Shadow wings

The Flame of Trust

Ferndall's heart raced as he looked around the room for something that could help him reach the coal basin, but it was in vain. At that moment, the monster let out a deafening roar, and its tentacles whipped wildly through the air. Ferndall quickly took cover behind a column. Just a few seconds later, Gall suddenly appeared beside him. "What's going on? What about the last basin?" he asked. "The last one is on the ceiling of the hall. I have no idea how to reach it," the prince answered, panicking."I see... Don't worry, we'll figure it out." Just then, a deafening crash interrupted the blonde elf. They both turned and peeked out from behind the column to see what had happened.The monster had knocked over one of the columns with its tentacle, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Gall turned back to Ferndall. "Do you trust me?" he asked the prince firmly. Ferndall didn't hesitate for a second. "Yes." The blonde elf smiled and nodded, then extended his hand. "Give me the torch. I'll shoot it to the coal basin with my bow." Ferndall agreed and handed the torch to the elf. Gall pulled a thin but sturdy-looking rope from his robe, along with one of his arrows. He began tying the torch to the arrow."Wouldn't it be easier to just light the arrow?" Ferndall asked. Gall answered hasitatly "I think that would indeed be easier, but it might not work. The torch could have a magical mechanism that gives the flame a specific strength and magical power, which only activates after the torch has been near the coal for a certain time. Both the torch and the coal could be enchanted to prevent someone from simply splitting the flame and lighting the coal simultaneously."With those words, the elf finished securing the torch to the arrow with a final knot. "I need to be careful... The torch is heavier than a regular arrow, so it will follow a different trajectory," Gall murmured, more to himself than to the prince.The blond took his bow and carefully notched the arrow with the torch attached, making sure the red flame didn't damage the wooden bow. Then, with a swift and fluid movement, Gall stepped out from behind the column and aimed upward toward the basin. Ferndall also emerged from behind the column to see if their plan would succeed.Gall stood still for a few seconds, then released the arrow.In a high arc, it flew through the air. The torch actually landed on the edge of the coal basin and then slowly rolled into its center, out of Ferndal's line of sight. His body tensed with nervousness, and he didn't dare to breathe. But nothing happened.At that moment, the monster turned towards the two of them, baring its teeth, its eyes glittering with contempt. The creature's body tensed, and it began to slowly approach them. But suddenly, at that very moment, the coal basin erupted in a burst of flames.A powerful shockwave was unleashed, like a great force that had been waiting to be freed. The monster began to writhe, as if trying to resist invisible ropes. But eventually, it lay motionless on the ground, with only its constantly moving eyes indicating that it was still alive.Ferndall sighed with relief and looked around for his other friends. No one seemed to be seriously injured, just a few scratches. Even Laxus slowly crawled out from behind the railing of the staircase leading to the balcony. Despite his many wounds and scratches, he appeared to be more or less okay.At that moment, Ferndall noticed that a light was also trickling down from the last basin to the ground. This light slowly merged with the other streams of light, forming a large square on the floor, until they finally connected. The instant the light touched, the ground trembled, and a bit of dust fell from the ceiling. Slowly and with a grinding noise, as if something soft was rubbing against stone, the floor within the square began to slide aside. What lay beneath slowly rose through the opening that had formed. It was an altar, similar to the one in the previous temple, and above it floated a shining artifact.The companions decided that before retrieving the artifact and traveling to the next temple, they would first take a rest and discuss a few things. Gall helped Laxus and the others tend to their wounds. Luna created a fireball as a substitute for a warming fire.Gall had stowed all his materials in his robe and was just about to join the others by the fire when Ferndall pulled him aside and moved a little away from the others until they stood behind a column. He turned to the blond man and said, "Gall, I have a question... I was hoping you might know the answer since you've been so knowledgeable about the artifacts so far. While I was lighting the coal basins, there was a moment when my strength almost failed me. But then it seemed like your power from the artifact flowed into me, giving me energy. Do you have any idea what that was? I know it might not sound like much, but the artifact's aura is incredibly intense. I've never felt anything like it before...""Hmm... The behavior of the artifact and your physical reaction to it are probably also related to your blessed blood. I've already explained to you that your father was meant to become a high priest, which is why his blood was blessed, and thus, so is yours. These priests are also called 'Guardians of the Temples.' They are trained only in places where temples are present. They dedicate their lives to the gods, serving them and opening the temples for the right people in times of crisis. In a land with a temple, there must usually be at least one trained priest. These priests are trained to be able to retrieve the artifacts without difficulty if necessary. When the training process is complete, the blood of the priest is blessed. This process ensures that the dangers in the temples do not affect the priests. However, since you are only the son of a priest and not all of his blood flows in your veins, your connection to the artifacts is weakened. The artifacts, however, still recognize the part of your blood that is blessed. I believe what you felt was the artifact's attempt to protect you."Ferndall nodded in understanding. "Thank you... You're really helping me make sense of these things. And also helping me learn more about my father." The prince looked up at the taller figure and smiled gratefully. Gall returned the smile and gazed deeply into Ferndall's eyes. In that moment, he felt his heart race, as it often did when he looked at the blonde or even just thought of him. As he continued to look at the other, he couldn't help but notice how easy it was to lose himself in the elf's eyes. To the prince, Galls eyes reminded him of the beauty of nature-one blue eye like the sea and the other green like meadows and forests.The blonde tilted his head slightly and teased, "Do you like what you see? why are you looking at me like that?" He grinned at Ferndall, who was completely taken aback by the question. His heart began to beat even faster. Had he really been staring at the other so intensely? Ferndall started to stammer nervously, "I-I... uh..." He stopped himself before he said something embarrassing. He felt his face flush with embarrassment. Gall chuckled softly and then said, "It's okay. I just wanted to-" At that moment, Luna called out, "Ferndall, where are you?" The two looked up in surprise. Gall turned back to Ferndall and said, "Looks like you're needed." Ferndall nodded and hurried over to the others, followed by the elf. The prince was relieved that Luna had saved him from the awkward situation.The two sat down by the fire with the others. "What were you two up to?" Luna asked suspiciously. "Oh, we were just discussing some things about the artifact," Ferndall replied. Luna raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting from Ferndall, who was still flushed red, to Gall, who was smiling innocently at her. "Mhm. I see..." Luna said cold then she turned her gaze to Laxus."Now, Laxus... What were you thinking, going so deep into the temple alone?" The brown-haired man crossed his arms and replied irritably, "Maybe you didn't notice, though I seriously doubt that, but it was pitch dark in there. How exactly was I supposed to know where I was going? Do you think I have some sort of night vision?" Luna sighed and shook her head. "You could have just-oh, forget it. Now that we're all back together, it doesn't matter. Just make sure you find the rest of us as quickly as possible next time. But for now, we should all get some rest."Everyone agreed with her. However, they decided to take turns keeping watch, even though they were confident that no new dangers would arise. They wanted to be prepared in case the binding spell broke for any reason.Ferndall, who had taken the first watch, leaned against a pillar and stared at the fireball, its flames flickering wildly but controlled. His hand was tightly wrapped around the artifact, still hanging from the chain around his neck. He closed his eyes and focused on the steady pulsing, which almost felt like a heartbeat. Slowly, he opened his eyes again and loosened his grip on the object. Ferndall glanced over at his companions, all of whom seemed to be asleep. The prince stood up, took one of the loaves of bread they had eaten before resting, and walked slowly to the monster that lay motionless on the ground, still held by the spell. As the black-haired man approached the creature, it slightly lifted its head, though even this was nearly impossible for the beast due to the spell. Ferndall crouched down in front of the monster and held out the loaf of bread. "I'm sure you'd prefer meat. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury..." Ferndall whispered.The monster let out a growling sound but then actually took the bread between its teeth, which immediately began to grind the food. Its glowing eyes remained fixed on Ferndall, but instead of contempt, something else seemed to shine in them... gratitude.Ferndall jumped as he suddenly heard a voice behind him: "I doubt that thing can starve or even feel anything like that. Otherwise, it would have died long ago." The prince turned around, startled, but relaxed when he saw Luna. "Don't be like that; there's nothing wrong with giving the creature something to eat. We have enough," Ferndall said, smiling at the redhead as he stood up. "That's not the point... I meant that it tried to kill us," she replied, crossing her arms. "That's its job... It's not to blame; it's just doing what it's been taught to do. And besides, it's powerless now. There's nothing wrong with doing good, even for an enemy," Ferndall responded. Luna nodded, "You're probably right... Whatever, that's not the reason I came to you... I wanted to talk to you about what our plan is once we've secured the artifacts," added the Dragonborn. "I assume we'll first need to figure out exactly what kind of organization is behind the incidents in Necropolis." Luna nodded silently, and the two of them slowly walked over to the others. "You and Gall have gotten closer over time..." Ferndall raised his head in surprise. "Yes, a little. But it's nothing special. Why do you mention it?" he asked. "You shouldn't trust him so blindly. Don't let your guard down around him..." Ferndall stopped and looked at Luna. "He's saved my life, multiple times, and he's done nothing but help us. I don't understand why you still don't trust him." Luna sighed. "You know, I usually don't rely too much on my feelings. But this time it's different... Because I'm a Dragonborn, I can sense auras more clearly, as you know. I've never felt an aura quite like Gall's before. Some parts of it seem familiar, but a large portion of it is something I've never encountered in any other person or creature. I hate that I can't read him at all. He's not easy to figure out, and all the knowledge he has also seems strange to me. To sum it up: I can't trust anyone I can't read." Ferndall nodded. "I understand. But please try to be a bit more polite to him... By the way, I've also noticed something odd about his aura, and even his appearance is different from that of the elves I've met so far..." "I think we can agree that he's definitely not what he pretends to be. Whether that's good or bad, we'll surely find out, but I'm afraid we'll have to be patient," said Luna.At that moment, Ferndall noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned reflexively and spotted Laxus, who was just putting on a cloak. "Laxus, what are you doing?" asked Luna as she and Ferndall walked closer. Laxus was visibly startled to see them and quickly replied, "I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit after all the stress." He laughed nervously. "Lie back down before you walk into a trap. You can walk as much as you want once we're back home," Luna responded with a warning undertone. Laxus nodded and lay down again. Luna shook her head in confusion. "What's wrong with him?" Ferndall just shrugged. "He's probably just tired. You should lie down and sleep too. You'll need to take a watch later..." Luna nodded and soon after, she also went to sleep while Ferndall kept watch.Ferndall's watch passed without any issues, and soon Ray relieved him. When he woke up along with the others, both Gall and Laxus were already awake, with the latter having taken the last watch. Laxus was in visibly bad spirits, though it wasn't clear whether it was because he had taken the last watch or due to something else.The companions began to break camp and prepare for their journey. After eating a bit, they were ready. Slowly, they approached the altar with the second artifact. Ferndall could feel the object around his neck beginning to pulse more strongly. He didn't know why, but he was even more nervous than he had been with the first artifact. He slowly stepped onto the altar's steps and paused for a moment before carefully grabbing the second artifact. Like the other artifact, this one also resembled a piece of a broken plate with golden decorations.Ferndall turned around and stepped down from the altar. The artifact began to tremble slightly, and the one around his neck did the same. The prince pulled the chain out from under his clothing. The two artifacts began to glow with a warm light, and the new one actually started to shrink to the size of the other, until they eventually merged to form a larger piece. After this happened, the glowing stopped, and for several seconds, nothing occurred."Nothing's happening... What now?" Marelin asked uncertainly. But her question was soon answered, as suddenly a brightly glowing magic circle appeared directly beneath their feet, and everything around them seemed to shine brighter and brighter until they all had to close their eyes. When the brightness dimmed and they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a different place...