The silence after the battle was deafening. Kaelen stood there, dagger still clenched in his grip, as the last remnants of the shadowy woman's presence faded from the room. His breath came in shallow bursts, his body still thrumming with the strange, alien energy that had awakened within him.
You were never supposed to live.
Her words echoed in his mind, laced with chilling certainty. What the hell did that mean?
Shoving down the unease creeping up his spine, Kaelen forced himself to move. He retrieved his revolver, checking the chamber only one bullet fired. His gaze drifted toward the spot where the woman had vanished. Whoever she was, she had answers.
And he was going to find her.
Luminary Academy—The Archives
The academy's underground archives were a labyrinth of forgotten knowledge. Dimly lit by floating orbs of pale blue light, the rows of towering bookshelves stretched endlessly in all directions. Ancient tomes lined the shelves, their spines worn, their pages yellowed with time.
Kaelen navigated the silent aisles with measured steps, his mind racing.
Professor Armand Kallis had agreed to meet him here. If anyone could help him understand his newfound power, it was the old scholar.
As Kaelen reached the heart of the archive, he spotted the professor a gaunt, sharp-eyed man draped in tattered scholar's robes leaning over a dusty tome at an ornate wooden table.
"You're late," Kallis murmured without looking up, his fingers tracing faded runes across the open pages. "And from the look in your eyes, something has happened."
Kaelen took a seat across from him, setting the dagger onto the table. The professor's gaze flickered toward the weapon before settling on Kaelen.
"I was attacked," Kaelen said simply. "She knew who I was knew about my power."
Kallis exhaled through his nose, closing the tome with a dull thud. "Then it's begun sooner than I expected."
Kaelen's jaw clenched. "You knew this would happen?"
The professor leaned forward, his weathered hands steepled. "Tell me, Kaelen, what do you truly know about the Crimson Power?"
A flicker of frustration burned in Kaelen's chest. "Not enough," he admitted. "It woke inside me when I was about to die, and now I can" He hesitated, searching for the right words. "See things. Move faster. Predict attacks before they happen."
Kallis nodded, as if this confirmed something. "Crimson Power is not simply magic, nor is it a gift. It is a curse one that has destroyed every person who has ever wielded it."
Kaelen stiffened. "Then why do I have it?"
The professor studied him for a long moment. "Because you are not the first," he finally said. "And if you don't uncover the truth soon, you will not be the last."
Kaelen's grip tightened around the hilt of the dagger. The air between them was thick with unspoken truths, but one thing was clear
If he wanted answers, he'd have to start digging.
To Be Continued…