seemed ominous to Calcium.
They walked in silence, each lost in his own thoughts. Elmar glanced at her from time to time, as if he wanted to say something, but changed his mind.
– You're not just a random person, are you?– Calcium finally broke the silence.
Elmar smiled crookedly, but there was no humor in his eyes.
– I was a scholar, a researcher of ancient texts. But one day I found something… too old. Too dangerous. – He stopped and looked into her eyes: – I found a mention of you.
Calcium tensed: –About me?
– Not directly you, but... One of the ancient manuscripts told of the Tattooists of History.
Of people whose hands absorbed destinies. Of those who could record the past and rewrite it.
"Rewrite?"
She had never thought about it. Her tattoo allowed her to record stories, to see them, but… to change them?
– It's more than a gift, Calcium. – Elmar said quietly.– It's… a curse.
She shuddered.
"A curse?"
The questions multiplied, but there were no answers. And she knew only one thing for sure: she couldn't stop now.
Calcium froze, absorbing Elmar's words.
"A curse? He knows something… but he won't tell you everything."
She looked at him intently, waiting for him to continue, but the man only exhaled heavily and looked away. It seemed he was struggling with his thoughts, deciding whether she should know more.
– What makes you so sure it's a curse?– Her voice was quiet but firm.
Elmar ran his hand over his face, as if hoping to wipe away the weariness that had built up over the years.
– Because those who had this power before you... they were all gone.
Calcium clenched her fists.
–Maybe they just...
– No. – He shook his head. – Their fates were not ordinary. They disappeared without a trace. No one knows what happened to them. The only things that remain are notes, hints, fragments of their stories, scattered across different corners of the world.
She felt a chill run down her skin:
"If this is true... then I am not the first. Then I am not unique. But then... where are the others?"
She glanced at her tattoo. The light on it was almost gone, but the thin lines of the mandala still shimmered, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
– Have you found notes about them?
Elmar nodded: – Yes. In ancient manuscripts. But the strangest thing is...
He fell silent, his lips trembling, as if he was afraid to say too much.
– What?
– They wrote that they were afraid of their stories.
Calcium frowned: – Afraid?
Elmar nodded: – They said that their own stories began to change. That something - or someone - was trying to rewrite them.
She sucked in a breath.
"Rewrite... How is that possible? History is the recorded past. But if the power of my tattoo is growing... if I can really not only record, but also change..."
– What if someone... has already used this power? – she whispered, more to herself than to Elmar.
He looked at her seriously: – Exactly. And it seems to me that these Shadows... they are the ones who guard the real stories.
Calcium's heart began to beat faster.
– You mean... that someone has already changed the past?
Elmar nodded slowly: – And if so, they won't let you do the same.
Calcium looked up at the night sky:
"I thought my gift was a chance. A chance to become rich, powerful. But what if it's... the key to something bigger? What if I'm just a part of someone's history that they want to erase?"
She clenched her fist, and the tattoo glowed a faint blue:
"I will not let myself be rewritten."
The silence of the night city was oppressive. Calcium felt her heart pounding in her chest, but she remained calm on the surface. Her mind was racing to piece together the puzzle she was caught up in.
"Has someone already changed the past? Does that mean history could be... false? But if so, what was actually written on those tablets?"
She took a deep breath, pushing away the growing anxiety.
– If you found these records, perhaps you can find more? –she asked, watching Elmar's expression carefully.
The man nodded slowly: – Perhaps... but it is dangerous now. If the Shadows are on the trail, then we are too close.
Calcium ran her fingers thoughtfully over her palm, over the glowing lines of the mandala: – You said that the Story Tattooists themselves began to be afraid. What if the Shadows weren't their enemies? What if they were afraid of something else?
Elmar froze: –You think the Shadows… protect something?
Calcium nodded: – It's not like they just attack without reason. They hunt those who… disrupt the order of things. What if it wasn't they who changed the stories, but someone else?
Elmar ran his hand over his chin, considering her words. – That changes everything…– he muttered: – If the Shadows aren't hunters, but guardians…
He froze, then slowly looked at Calcium.
– That means the one who really changes the stories… is still out there somewhere.
A chill ran down her spine.
"If my power is growing, if my tattoo is changing… does that mean I'm getting closer to those who changed the stories before? And if so… what happened to them?"
Calcium raised her head, peering into the night: – I need more tablets. – she said firmly. – If I want to know the truth, I must continue.
Elmar glanced at her, his eyes clouded with worry: – It's dangerous.
– I know.– Calcium chuckled. – But if I stop now… I'll just be erased like everyone else.
She clenched her hand, and her tattoo began to glow again.
"Someone may have changed the stories before me… but now this power belongs to me. And I will find out what they are hiding."
Elmar was silent for a long time, considering her words. Calcium felt that he wanted to dissuade her, but he knew it was useless. She had already made her decision.
– If you really want to go further. – he finally spoke. – You need knowledge. I can show you the records I managed to find… but we need a place where we will not be disturbed.
Calcium nodded, looking around. The city was empty, the streets shrouded in the dark haze of the night. The air seemed thick, saturated with something… lurking.
–Do you have a shelter?
– Yes. It is not a luxurious house, but it is safe.
Calcium grinned and thought: "I love luxury, this will not hurt me."
But the answer was different:
– I do not need luxury, I need answers.
They moved deeper into the city...
// To be continued, like and save