Chapter 1: The Whispering Sigil
Adrian Dorne walked through the cold stone halls of the Valeria Academy. It was late, nearly midnight. His boots echoed as he moved past rows of tall shelves filled with dusty books.
Adrian always loved the library. It was quiet. It was safe. Or so he thought.
But tonight, something felt wrong.
Something was calling him.
It wasn't a voice he could hear clearly, but he felt a pull, like invisible hands guiding him deeper into the library.
His fingers brushed along the worn book spines until they stopped on a thin, leather-bound volume with no title. The cover was cold, much colder than the air around him.
He opened the book.
The pages were filled with strange symbols—circles, lines, and marks he did not understand. But somehow, the moment his eyes touched the sigils, he felt something move in his mind.
The symbols whispered to him.
They were alive.
Adrian didn't know why, but he could read them. The words formed clearly in his head, like they were buried memories finally waking up.
His hand shook as he traced one of the sigils with his finger.
It was a simple mark: a spiral surrounded by sharp lines.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head.
The world around him blurred.
A cold voice echoed inside him:
"Remember us. You are one of ours."
Adrian stumbled back, dropping the book. His breathing quickened. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
"What… what was that?" he whispered.
He looked at his hand.
The sigil had burned itself onto his palm, glowing faintly.
"No, no, this can't be real…" he muttered.
The library walls seemed to shift. The shadows grew longer. He heard soft footsteps behind him.
Turning quickly, he saw a tall man in a dark coat. His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp like blades.
"You've touched it," the man said. "The forbidden sigil."
Adrian backed away. "Who are you?"
"My name is Gregor Malchior," the man said quietly. "You've just stepped into a world you don't understand."
"I didn't mean to. I—"
"Meaning doesn't matter," Gregor cut him off. "You've been marked. The Crimson Bureau will hunt you now. The Ecclesium of Light will want you dead. And there are worse things than them."
Adrian's chest tightened. His head still hurt. The whispers hadn't stopped.
Gregor's voice softened. "But you have a choice. You can die like the others who touched forbidden knowledge… or you can learn to control it."
Adrian stared at the burning sigil on his hand. A part of him wanted to run. Another part wanted to know more.
"What… what would I have to do?" Adrian asked, his voice shaking.
Gregor's eyes glinted. "Learn the sigils. Perform the rituals. Face the horrors. Survive."
"And if I don't?"
"Then you'll be eaten. By them, by the Bureau, or by the power inside you."
Adrian closed his fist over the glowing sigil.
His heart pounded, but his mind had already made a choice.
"I'll learn."
Gregor smiled faintly. "Good. The path won't be easy. But you've already begun to walk it."
As they left the library together, Adrian didn't know that this small step would lead him deep into the war of sigils, into battles against demons, secret cults, and even his own mind.
He didn't know that by the end of his journey, he might not be human anymore.
But for now, he walked into the night, with the whispers of the sigil echoing softly in his ears.
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