Ellie sat at the long oak table in the Academy’s council chamber, her fingers curled tightly around the relic in her pocket. The room hummed with quiet tension, the weight of Achron’s exposure still heavy in the air. Professors and senior mages surrounded her, their faces drawn with worry, their voices hushed as they debated the next steps.
The relic—the key to everything—pressed against her side, warm and pulsing, like a second heartbeat she couldn’t ignore. But it was as much a mystery to her now as it had been in the ruins. She had no idea what it was truly meant for, no idea how to use it to stop the devil king’s resurrection. And yet here she was, sitting at the center of a crisis, with everyone looking to her for answers she didn’t have.
She glanced around the room, trying to appear thoughtful, as if she were weighing the options they discussed. In truth, her mind was blank with panic. How could she possibly lead them? The Academy, the kingdom—they were all in danger, and she was utterly out of her depth.
Master Kolvin, seated across from her, cleared his throat, pulling Ellie’s attention back to the present. His sharp eyes studied her with a mixture of respect and uncertainty. He had been the one to first declare her a hero after she revealed Achron’s true nature, but now, it seemed, even he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of her.
“The devil is still out there,” Kolvin said, his voice calm but laced with urgency. “We cannot waste time. Every hour we delay, he moves closer to completing the ritual. The ancient king could rise within days—perhaps sooner.”
The other mages murmured in agreement, their faces pale. Ellie’s pulse quickened. She could feel their fear, their desperation. And they were all looking to her for the solution.
“Well,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, “we’ll... need to act fast, then.”
Kolvin nodded gravely. “Yes, but how? We need to strike, but we need a strategy. Something to counter whatever magic he’s using.”
Ellie swallowed hard. She had no strategy. She had no plan. She wasn’t a scholar, a tactician, or a hero. She was just Ellie, stumbling from one disaster to the next, relying on luck and half-truths to keep her afloat. And yet, she knew she couldn’t admit that now. Not with the entire room watching her, waiting for her to provide the answer that would save them all.
Her hand tightened around the relic in her pocket. The object hummed softly, its magic faint but insistent, as though it was aware of the rising tension in the room. She had seen it unlock hidden forces in the ruins, felt its power stir beneath her fingers. But how it worked—what it could actually do—was beyond her.
“I think...” Ellie began, feeling the eyes of the room fix on her, “the relic is our best chance. It’s powerful—stronger than anything we’ve encountered so far.” She paused, hoping she sounded confident. “We’ll need to use it to stop the ritual.”
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Kolvin leaned forward, intrigued. “The relic—yes. But how, exactly, will we use it? Do you know its purpose? Its origin?”
Ellie’s heart pounded in her ears. Its purpose? She didn’t even know what it was, let alone how to wield it against a devil king. She could feel her palms growing clammy, her mind racing for a plausible answer.
“I... I need more time to study it,” she said quickly, hoping the vague response would buy her some breathing room. “Its magic is old. Complex. I’ll need to fully understand it before we can use it properly.”
Kolvin nodded, thoughtful. “Of course. But time is not on our side. Can you estimate how long you’ll need?”
Ellie hesitated, her thoughts scrambling. “A day, maybe two,” she said, though she knew she was grasping at straws. “I’ll need to consult some of the older texts. The ones on ancient magic.”
The professors exchanged glances, murmuring among themselves. Ellie could feel the tension mounting again, pressing in around her. They were expecting a breakthrough—a grand revelation that would turn the tide in their favor. But Ellie had nothing. All she could do was hope that somehow, in the chaos of it all, something—someone—would intervene.
Kolvin stood, his face stern. “We’ll support your efforts however we can. The relic is our only hope now.” His gaze swept the room. “Prepare yourselves. We’ll assemble the strongest of the faculty to assist you, Lady Ellie. The devil must not succeed in reviving the king. The kingdom depends on it.”
Ellie nodded, her stomach knotting with dread. The room began to clear, the professors and mages hurrying to make preparations, leaving Ellie alone with her racing thoughts. The relic hummed again in her hand, almost as if it were taunting her—daring her to solve the riddle it posed.
What am I doing? she thought, panic clawing at her chest. She had no strategy, no insight into the relic’s power. The devil king’s revival was already in motion, and she was the last person who should be leading any kind of charge.
And yet, they all believed in her. She had come this far on a mixture of luck, blunders, and half-truths, but now... now it felt like the world was hanging by a thread, and she was the one holding the scissors.
She stood, walking slowly to the tall windows that overlooked the mist-covered Academy grounds. The morning light barely pierced through the fog, casting a pale glow over the buildings below. Somewhere out there, a devil was working to bring about an ancient evil, and all Ellie had was a relic she barely understood and a room full of people relying on her to save them.
Her mind churned, searching for a way out, for some miracle that would let her step aside and hand this burden to someone more capable. But the professors had made it clear—they believed the relic was the key, and they believed Ellie could use it. They wouldn’t take her doubts as anything other than humility.
‘What am I supposed to do?’ she thought, pressing her fingers to the cool glass. ‘How do I stop something like this?’
The relic pulsed again, sending a shiver up her arm. She pulled it from her pocket and stared at it, hoping—praying—that it would somehow reveal its secrets to her. But it remained silent, its runes faint, its glow muted. Whatever power it held, it wasn’t going to offer her any easy answers.
Ellie sighed, slipping the relic back into her pocket. She had no choice now. She would pretend to know what she was doing for as long as she could, keep up the façade until someone else figured out a real plan. Maybe, just maybe, the relic would respond when it mattered most.
‘If I’m lucky,’ she thought, her heart heavy.
But luck, she knew, was a fragile thing. And hers was running thin.