The night was still, broken only by the distant crackle of the campfire. Adrian stood apart, his blade glinting faintly in the firelight. Sweat dripped down his temple as he swung again, and again, his arms trembling from the weight of his own resolve.
The scroll lay open on the ground before him, its faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat. The symbols writhed across the parchment as though alive, and with every strike of his sword, the whispers returned.
Strength… is born from pain. Power… demands sacrifice.
Adrian froze, his chest heaving. The words weren't spoken aloud, yet they echoed in his mind with suffocating clarity. He clenched his jaw, forcing the voice aside, and tightened his grip on his blade.
"No," he muttered. "I won't lose myself to you. I'll use your power… but on my terms."
Selena stirred by the fire, her eyes heavy with both fatigue and worry. She had tried to warn him earlier—warn him that the scroll wasn't just a tool, but a danger that could consume him. Yet watching him now, the sheer determination etched into his movements, she couldn't bring herself to stop him.
"Adrian…" she whispered, her voice nearly lost to the crackle of the flames.
The scroll's glow brightened, casting eerie shadows on his face. The whispers swelled once more, demanding, tempting, urging him to surrender. But Adrian only tightened his stance, channeling his inner energy through his blade. The air rippled as steel hummed, and for a fleeting moment—just a heartbeat—Adrian felt the world bend around him.
The power was terrifying. And exhilarating.
Far away, beyond the forest, in the silent halls of the Rael family estate, shadows gathered.
A council of cloaked figures sat in a circle, the air thick with tension. At their head, Lord Veylan Rael leaned forward, his eyes cold and calculating. In his hand rested a sealed letter, its wax already broken, the message within heavy with consequence.
"The boy lives," Veylan said, his voice low and sharp. "And worse, the scroll has chosen him."
A murmur swept through the room. Fear. Resentment. Envy.
One of the elders slammed a fist against the table. "That scroll belongs to the Rael family by blood and by right! If the boy learns to master it—"
"Then we face ruin," another cut in bitterly.
Lord Veylan raised a hand, silencing them all. His lips curled into a cold smile.
"Then the solution is simple. We ensure he never lives long enough to master it. The Black Crane failed, but we will not. Let the shadows of Rael hunt him until the earth itself rejects his name."
The torches around them flickered, casting their faces into deeper darkness.
Back in the forest, Adrian's blade fell with a final, heavy strike, splitting a nearby boulder clean in half. Dust rose into the night air as silence followed, broken only by the faint hum of the scroll.
Adrian lowered his weapon, his chest burning, his eyes locked on the glowing parchment. For all its danger, one thing was certain—this was only the beginning.
And far away, the shadows of the Rael family began to move.
---
Author's Note:
🔥 Thank you so much for 4.5k views and 3 collections! Your support means the world to me 🙏 Every read, every collection, and every comment keeps me motivated to write more for you.
✨ If you're enjoying the story, please don't forget to add it to your library/collection and leave a comment. That way, I'll know what you think about Adrian's journey and it'll help the story grow faster!
Let's keep climbing together 🚀💙