The mountain courtyard was unnervingly still, broken only by the crackle of a small fire. Adrian sat cross-legged before it, the mysterious scroll resting across his lap. Its ancient surface seemed to breathe beneath his touch, faint light pulsing from the strange markings.
He frowned, tracing the edge of one rune. Why does this thing feel alive?
Not far away, Selena hugged her knees, her gaze fixed on the scroll. Her silence was heavier than the night air. She had said little all evening, but her trembling fingers and restless eyes betrayed the storm inside her.
Finally, Adrian's voice cut through the quiet.
"You've been staring at this thing too long. Speak. What are you hiding?"
Selena flinched. For a moment, she said nothing, as though her throat had closed. Then, in a low whisper, she admitted, "That scroll… it isn't just some training manual. It once belonged to my family. The Rael family were its guardians."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Your family's scroll? Then why was it abandoned here? And why did assassins chase you instead of carrying it themselves?"
Selena's face went pale. "Because it was stolen generations ago. Lost. The Rael family feared its return. The scroll speaks of a legacy powerful enough to overturn kingdoms, to destroy clans, to remake the world itself."
Her voice dropped, barely audible. "The elders always said it was cursed. The first heir who tried to claim its power… died screaming. That's why they swore to bury its name forever. They fear it more than they desire it."
Adrian glanced back at the glowing scroll, his jaw tightening. Banishment, betrayal, and now this cursed legacy?
"If what you say is true," he muttered, "then why was I the one who found it? Why not the assassins? Why not the Raels themselves?"
Selena shook her head, fear shadowing her features. "Fate has a cruel way of choosing its victims."
But Adrian's gaze hardened. He placed his palm firmly on the scroll. "No. Not victim. If this is power, then I'll wield it. I'll carve my revenge into the bones of the world. Let the Raels cower—I will rise."
At his touch, the markings blazed to life. Symbols lifted from the parchment, glowing runes whirling into the air like fireflies.
Selena gasped, stumbling to her feet. "You… you awakened it…"
A deep hum filled the courtyard as the runes aligned into words that hung in the night sky:
"The one who awakens me shall inherit a legacy unknown."
Adrian's breath caught. Legacy? Mine?
Before he could speak, a cold wind swept through the mountain. At the edge of the courtyard, two dark figures emerged from the shadows. Cloaks draped around them bore a crest Selena knew too well—the Rael insignia.
One of the strangers whispered, voice sharp as steel:
"The scroll has awakened… the heir of ruin has begun to rise."
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Author's Note
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What do you think—can Adrian truly master this legacy, or will the Rael family's fear prove stronger than his resolve? Comment