Prologue
Veil is weakest when the sun is below the horizon – a time when unwelcomed wander through the most.
I hold my breath, my back pressed firmly against the pillar. The stone bites in
to my skin with its coldness as the flashlight flickers and casts a white glow over the hall. But one thing for certain: I won’t flee. This isn’t the time I can let myself be a coward
“Who's there? I swear I saw someone.” One of them calls out, every footfall of his closer than the last.
The other guard sighs and mutters,“Last time you were frightened by a rat scurrying about…”
I make my way around the pillar just before I can see their profiles emerge. Their voices fade out as one of them still tries to convince the other that it wasn’t just another rodent. I let out an exhale of relief when they walk down the hall and disappear behind a corner instead of taking a closer look.
Only the fools would roam around the fortress in the middle of the night. The halls are eerily quiet. Uninvited souls rarely dare to set their foot where forbidden knowledge resides. Burning candles attached to the walls are the only lights provided when the moon is at its peak.
I must look like a thief while striding through the corridors with the tattered cloak billowing after me. Perhaps I was truly insane for seeking a solution, especially when the sky is washed over by the pitch black. The guards haven’t taken notice of me yet. Only by mere luck I haven’t been caught sneaking around. If my mother knew, she would be beyond livid. If anyone knew, I would be in serious trouble.
It doesn't take me long to find the gilded door of the library. By some miracle it’s unlocked which makes me question the security around this place. It all feels awfully out of order. It’s almost suspicious that this place has no magical barriers. I doubt it has anything to do with destiny.
I slip into the room filled with various shelves, overflowing stacks of tomes, scrolls, glowing orbs and magical artefacts that are not meant for every eye. It’s identical to the place I’ve visited plenty of times in dreams. The wave of deja vu washes over my system. Curiosity clouds my senses. It’s exactly as I remember it, in the way it's almost uncanny. Physically I have never been here, but I know every inch of the area that surrounds me. Every curve, bend, and crack is so familiar.
In measured steps I slowly make my way around the space, avoiding every strange tile under my feet that could reveal my presence. Doubt over the actions I am taking sinks deeper with every passing second. But I have come too far to stop now.
A certain book lies on the altar, bound in chains. The reason I had got myself here in the first place. The thing that might just grant me the freedom that I seek.
If this is the only way to get rid of the tormenting spirits that keep me up at night, I’ll take it. This has to be stopped. The doubts perish, leaving behind only determination that within. This needs to be done and for my own good.
I follow the instructions my dreams have provided me with. I cut my palm with a dagger I carry around. A Crimson stream of blood flows down my hand before pressing it firmly down to the lock. I put all my intuition into the chant that I recite from my hazy memory.
“Magic requires sacrifice,
I demand advice.
Answers will be awakened,
It’s time to break in.
Guide me to the rightful course,
I shall not sway from the path.”
The chains crumble apart into nothingness. The book unravels itself, pages turning on their own accord.
A silhouette of a shadowy figure appears on the worn paper. The outlines of it stir and shift as if it were alive. I am utterly mesmerized or at least I think I am. Frozen, stuck while unable to tear my eyes away. There is this tight feeling in my chest. What have I got myself into? Perhaps I am more cursed than I originally thought. I have felt it all before, in my nightmares but the creature is real. It’s not all in my head anymore. My heart thrums against my ribcage as the fear consumes me.
If I leave this place with my soul intact, I should consider myself fortunate. I have dug myself another hole and made it so much worse than it already was. I pay the price over and over again in a never-ending cycle. However, I didn’t want this torment to continue onward. Is that really too much to ask for?
The muscles around my jaw are tense. I manage to open my mouth but there are no words that I can create. Even the sound of my hiss sounds helpless. Fear seizes me whole, I know that there is something behind me and it’s burning holes into my skull with its gaze.
A low tone echoes in the back of my mind.
You’re lucky. If you had summoned anyone else from the lower realms, you would be dead by now.
Its hand, conquered by shadow, lays down on my shoulder. Before it toys with one one of my brown strands.
I have made a huge mistake. One that can’t be easily undone. I was tricked, I should have known that desperation would lead nowhere.
You should clean your hand. It reeks…
In a blink I get the control of my movement back. His presence vanishes but I know I am no longer alone.
