There, in the middle of the chamber, was a well made of dark stone, but suspended just above it was an extraordinary seed of what Erik assumed was some sort of a plant. As large as a human torso, it radiated and glowed softly with an otherworldly presence.
The warrior pointed Erik toward the well and said in a bored tone, “Go there and pour a drop of your blood in the water, then look into the Mirmirsker. It will begin once you do.”
He then gave the young man a small knife and leaned against the wall, taking a pipe out.
Erik moved closer and saw that the seed was covered in glowing runes, pulsating in rhythm with the ones on the floor. It produced a low thumping noise—as if it was the beating heart of a wooden giant. Standing in front of the well felt like standing in the middle of a lush forest, he could almost hear the leaves rustling in the wind and smell the grass.
His gaze moved down toward the calm, dark water that filled the well. Beneath its surface there were small glittering lights, it mirrored the night sky. With the reflection of the seed like a radiant moon in the centre. And akin to the stars, Erik could swear they were a vast distance away.
He didn’t know how that was possible. And he was very tempted to just reach down and try and grab one, but he stopped himself.
Holding the knife in his right hand, he looked at his empty left palm.
By the power of the Exalted... please let me Awaken a High-Grade Talent, he sent a final prayer and decisively slashed his palm.
His nerves barely allowed him to feel the sting of the blade. He tucked the knife in his belt and held out his palm over the well.
Frozen in anticipation, Erik watched as scarlet droplets disappeared in the silent depths of the water.
Nothing happened at first, but then his eyes turned back up to the seed, and he felt his consciousness being pulled out into some otherworldly place. Before he passed out, for the second time that day he felt his medallion heating up…
***
The ghost-quiet stillness of a star-filled void was broken by the occasional cracking of skulls and bones, sparsely scattered along a road of dark wood.
An onyx chariot, pulled by two eight-legged skeletal horses, rolled ominously over them. With twin horns on their heads and glorious manes of teal flames, their heraldry was made more prominent by the dark mist that shrouded them.
They strode forward, calmly and confidently, as their hooves made a solemn and rhythmic sound.
Then a vulture with pure black feathers leveled itself beside the young man, who was riding in the chariot and gazing forward with a sense of unease. He knew there was something important up ahead. A decision to be made.
Waiting to reach the destination, he glanced to the side at the feathered creature next to him.
This bird again… what the hell is it? And where did it come from? Wait… where am I? Confused, Erik's mind wandered.
All of a sudden, a barely audible murmur began to emerge from somewhere. Erik looked around but he couldn’t see anyone. There was also something familiar about it and something... wrong about it.
Where do I know this voice from? He couldn’t quite place it, but he was sure it was familiar. Like a word at the tip of his tongue that he couldn’t remember. And for some reason, his intuition was telling him that he should not be hearing it, not here—not in this place.
Even the vulture seemed to agree with him as it gave out a wary cry.
Before he could think about it further, the chariot stopped at a fork in the road.
On the left, the path turned into paved stone. Although he could not quite see the end of it, Erik felt it did not continue for much longer—not much further than his sight. Somewhere in the distance he could just barely make out the image of a... glowing seed?
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Is that the Mirmirsker?
Erik wasn't sure.
While on the right side… the road was paved entirely by bones, and a veil of darkness covered it after a short distance, making it impossible to see beyond a small initial stretch. He couldn’t sense what lay beyond or for how long it carried on.
As he stood there unsure of what to do, the vulture flew off into the darkness of the right path. Although the paved road looked like the obvious choice, one of the horses wanted to go on the dark road as well. It neighed and grunted when Erik tried to nudge them toward the left path.
He took a closer look at the right road and saw that the bird had perched itself on something he could only guess was the trunk of a tree. His gaze followed it down to the ground, and he saw more were sticking out from the sides of the road here and there. He realized the path he had been on so far and the ones going forward, instead of being flat, were slightly curved.
He slowly turned back, tracing the road, it extended into the horizon behind him. In the vast distance, he could just barely make out the partial silhouette of an unfathomably large tree. Despite seeing it, his mind could simply not comprehend its sheer size. All he understood was that the road he had been traveling on, was one of its branches.
Erik sighed, and turned back to what was in front of him. He wasn’t sure exactly what decision he was supposed to make, but fate was forcing him to make it nonetheless.
From the looks of it, the left path seems safer but…
But his gut was telling him to take the right one.
He knew he didn't have much time to decide. The feeling of wrongness from the murmur was intensifying, and a sense of foreboding told him he needed to hurry.
So when the somber caw of the vulture echoed from the darkness, he made up his mind and spurred the chariot toward the right path.
Just then, the murmurs intensified, and he could almost make out the familiar voice.
Wrong, wrong—this is wrong! Erik's inner voice screamed.
An impending sense of doom loomed over him, and he knew he had to hurry.
A vast energy vortex opened far below the roads, threatening to swallow them. But before it could, the vulture let out a loud and resolute cry. It flew high and then dove straight into the vortex like a dark comet, disappearing in it.
The energy began to destabilize, shooting lightning in all directions and collapsing in on itself.
Erik spurred the horses as fast as he could and they dove into the darkness of the right path.
Immediately after, everything disappeared…
***
With a start and a pounding headache, Erik woke up on the floor of the chamber next to the Mirmirsker.
Before he could take stock of what was happening, the large frame of the explorer that had brought him in cast a shadow over him. The warrior was observing him with mild interest. He gave him a quick scan from head to toe and raised a quizzical eyebrow, but then just shrugged, turned around, and motioned for Erik to follow. The others were gone, they were the only ones left.
The young man was still dazed, not sure of what was happening. He could vaguely remember that he saw the strange vulture again. He was also riding a chariot… and… and…
There were bones… a road made of bones? He tried to make sense of what he saw, but his thoughts were in disarray. However, something else struck him.
The ritual was over.
He should have Awakened a Talent. Hopefully, a Prominent Grade one. This was what he had been waiting for all these years!
Shaking, he slowly looked down toward the back of his hands. Every newly Awakened Talent would be able to see Blood Runes on their body, usually the back of the hands—visible only to them.
Unfortunately, Erik saw none.
He waited with bated breath. Perhaps there was a delay? But that had never happened before, everyone was able to see theirs after the ritual.
Dread crept up his spine.
He started flipping his hands over and examining every inch of them, then his arms, but he saw nothing. He yanked his top off along with all the furs, and frantically looked over his chest—nothing. His back? Nothing again.
He wanted to hope, but he knew… he knew that the Blood Runes were always visible right after the ritual. There had never been any exceptions. If he didn't have any—it ment that he... he...
Erik’s mind blanked, and he just stood there in a daze. He wanted to refuse it with every fibre of his being, but the realization that he did not Awaken a Talent came with ruthless, unstoppable force. His stomach turned into a ball of iron, and soul-crushing despair and emptiness threatened to consume him.
“Come on, boy! I don’t have all night, I want to get to the tavern!” The warrior had turned around at the chamber's entrance and called to Erik. His voice was slightly harsher than before, more emotionless, although he paused, he didn't look like was willing to wait long. Erik noticed the way the explorer’s gaze lingered on him, as if he understood more than he let on.
He knows. Unwilling to accept the truth, unwilling to let the world know, unwilling to let it remind him about it. He gathered himself in a daze. Stood up. Got dressed. And followed.
Erik did not remember how he got outside, only that he was told before he left that he should return within a fortnight to have his Talent logged. Everyone had to do it, since the kingdom needed to make sure each person had gone through the ritual.
The crowd had dispersed, and a cool spring breeze caressed Erik’s skin. He gazed at the starry night sky with a blank expression.
What… What am I supposed to do, now? A hollow echo of a thought rang through his mind.