Who knew what would happen after stealing some bread from a street stall? Certainly not Nagan. Nothing out of the ordinary should have happened, considering stealing food to survive was the norm. But fate, destiny, karma, whatever you wanted to call...
And poor Professor Fai had his work cut out for him.
As a usually calm man, he wanted to rip his hair out and straight-up knock the two Elvars to their senses. The students huddled nervously at the malicious energy fuming from the two of them. And it certainly didn't help when Nagan started to help the other students out when Lyram was being purposefully vague as to confuse Nagan. By the end of class, Professor nearly dragged them to his office.
"Look, you two. If this is going to be a regular occurrence, don't waste my time," he started and aimed a glare at Lyram first. "You. Act like an adult and teach my kids properly, no matter if you have some sort of grudge against one of my students. And you." Next glare was aimed at Nagan. "You may not like him, but he is still your teacher for the next few days. You are better than this, Nagan.
"Now both of you get out of my sight, and I expect better from now on, or else I will personally send you to the medical wing myself!"
"Yes, Professor Fai," the Elvars said simultaneously and made a hasty retreat.
The next few days flowed smoothly thanks to the threatening glares of Professor Fai. By the time Lyram left Carvolier, each combat student was able to at least summon a shimmering image of their weapon of choice in their palms. Nagan's was a simple stone dagger, though it would crumble as soon as he tried to grip its handle.
"That's still really good considering you've only been doing this for a few days," Az reassured as the dagger crumbled again. "Maybe there's a book in the library that could give you a few tips on how to make it stronger."
"Doubt it," Nagan stated flatly, dusting his hand of gravel. "It's supposedly a family spell, so why would they make it public? I'll figure it out eventually..."
It took him till near the end of the school year for him to hold it without it breaking.
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"Wake up."
Nagan bolted upright. Who was that?
He sat there silently, gazing around the room slowly. From the other bed, he could hear Az's quiet snores. It must have been somewhere around midnight.
Wanting to clear his uneasy, he slid to the edge of his bed, shivering as his bare feet touched the cold floor, and started to check around the room. Nothing seemed to be out of place until he noticed an envelope with a red seal lying on his desk. He didn't remember that being there before he went to bed. He stared at for a few seconds before deciding to inspect it.
Upon first glance, it was just an ordinary letter. A white envelope with a red seal. Detecting nothing wrong with it, he broke the seal and drew out a single sheet of folded paper.
The first thing that caught his attention was the design that covered the back of the letter. It looked vaguely like a runic circle, but none of the runes he recognized. Pushing back his paranoia, telling himself he just hadn't learned these specific runes yet, he unfolded the letter. What was inside was not what he expected. His breath hitched and his grip became tighter as he read a single line:
I know where your father is.
Nagan barely had time to process its words before the letters shifted, making his eyes go wide in surprise.
But for me to help you, I need you to do something for me. Do you accept?
This...is odd, he thought as he shifted his weight to one foot. Glancing back to where Az slept, he wanted to wake him and ask him what he thought about this. And he would have if it weren't for the sharp pain in his palm. He was...bleeding? The letters had changed again.
There is no need for you to inform anyone of this. You can do a simple task alone, can't you? Do you accept?
"And if I don't?" He hissed in pain and nearly dropped the letter. The slash across his palm had deepened.
Do you accept?
The cold weight of dread slowly sunk into him as he nodded his head. He was too afraid to find out what would happen if he didn't.
Good. Follow my directions carefully and don't let yourself be seen.
Carefully he crept out of the room and into the hall where he began following whatever direction the letter gave him. Right. Right. Down two flights of stairs. Right. Left. Down once again. All until he found himself before a door. Behind the door was the last set of stairs spiraling downwards. He recognized this place. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found himself standing in front of the same door he found at the beginning of the school year. It still had the barrier guarding it.
"I can't go through this."
Put the back of the letter against the barrier. It will let you through.
He had stopped questioning the letter long ago, his palms stinging viciously, and pressed the runes against the barrier. At first, nothing happened until he pressed against the barrier harder. Unable to remove his hand, he felt his blood slowly leak through the paper and watched in horror as the runes began to glow as it absorbed his blood. With an eerie red light, the barrier folded in on itself and the door swung open on its own. A suffocating energy settled thickly around him, causing him to flinch back.
"Don't be scared now, you're almost there."
A shiver of fear ran up his spine. He knew better than to look around knowing no one was near him. The voice was inside his head. His hands shook as he reluctantly checked his palm. The letter had disappeared, and what was left were the runes permanently engraved into his hand.
"Only you and I will be able to see it," the voice soothed. "Find me the book. You'll know it when you see it, or rather, you'll feel it when you touch it."
Nagan's hand convulsed as the runes momentarily glowed blood red.
With a shaky breath, he stepped into the room ahead of him.
