The Kingdom of Elvendor: Curse of the Forgotten

Destiny Beneath the Stars

Trigger Warning:

This chapter contains depictions of physical violence, threats of sexual violence, and intense emotional distress. Reader discretion is advised.

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I pressed my ear against the door. Eras sat outside, proudly snoring in the hallway. I knew that wasn't a way to break out. Even if I somehow managed to unlock the door, he would catch me in an instant. I anxiously sighed. My gaze scanned the room for an escape route, but nothing caught my eye. There were no windows. I guessed they used this room multiple times for locking up elves under the pretense of fashionable accommodations. A fancy prison, but prison nevertheless. I shook my head, not wanting to think about who else already lived here in the past. Everything just seemed sudden and out of reach. I did not ask for this. I did not want this power. But I guess it had been in me all along.

What even is this power? Why were they so afraid of me? Am I even capable of harnessing it? Or would it be too much for me to wield?

But if I were that strong, stronger than most of the elite... Could these powers help me escape?

First things first. Let's try it out.

I nervously stepped in the middle of the room. I shut my eyes and slowed my breathing, trying to concentrate. At first, there was nothing. The magic must have been too far, out of reach. I squeezed my eyes shut harder. Like that would help. I wasn't used to producing magic without my crystal. Using it was far easier than wielding magic on my own, but I hadn't expected the latter would be so difficult. I groaned in frustration.

"Come on, Elowen, you can do this," I whispered, trying to encourage myself.

Then, I felt something. My veins started to pulse with a strange, electric warmth, barely noticeable. I began tingling, almost like the very blood within me had been replaced with raw energy. The air around me crackled with uncontrollable force and I could feel it tingling in my fingers. But no matter how hard I tried to control it, magic wouldn't come out. The power within me felt like a storm. But it was not able to break free. Like lungs, filling with air up to the brim, ready to burst. I feared the gathering force would make my eyes pop out of my sockets.

I clenched my fists in frustration. The magic was there. I have seen it happen! My fingers were waiting to release it. But nothing came to fruition. Nothing. Fool of an elf! 

Please, magic, guide me. Help me get out.

And then it hit me like a tidal wave.

Magic crashed through me, slamming into my chest with the force of a hurricane. I gasped and my body seized under the weight of the power coursing through it. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, the overwhelming surge of energy exploded from my fingers.

The world tilted and my vision blurred. I tried to steady myself, but the force of the magic was too much. My knees buckled and I slammed my head against the cold stone wall with a thud.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness. Then I felt the light, chaos, and the sharp taste of copper.

Something had changed.

I opened my eyes. The doors were still closed. Behind it,  the faint, melancholic melody of snoring could be heard. But something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. The pool in the room had changed. The water seemed different than before. It was stronger and I felt it calling me in a silent melody.

I slowly pushed myself off the ground, still feeling dizzy. I slowly approached it. What now?

I reached out with a trembling arm but stopped just before my fingertips touched the surface. I was both scared and intrigued.