(2ND BOOK OF CRYPTIC SERIES)
After the book closes on a chapter, another opens.
The new chapter of the world faces new troubles and new situations in the eyes of a little girl whose life turned on its head the day she met someone special.
Now, she f...
My eyes snapped open with a gasp, my eyes darting around.
I was in a room seemingly constructed around a tree with it's branches holding the room together.
I tried to sit up but my side flared with pain making a grunt escape from my body and fall down the little distance I could pull myself up.
"How am I alive?" I whispered, voice hoarse and throat parched.
I flipped on my good side and pushed myself up sitting to see the room had a dark oak table with a chair with my stuff pilled on it.
That's when I realized I only wore my pants and was wrapped in silky feeling bandages that were a pale green not white like those most woman use as binds. (Since I don't know why don't think bras fit in that world lmao.)
I stood, left hand resting over my side as I stumbled to the door and almost fell against it before opening it.
I yelled more in surprise then anything else when the door opened and I noticed a figure right next to it.
I composed myself and looked the elvish guard up and down as he payed me no mind.
"I see you woke up, we feared the damage was too great." I looked to my left, away from the guard.
The elf woman approaching me was a blonde like most of them are, hair braided and thrown over her left shoulder, reaching just under her breasts like this, her eyes were what caught my interest, sapphire blue's with the inner edge of them a golden yellow, the golden matching the accents of her outfit.
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(Since I don't wanna describe it.)
"Where am I?" I asked.
"In the heart of the elvish king's land."
"King Alabard."
"Exactly, now do tell why is that one of our messengers found you at the bottom of a lake?"
"Some cultist looking men came after me for some reason, their somewhat leader figure only announcing that the darkness would rise again with or without my help which doesn't explain much as they tried to kill me, leading to my fall and crashing through the water's surface."
Her face morphed from a calm gentle one to a cold worry at my words, her smooth skin creasing between her brows.
"That could mean many bad things." She sighed gently and set a hand on my shoulder. "Now rest, you need it as you fractured several ribs in your fall. At dinner time a maid will come help you get ready to meet the king."
"Wait." I said as she turned to leave, she looked back with her mesmerizing eyes. "What's your name? I'm Lin."
"Kelarian." She said. "Now go rest, you have a long road ahead of you, guard, help her back to her bed."
Despite the guard being armored up he was still graceful and gentle like elves are said to be, not pushing and pulling me but just helping me walk as I laid back down and had a much easier time then I thought I would to fall back asleep.
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I didn't remember much of my dream but what I did remember was a black hand reaching out from a dark void and grabbing at me before a familiar serpent spirit threw itself in between the hand and I before I was snapped awake at the knock on the door.
The elvish maid that came was of great help in putting on my clothes but I left my corset unattached and gods smite me if I were to hurt my ribs more than they already are.
I let her lead me through the castle half made from a tree and open the doors to a great dinning room.
"I apologize for my get up but I do not wish to bring more discomfort to myself." I said while bowing my head as the king stood up.
"How amusing, when I met head mage Mystery for the first time she also came in on the verge of death and said the exact same thing to me." I tensed a little.
"I am indeed of her blood." I said. "It is natural that some things stay the same."
"That does explain the silver strands of hair." I nodded at his words.
I sat down at the chair the maid pulled out for me.
"So I would want the whole story of how the search warren for you came to exist and you turning up dying connect."
I sighed and told the story of my fight with Mystery, running away, staying with my granny for a few days, trying to go home, getting attacked by cultist looking men that made no sense when speaking and falling in the lake.
"It is worrying that they brought up a great darkness, last time we heard of a great darkness it was two decades ago almost when the darkness incarnate, a being by the name of Aurelius, tried to end all living beings on the day of the dark sun when dark clouds covered the whole sky and blocked the sun out and the world was dying, wilting, streets filled with black undead armies of corpses." I knew the stories, I was a kid and found during the the hectic day that those were but I let him speak. "What do you think this might mean mage Lin?"
"I fear the worst." I said honestly, looking at him from the corner of my gaze, face turned forwards. "I really do fear the worst, they said the darkness would come back and the only one we known that is referred to as the darkness is Aurelius but nothing has ever escaped the void."
"That is another source of concern, from your retelling of the tales, they seem confident in what they claim."
"True but we know close to nothing about them or what they really want, this is the first time they struck."
"We need to contact the Solor head mage about this." I stiffly nodded. "It will take a week for the messenger to get to the castle and them to get here if it goes smoothly so you are free to remain here as a guest."
"Thank you, my king."
Silence fell as the food was brought out, each of us left with their own thoughts.