Seal of Light - (Soul Drifter Series)

Seek

The grasslands were silent and misty. Suddenly, a loud thunderclap broke the stillness. In the tall grass, a young man ran with his heart thumping loudly. He found himself in a strange, dark place he didn't want to be. He reached out for light but found only darkness. Through the mist, a faraway voice asked for help. He wanted to help, but he didn't know how. He kept running until one of the voices grabbed his pants, and he fell to the ground. A weak voice begged, "Help us, please!"

He realized he was near a cliff. He cautiously looked over it and saw a kingdom in ruins, destroyed by a dark, winged figure. The survivors were hiding in the forest, seeking protection from forest spirits. It was chaos, and no one was helping them. Scary shadow hounds were sent to hunt them.

Mat watched all this with fear in his heart. "Oh no," he said quietly, feeling like fate was pulling him in.

Then, a voice broke through the darkness in his mind. "It is time, Mat Adam."

A voice he knew well but distant.

"Dad?"

Lights appeared in the darkness—first one, then another. They looked like a man and a woman, but Mat couldn't see them clearly because they were so bright. He recognized them as his parents.

Mat woke up, breathing hard. "Just a dream," he whispered, but it felt so real. This dream, with its strange message, left him confused. Was it about the past or something in the future?

It was 4 am, and Mat remembered he was at Mrs. Lily Winterfrost's house. The dimly lit surroundings guided him to a room where a young girl lay sleeping in a makeshift hospital bed. Lily was there too, sleeping with her head on a table and holding the girl's hand.

Mat went back to the couch. This time, he was starting to accept that his father was gone. Tears filled his eyes as he cried himself back to sleep.

Hours later, Lily tapped him lightly, waking him and asking him to join breakfast. Mat realized he'd been granted a few more hours of sleep.

At the table, Mat joined Lily, who was already preparing the coffee cups and gesturing to Mat to help himself. Mat poured some coffee and had some warm bread. Mat breaks the silence and asks about the girl he saw in the hospital-like room.

"Her name is Willow, and she is my daughter; she has been in a coma for a week," Lily explained

I lost my younger sister in the same manner, and I don't want this to happen to my daughter

Mat thought for a moment, trying to remember the best he could. "I remember something about angels. My dad mentioned seeing them several times. And there were these strange markings or seals, I think. That's the last thing I recall."

Lily looked very disappointed and set down her coffee cup. She turned to Mat and said, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, that's what he wrote," Mat mumbled.

Lily sighed and said, "That's only in the first ten pages of the first book. Did you even try to skim through the rest of the pages? Or do you even believe what he wrote?"

Mat hesitated, then said, "Look, Ms. Lily, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I know you're trying to help, but this stuff..."

"Okay, Mat, what about 'this stuff'?" Lily asked, crossing her arms.

"This could be symbolic or... or like a fantasy story..." Mat trailed off.

Lily looked frustrated. "Listen, young Mat Adam, you don't seem interested in your father's writing or understand it. Here's a wake-up call - these writings might have led to his death, and they could put you in danger, too. That's why I'm trying to help you understand and know what you need to protect yourself from."

"Ouch, that hurts," Mat uttered.

"I have a theory, but I need to confirm it, and understanding these strange passages will help me do that," Lily added.

"OK, I want to know what happened to my father too, so I am all in. Let me know what I can do to help."

She said that she thought his father was forced to explain these things, and refusing might have caused his untimely death.

"But who would want this information?" Mat wondered.

Lily didn't know, but she knew someone who could help. She told Mat to meet a young master in the north who could understand these mysterious writings and might explain his father's death.

She told Mat that he would need to travel alone and it would be safer if he traveled privately. Lily asked Mat if he could drive a car, and he said, "No." She told him she would lend him a scooter bike as an alternative.

Mat could not believe it nor accept the bike, but Lily insisted.

"How can I repay you?" Mat asked.

Lily smiled kindly. "Your father helped us first. This is just a small thank-you. We'll talk more of these next time, Mat."

In the afternoon, Mat started his journey north. Memories of his father were with him as he rode for two hours, leaving the city behind and entering a quiet forest. His map led him deeper into the woods as the road ended, and he had to go off-road for a while.

Finally, he arrived at a simple temple-like place surrounded by a big open area. There was martial arts stuff everywhere, making Mat think about a perfect place for training discipline and inner strength.

While lost in thought, he saw a young person younger than him who looked like a monk sweeping leaves in traditional clothes. Mat asked about a young master named Nabi'Sai. The person smiled and kept sweeping.

Mat took it as a good sign. "Okay, I'll wait for your answer," he said and sat down near the gate. The person finished sweeping and sat next to Mat, ready to talk.

"What do you seek?" he asked Mat.