Thornton

  Jade stumbles beside me, struggling to maintain her balance. It's not obvious to anyone else, but I can feel the weight of the mana she's absorbed, the subtle strain in her movements. She's carrying it well, but there's a stillness in her that tells me she's not feeling great. I want to ask her if she's okay, but the silence between us speaks volumes. She's been through a lot already, and I can't help but feel the weight of it pressing on both of us.

  We continue walking down the long corridor, my thoughts drifting as if my body is on autopilot. The walls close in around us, the air thick with the remnants of the mana we've both taken in. My pulse steadies with each step, but there's an unease gnawing at the edges of my mind.

  When we reach the end of the hallway, I'm momentarily struck by a strange symbol engraved into the door—a triangle with a curved line above it. It seems familiar, but I can't place why.

  Drexel's voice breaks through the tension. "This is your clan's symbol," he says, his tone flat but carrying a weight of respect.

  I open my mouth to ask more, but before I can, a voice rings out in my head, cold and commanding.

  "Don't open it."

  I freeze mid-step, my eyes snapping to Jade. "What did you say?" I blurt out, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  Jade looks at me, confused. "What are you talking about?"

  "Didn't you hear that?" I ask, my voice low, unnerved.

  Drexel raises an eyebrow, clearly perplexed. "It's just a door. It bears your clan's symbol."

  I blink, the voice repeating in my mind. Don't open it. Don't trust him.

  I shake my head, trying to clear it. Something feels off, but I don't know what. My hand reaches for the door, and instinctively, I push it open.

  "Thornton, what are you doing?" Jade's sharp voice pulls me from my trance, her concern cutting through my fog of confusion.

  I snap back to reality just in time to see my sword raised, mid-swing, aimed at the door. My heart skips a beat. What was I thinking?

  "Ah, I can fix this. Take these, Thornton and Jade," Drexel says quickly, his voice steady but tinged with a hint of urgency.

  He hands each of us a handful of berries. They're dull red, hard to the touch, with a strange weight to them. I stare at them for a moment, unsure of their purpose.

  "My apologies," Drexel continues. "I should've warned you sooner. The amount of mana you absorbed could affect your bodies and minds. These berries will help stabilize you for the next ten days while your bodies adjust. Take one now, and then one each morning for the next nine days."

  I eye the berry warily. But before I can protest, the voice in my head comes again. Don't take it. He's lying. He wants to mask your true power.

  Ignoring it, I toss the berry into my mouth. It melts instantly, the sensation like rich chocolate, but the taste—sharp, bitter, like biting into a rotten lemon. As I swallow, the taste lingers, bitter and strange.

  A vision flashes across my mind—a smiling face, soft and reassuring, as if everything will be okay.

  Drexel's voice cuts through my disorienting thoughts. "Behind this door are your clan's secrets. Out of respect, I will remain here while you two proceed." His tone is calm, but there's something in his words that suggests he knows far more than he's letting on.

  Jade and I exchange a glance, a silent understanding passing between us. She nods, her expression determined.

  "Thank you, Drexel," we say in unison, our voices steady, but the uncertainty lingers in my gut.

  Jade leads the way, pushing the door open with a force that belies her earlier fatigue. I follow closely behind, my hand grazing the coarse surface of the door as we enter. The room beyond is vast, though the sight inside is not what I expected. There are no ancient scrolls or mystical relics—only three large chests, standing as if waiting for us. The emptiness feels suffocating.

  "We're going to be rich!" I exclaim, a burst of excitement filling me for a moment.

  "Get serious," Jade says, nudging me on the shoulder, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite the tense atmosphere.

  Each chest is engraved with a giant letter. A 'T', 'J', and 'F'. Naturally, Jade and I walk toward the chest with our initials. I open mine with ease, eager to see what's inside. But the chest with the 'F' on it doesn't budge.

  "Jade, can you help me out?" I ask, frustration creeping into my voice.

  Jade steps over, offering her strength, but even together, we can't open it. Something feels wrong, and the unease grows.

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  "I don't think this one is meant to be opened by us," Jade says, her voice quiet but firm.

  I walk back over to my chest, still trying to make sense of what's happening. When I open it fully, a letter is resting on top. I unroll it, the paper crinkling in my hands as I read aloud.

  "Jade, Thornton, Findel. If you three are reading this, it means the Liche Clan has been destroyed and the fall of the Belfour Kingdom is imminent. This also means that if you are reading this under Drexel's supervision, we didn't get a chance to see you three grow. Drexel was instructed to bring the youngest Liche members to this location when the time was right if the Clan was destroyed. It is important that you three follow the next few instructions clearly. First, only trust each other; our clan received a blessing that makes it impossible to betray one another. We Liche are only able to approach each other with pure intentions."

  I stop reading for a moment, my mind whirling. Findel? Who is Findel? Why does his name appear here?

  I continue. "Secondly, there is a map with marked locations. You three can only see these marked locations once you awaken your elias. Your elias is when your purple eyes begin to glow. Besides an increase in strength and mana, your elias allows you to see life energy. These marked locations are of powerful artifacts that you three must swear to protect. Also on this map is the location of people who will help and guide you on your journey. The first person you must seek after viewing this letter is The Wisher Noah. Lastly, know that we love you all and know you will make the right choices. Wish we could've seen you grow up."

  I roll the letter back up, placing it carefully back in the chest.

  "Who is Findel?" I ask, my voice quiet, almost afraid to hear the answer.

  "I don't know," Jade says, her voice distant. "My only guess is that he died when the rest of the clan did."

  "Yeah, maybe," I mutter, though a thought gnaws at the back of my mind. Could Jade and I have another sibling? Someone we never knew about?

  I continue to sift through the chest. My fingers brush against something solid and wooden. I pull out a dark brown box. Inside, there's a thin metal bracelet engraved with our clan symbol. Next to it is a golden ring with the same insignia. The words armor and weapon are inscribed at the bottom of the box. I slide the ring onto my finger. It's loose, but after a few seconds, it adjusts, tightening to fit. The bracelet does the same.

  "Hey, Jade, check this out," I call out.

  She looks over, and to my surprise, she already has both the ring and bracelet on. But instead of just jewelry, both items are now extensions of her—manifesting as a black bow with a swirling purple design around it, and armor made of dark metal with a purple lining. I can feel the fire, the white flames, racing through the open lining of the armor.

  "How'd you do that?" I ask, my voice awestruck.

  "Just think it. However you want your armor and weapon to look—envision it, and the ring and bracelet seem to react to that," Jade explains, her voice calm.

  I look down at the ring and bracelet, my mind racing with possibilities. "Give me time to think. I'll come up with something cool."

  I rummage through the chest one last time and pull out two more items: a key and a carved wooden figure of a man. As I hold them, the chest rises into the air, enveloped in a swirl of mana before disintegrating into nothingness.

  "This will be the resting place for the last of the Liche," a voice says from the entrance, its tone low and ominous.

  Before I can react, a beam of light shoots from the doorway and strikes me in the chest. The force knocks me off my feet, and I brace for the impact, but to my surprise, there's no pain. My chest feels warm, protected. The bracelet must have absorbed the blow before it could reach me.

  "Thornton, get up! The bracelet must have saved you!" Jade's voice is panicked, but determined.

  I scramble to my feet just as a barrage of beams comes at me, hitting me again. This time, the key and doll fly from my hands and into the air. A flash of light darts from the entrance and forms into a man—no face, just jagged, fang-like teeth.

  The figure catches the key and the doll, turning to face me slowly, the horrific grin never leaving his face.

  "I will eat those eyes off your cold corpse..." he hisses, his voice dripping with malice.

  Before he can finish, a small circle of fire ignites from his torso, racing up his body, burning him from the inside out. Despite the fire consuming him, his smile remains, unnerving and unbroken.

  "This isn't over," he says, his voice fading as he disintegrates into nothing.

  The key and doll fall to the floor with a dull thud. I rush to grab them, my hands trembling.

  "Who was that?" I ask, my voice hoarse.

  "It wasn't a person," Drexel says, his frown deepening.

  "It was a clone of someone—a puppet. Whoever created it is powerful. We'll need to be careful on our way out."

  I collect myself and hand Jade her key and figure. We rush to the exit, my mind still reeling from the encounter.

  "Drexel, who is Findel?" Jade asks again, the question lingering in the air.

  "He was a baby when you two were just two years old," Drexel explains, his gaze distant. "The night your clan was massacred, his body couldn't be found among the dead."

  "So do you know where he is now?" Jade presses.

  "Unfortunately, no one knows. We've been searching for ten years with no sign of him. It's as if he never existed."

  As we make our way up the stairwell, the light from the open door spills into the corridor, but the pressure in my chest doesn't ease. The gravity of what just happened weighs heavily on me. I've been outclassed—again. This time by someone or something far beyond my capabilities.

  Drexel stops at the entrance, his eyes narrowing, a sigh escaping him.

  "Jade, Thornton, before we leave, listen closely," he says, his voice stern. "Do not let your rings or bracelets fall into anyone else's hands. There were three pairs made. One is probably still locked in the chest below, but these are powerful artifacts. The greatest minds in Kirk could never recreate them."

  He pauses, making sure we're both listening. "With these artifacts, you'll find others—many would kill for them. For instance, the Mask of Cada, which we sent you to retrieve, is among the weaker artifacts, but it's still one of the most sought-after because it's easy to use and carries little risk."

  I glance down at the bracelet and ring on my body. They're part of me now—extensions of my soul.

  "The ring and bracelet grow as you grow. From this point forward, they are a part of you. But be warned—your journey will only get harder," Drexel continues.

  "Wait, what about these carved figures?" Jade asks, holding hers up.

  "Ah, those are carvings of your parents. They released part of their souls into them before they died. When the time is right, those figures will come to life for two hours, helping you complete your journey."

  "And what exactly is our journey?" I ask, my heart heavy with uncertainty.

  Drexel's eyes meet ours, and for a moment, there's a deep sadness in his gaze. "Find the people responsible for the destruction of your clan. And bring back Findel—whether he's dead or alive."

  A surge of pressure floods my chest, and I feel the weight of Drexel's words sink into me. Our path is set. We have a purpose now—to avenge our clan, to find the truth about Findel. I know what I have to do now, but the cost will be high. And the world out there is unforgiving.