The morning sun filtered through Kael's attic window, painting his room in golden light. Though he tried to focus on chores, his mind kept drifting back to the forest, to the fleeting shadow he'd seen the day before. The pull toward the unknown had grown impossible to ignore.
While tidying, Kael noticed a loose floorboard beneath his bed. Heart racing, he pried it open, revealing a small, dust-covered chest. Inside lay a folded piece of parchment, brittle with age. Carefully, he unfolded it, revealing a map unlike anything he had ever seen.
The map depicted not just his village and surrounding forest, but distant lands, mountains piercing clouds, rivers snaking through strange territories, and markings that seemed almost alive. Symbols he didn't recognize glimmered faintly, as if waiting for him to understand.
A note, written in elegant, looping handwriting, rested on top: "Follow the path only you can see. The future awaits the brave."
Kael's pulse quickened. He felt a mixture of fear and exhilaration, knowing that this map was a key one that could unlock mysteries far beyond his quiet village. He rolled the parchment carefully and hid it in his satchel.
Today, he realized, his life would change forever. The world beyond Rivershade was calling, and Kael could no longer ignore its pull.