THE BLACKTHORN CODEX
Episode 26 — The Guardian's Trial
November 16, 2023 — 6:10 AM
And as they entered the cloister, every shadow seemed to stretch, every stone to whisper, reminding them that the network of altars and their guardians was alive, and that with each step, they were getting closer to the heart of ancient knowledge... or to absolute danger.
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The mist still enveloped the Spanish cloister, giving the stone walls an almost otherworldly hue. Each step of Leander and Clarisse echoed like a drum in the oppressive silence. The Codex rested against their chests, vibrating faintly, like a restless creature.
"You feel it, don't you?" Clarisse murmured, her voice low.
"Yes..." Leander replied, every fiber of his being tense. "That guardian... he never sleeps."
The arches of the cloister seemed to lengthen, stretching the space. Moving shadows danced on the walls, drawing closer as they advanced. The guardian hovered behind them, silent but ever-present. His black, bottomless eyes scrutinized every movement, every thought.
6:25 AM
Leander opened the Codex, tracing an ancient rune on the floor. The stone reacted immediately, projecting filaments of green light. These filaments began to form a protective circle around them, but the guardian didn't seem intimidated. He inclined his head, almost in defiance.
"He's testing our strength," Leander said. "He won't just seek to stop us... he's seeking to know if we are worthy."
Clarisse took a deep breath and spoke the first words of the Codex's incantation. Her voice echoed through the cloister, a vibrating echo that made the walls shudder. The entity within her seethed, ready to burst forth again, but Clarisse forced it back.
"I'm still me," she said quietly.
"Very well... very well..." the Codex murmured, as if to encourage her.
6:40 AM
The guardian suddenly attacked. It split into multiple shadows, swirling around them with supernatural speed. Each attack seemed to anticipate their actions, and the Codex vibrated more strongly with each movement. Leander took a step back, quickly tracing a protective rune. Green flashes erupted from the ground, pushing back the shadows.
"Faster!" he shouted. "Each rune stabilizes the passage to the heart of the cloister!"
Clarisse concentrated, her will combined with that of the Codex. Bursts of green light erupted from her hands, striking the guardian's shadows. One of them vanished in a puff of black smoke, but others continued to surround the duo.
"It's a test... a test of courage, intelligence, and mastery," Leander murmured. "It's not enough to fight... you must understand."
7:05 AM
They reached a secret room deep within the cloister. Inscriptions carved into the wall told the story of the ritual's masters: men and women who had lived centuries before the modern era, seeking to create a network of altars capable of containing the memory of souls. Each master had left a riddle, a mechanism designed to ensure that only the worthy could progress.
"That's why the guardian is testing us," Clarisse whispered. "He's not just a physical obstacle... he's a judge."
Leander studied the inscriptions, and little by little, he understood the mechanism: each riddle corresponded to an altar, each correct answer strengthened the Codex and weakened the guardian.
"We must solve these riddles to advance..." he said. "If we fail, the guardian will absorb our energy and the knot will remain active."
Clarisse knelt, placing her hands on the engravings. Her green eyes lit up. The ancient words echoed in her head, and she spoke the answers to the riddles in the forgotten language of the masters. One by one, the runes lit up, and the guardian retreated, unable to resist the combined power of the Codex and Clarisse's will.
7:50 AM
The guardian disappeared in a puff of shadow, leaving behind an oppressive silence. The cloister's knot was temporarily stabilized. Leander and Clarisse stood up, panting but alive.
"This was only the beginning," said Leander. "Each altar will have its guardian. Each knot will be a test."
"But we succeeded..." Clarisse murmured. "We held on... this time."
The Codex vibrated gently, casting a glow on the cloister walls, as if to show them that the road was still long, but that the first step had been taken.
And as they left the cloister, a final shudder ran through their bodies: the certainty that the other altars awaited them, even more powerful and dangerous, scattered across the world, guarding the secrets of the ritual masters and the darkness they had awakened.