In one corner, a small group of his followers—men and women—gathered as Zahreen explained a simple matter that could mean the difference between life and death: The Runes.
"Listen closely," Zahreen said in a low but commanding voice. "These symbols may be the difference between your survival and your demise. They are not powerful enough to fight a large number of the Kingdom's knights, but they can distract them, hide your presence for a moment... and sometimes, those moments are all you need."
He began to chant the spell slowly for them to memorize it well.
"Try it yourselves."
Some hesitated, while others tried to imitate him. A few made mistakes, others succeeded, but the important thing was that they were starting to understand.
Zahreen watched them in silence. It wasn't enough, but it was a start. He knew well that small beginnings could make a difference in the course of a war.
He turned to Raven and said quietly, "They will be ready soon."
Raven responded with a slight smile, attempting to lighten the gravity of the situation: "I hope that happens before the enemy discovers our location."
Zahreen did not reply, but looked into the darkness surrounding the hideout... He knew the danger was approaching.
Zahreen and Raven sat in a dimly lit corner, the torches distant from them.
Raven looked at him with a deep, questioning gaze filled with doubt. There was an unanswered question in his eyes. "I want to understand, Zahreen... why are we searching for a descendant of the Sorcerer? Couldn't we search for the places where he hid his books ourselves?"
"We need him. I will turn the earth upside down searching for him..." Zahreen paused for a moment, contemplating the wall in front of him. His chest rose and fell slowly. He was thinking.
Thousands of years ago, there was a human sorcerer unlike any the world had ever seen. He was not just a magic user, but "The First Inventor", the man who reshaped the rules, who discovered secrets that were never meant to be uncovered.
But this sorcerer... vanished.
He did not die naturally, nor was he killed in battle; his trace was completely erased. All his books, manuscripts, and spells... were scattered and lost in time, until nothing remained to indicate his existence.
Yet, Zahreen, through his forbidden magical research, discovered something no one else knew: This sorcerer had not completely disappeared. Despite the vanishing of all his belongings, one thing remained... his bloodline. And despite the passage of millennia, the lineage was still passed down (or so he believed). There was one person who carried the last thread of this sorcerer... a person who knew nothing, who lived a normal life, and had no idea of his legacy.
Raven intensified his gaze, his voice becoming firmer, though concealing a faint anxiety: "Turning the earth upside down for him... who is he to be worth this trouble? Just a mere human?"
Zahreen turned his head toward him, his eyes holding an unshakable certainty that allowed no argument. He spoke in a low voice: "Not so."
Raven's features contracted as he listened with focused astonishment.
Zahreen continued: "He is no ordinary human. His blood is a living compass; the last thread left by the lineage to reach the books. He is the genetic key that will lead us directly to the secrets scattered in time. Even if he is unaware of it."
Raven fell silent, his features locking in deep thought. He said, "Then we are not searching for him... but for what is inside him."
Zahreen nodded.
Raven whispered with sudden realization, his eyes fixed on a void in one of the cave's corners: "He will be coveted by everyone."
Zahreen closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them: "The Blood Magic that everyone fears... cannot be fully activated without the blood of that sorcerer's descendant. Because his blood will lead us to the ancient books. My father knows this. He is searching for him now, just as we are... to destroy him."
Silence fell between them, before Zahreen broke the heavy quiet: "We must reach the person before he does."
Raven replied, "I will go with you."
Zahreen smiled that smile which held great confidence and a hidden worry at the same time, then placed his hand on Raven's shoulder and said, "As you have always been, Raven... my unfailing support."
Then, he turned with steady steps toward the exit of the cave.
Everyone watched them, knowing their leader was about to move. Zahreen gestured to them with his hand: "Continue your training. We shall return with the key that will turn the tables on the King."