"Sometimes, the things we most want to forget... are the ones that keep calling to us in silence."
Our footsteps echoed along the stone corridor stretching into the darkness. Above us, the ruins of an ancient castle clawed at the misty sky, hidden behind the mountain walls, as if forgotten by the world.
This structure... it wasn't recorded on any kingdom's maps. It was a remnant from an era when the flow of ancient magic—now considered forbidden—once stood as power.
Around us, the walls were covered in intricate carvings: magic circles, depictions of war, and strange symbols nearly erased by time. Centuries of dust filled the air, heavy and dense, but within it... the breath of old power still lingered. It vibrated faintly, like the breath of something not entirely dead.
Elvira walked beside me, one hand holding a lantern with a dim light.
"Are you sure this place holds the answer?" she asked, her voice a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the ancient spirits that might still dwell here.
I nodded. But deep in my heart, doubt crept in. There was something in this place that called to me. Something I didn't want to hear... but couldn't avoid.
We descended the spiraling stone corridor, each step taking us deeper into the earth.
Suddenly, something struck my chest—a wave of invisible energy, heavy, suffocating. My body stiffened. The world around me trembled, then slowly faded.
In an instant, I stood somewhere else.
The room was dark, lit only by the faint orange glow of embers in the corners. I... was small. Wearing tattered clothes, my body thin, knees scraped.
In front of me stood a man in a dark robe, his face hidden in shadow. In his hand, he held an old black book with a familiar symbol that made my heart stop for a moment—Archa Tempest.
"Minato..." his voice was heavy yet warm. "You are the key to the flame we created. Do not fear the darkness, for from it you shine."
That voice... I recognized it. The man was the one who had pulled me out of the ruins of a war-torn village. The one who gave me this power—and this curse.
Behind the man, a hooded woman appeared. Her eyes were pale gray, just like mine. Eyes that felt so familiar, as if calling to something deep inside me.
"Keep our light, my child," she whispered, her voice soft like the breeze that brushes old wounds.
I tried to reach out, wanting to touch her face... but the shadows vanished before my fingers could meet her. The world crumbled around me.
I fell to my knees on the hard stone floor, breath ragged, cold sweat running down my temples.
Elvira was immediately by my side, her hands gripping my shoulders.
"You… saw something?" she asked, her tone worried.
I nodded slowly, my tongue heavy.
"Yes," I whispered. "I saw... where I came from."
Elvira's gaze met mine, her eyes searching. But she didn't push, only waited with patient silence.
I wiped my face, trying to shake off the lingering tremors in my hands. My heart pulsed with the bitter truth that had long been buried.
I wasn't just an ordinary farmer's son living among the ruins of war. I was part of something older, something darker. An ancient legacy designed—not to liberate, but perhaps... to destroy.
We continued our journey toward the main chamber.
A stone altar stood in the center of the circular room, surrounded by intricate magic circles. As I approached, the small wound on my palm—the result of scraping against the ruins earlier—dripped blood.
One drop fell onto the circle.
In an instant, the symbol of Archa Tempest on the altar glowed, filling the air with a pulsating blue-white light.
A magical shadow appeared in the middle of the room—an ancient recording.
An old sorcerer, his robes tattered, spoke in a hoarse voice:
"To whoever holds the flame, know this—you are not merely the inheritor of this magic. You are the unifier of souls torn apart by the ancient war. When the time comes, you will face a choice: become the guardian of the light... or shatter with the darkness that seeks to claim it."
The recording flickered, then vanished, leaving behind heavy silence.
I stood frozen.
Elvira approached, her voice breaking softly:
"What does this mean, Minato?"
I clenched my fists.
"It means... I'm not the only one. And this power... it's not meant to be erased."
"But to be awakened once more."
Elvira's eyes widened, grasping the implication.
In the distance, the ground trembled slightly—as if something out there... had just awakened.
Minato realized that his power was not merely an inheritance—but also part of a grand scheme from the past that was beginning to unfold. Under a sky slowly shifting in color, the world prepared to welcome the shadows long asleep, now rising to claim their part... in fire and blood.