The wind howled, scattering papers across Anaís's cluttered desk. The small attic, filled with scrolls and ancient map books, vibrated in tune with the raindrops drumming on the roof. But Anaís barely noticed, absorbed by the strange document that had arrived earlier that afternoon.
The parchment was wrinkled, its corners burned, and it displayed a fragment of land that didn't correspond to any known region. Written in red ink on the bottom margin were the words: "Where the seas end, the legacy begins."
Anaís brushed her unruly hair out of her face and examined the note that had accompanied the map. It was brief, written with urgency:
"Find the lost horizon. Follow the clues. This map is only the beginning. Be careful who you trust."
Her heart raced. Who had sent this? No one knew about her obsession with maps or her dream of charting the uncharted. She glanced out the window, where the rain fell like a veil over the city, and felt a shiver of excitement and fear.
Before she could analyze further, a sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. She opened it cautiously and found a tall man cloaked in a rain-soaked cape. His green eyes glinted beneath the hood, and his voice was deep and direct.
"You have something that belongs to me."
Anaís stepped back, clutching the map to her chest.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied firmly.
The man stepped forward, letting his hood fall. His face was young but marked with scars. He held out a bronze medallion bearing a symbol identical to the one on the corner of the map.
"You have half; I have the other. This map can lead us to something bigger than you can imagine... but you won't get far without me."
Anaís hesitated. She had dreamed of adventures her entire life, but she had never imagined they would begin like this: with a stranger and a map promising unimaginable secrets. She looked at the man, then at the parchment, and finally at the open door leading into the storm.
"What do you have in mind?" she finally asked.
The man smiled with the intensity of a predator.
"Start packing, cartographer. The horizon awaits
YOU ARE READING
The Legacy of the Lost Horizon
AdventureWhen a mysterious letter leads Anaís, a passionate cartographer, to discover an incomplete map of an unknown world, her quiet life takes an unexpected turn. Alongside an enigmatic archaeologist and a repentant thief, she embarks on an epic journey a...
