Staining Fates

A Trap towards Freedom

                  It's 8 in the morning and its the second day of November. Just a few weeks left before my training ends...I could say it was a fun learning experience here in the college. Meeting just a handful of friends made me realize a lot of things. I don't need a lot of them just to say I'm known, for that doesn't matter. I need a few of them just so I can say that I know myself despite your absence. Just a few weeks and I'll try to return to the southeast, Anna. Just wait...I beg you. I promised to tell you how the mountains were painted and how the sun rises. I promised to tell you everything, so please, wait for me.

Love,

Jacob Canrad

-End of Voice Message-

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We stumbled upon an old temple where the sun barely illuminates the dimness of the room. There were four gargantuan statues of warriors at the sides of the large hall. At the ceiling, there were dangling mosses, dripping fresh water.

"The light is obstructed by the small river above the ruins. So the deeper we go through here, the darker it will be." Danielle was touring me with their discovery. "Christian, prepare the torches."

"Right." With flame magic, Christian ignited three of those torches as we descended into the deeper levels of the ruins.

The steps were slippery and uneven. Some were steep and others were just shallow. One would indeed fall under if he will not be careful.

"There are a lot of undiscovered areas here since we're the first ones who discovered this...I think." Danielle said as she kept on walking down the steps.

We soon walked through an eerie dark hallway. It felt like someone was watching us from the dark, waiting to put our guard down and take us away from the light. It was an uneasy feeling until;

"We're here." She said as she opens a rusty old door. The metal, screeching with the old graphite tiles.

It was a small room and at the middle of it, a podium where it beholds a hand sized sphere, engraved with a maze-like design. It also possessed four metallic orbits which kept on rotating. It was odd and suspicious but it's more than a tale come true. We only saw it on the books and heard it from our mentor's story and research, but to see it personally, it was indeed an amazing feeling.

"This is the Zeltan Artifact, a design from the Ancient Northern civilizations," Christian explained to me.

"Since it's from the North, it houses a lot of Soul Force when it comes to Ice utilizing Fantasias. Too bad, we don't know any ice users in the college." Danielle said as she grabbed the artifact. The rotations stopped, allowing it to be lifted from the podium. "We can, however, sell it to the shadow merchants."

"W-What?! Don't!" I suddenly blustered without even thinking.

"Why? Its rarity can bring us some great fortune. If we're lucky, you'll get a share that's large enough to pay all your bills, Jacob."

"Yeah...you're right... but what if it holds a much more potential from that?"

"What do you mean?" She seemed perplexed.

"According to the books, Zeltan Artifacts are held by powerful Fantasia wielders during the ancient times. If we could offer other ones for academic research then-"

"You're a fool, Jacob." She retorted. "The reason why we're selling it to the shadow merchants is that having these artifacts has been deemed illegal by the Human governments. Another thing is that...we would want to help you...at least financially."