Seeds of The Seven (Rubia)

14. The Flickering Dawn

Another day had passed and another morning arises. The morning light peered through Eliya's window room through its clean white curtains. She blinked, disoriented, as the light outside flickered erratically, like a magical switch being turned on and off. She peekd into her windows and saw the endomed village again, its dome barrier flickering.

Heart pounding, she threw off her blankets and jumped out of bed. Without wasting a moment, she grabbed her coat, her medicinal purse, and pulled on her boots, the urgency of the situation propelling her forward.

Her thoughts racing, Eliya hurried to her working station. She reached for a set of six blue glowing orbs she had recently crafted from the blood of a fooxast, their luminescent light casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Just as she was about to head outside to investigate the village, a deafening boom echoed through the manor, seeming to come from the library. It sounded as if a giant glass had shattered into a thousand pieces. The sound was impossible to ignore, and Eliya felt a chill run down her spine.

Her instincts urged her to check the source of the noise first. She clutched the glowing orbs tightly and made her way to the library, her steps quick and deliberate. The flickering light from outside still cast strange, dancing shadows in the hallways, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

Reaching the library door, she paused, her hand on the doorknob, bracing herself for what she might find on the other side. Eliya opened the door, her heart still racing from the unexpected noise. As she stepped inside, she was greeted by a chaotic scene. Books and scrolls lay scattered across the floor, their once orderly arrangement now a disarrayed mess.

Despite the chaos, she couldn't see any broken glass or shattered items, which puzzled her. The sound she had heard was unmistakably like that of glass breaking, yet there was no evidence to support it.

Shrugging off her confusion for the moment, Eliya turned her focus back to the immediate urgency of the flickering light outside. She needed to investigate the magical disturbance behind their house.

Hurrying out of the library, she moved swiftly through the manor's corridors. In her haste, she didn't notice that she had brushed against a shelf, dislodging a tome titled 'The Seven'. The book fell to the floor with a thud, its pages fluttering open. One page was deliberately torned, missing.

Unaware of the mishap, Eliya continued on her way, her mind fixed on the task ahead. She left the library, her mind still buzzing with the oddity of the loud noise and the scattered books. As she stepped out into the hallway, the flickering light outside suddenly stopped, plunging everything into an eerie stillness. Despite this, her determination to investigate remained undeterred. She hurried outside, the early morning air cool against her skin.

The path led her behind their manor house, up a gentle hill where she often went to find solace and peace. It was a familiar route, but this morning, it felt charged with a new, unsettling energy. Cresting the hill, she paused, her breath catching at the sight before her.

A familiar old man, strikingly handsome with white hair, stood there. He was clad in shimmering white armor with intricate golden linings and designs. A red cape billowed slightly in the breeze, adding to his imposing presence. Beside him rested a gigantic shield and a staff, both adorned with intricate patterns and gleaming faintly in the morning light.

Eliya's heart skipped a beat as she took in the scene. The man seemed to be investigating the area, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with an intensity that suggested he, too, was searching for something.

He turned and greeted her with a warm smile. "Good morning, young healer." Then he slightly lowered his head, offering a respectful bow.

Caught off guard by his presence, Eliya blinked before responding, "Y-You're the gentleman at the North Rose Farm" stuttering.