Felix paced the small room Oswin had given him in Tirrow Vale’s lodge, replaying the events of the day in his mind. His brief encounter with the ancient shrine had left him feeling uneasy, as though he’d brushed up against a piece of magic older and far more powerful than anything he’d expected to find this early in his journey. And Oswin’s warning had only added to that unease: Magic, when left untamed, can become something dangerous.

He glanced at the Grimoire, the faint hum of its presence lingering in the back of his mind. The shrine had stirred something within it, as if the Grimoire itself had recognized the site and offered Felix a glimpse into its hidden knowledge. The image of the cloaked figures he’d seen in his vision lingered, their faces shadowed, hands raised in some kind of ritual. He didn’t understand it fully, but he felt certain it wasn’t just a coincidence.

If the Grimoire reacts like this to old magic, Felix thought, then maybe Ravenspire really will have the answers I’m looking for.

Determined, he gathered his few belongings—the stone pendant, a small pouch of Glowmoss and Night’s Veil Sporeweed that Melara had given him, and his walking stick—and prepared to leave at first light.

The next morning, Felix stood on the path leading out of Tirrow Vale, his heart beating with a mix of nervousness and excitement. The villagers had bid him farewell with quiet curiosity, a few of them nodding in approval, as if satisfied to see him moving forward.

Oswin had offered him a final word of advice, his tone as cautious as ever. “Keep your wits about you. The journey isn’t a straight path, and the forest has its own way of testing travelers.”

With a final nod, Felix turned to face the winding road ahead, feeling the weight of his journey settle on his shoulders. Ravenspire was still several days away, and he knew enough by now to expect that the road would hold more than its share of challenges.

The first few hours passed quietly, with Felix keeping a steady pace along the narrow path that wound through the forest. He was beginning to feel a faint sense of ease, the sights and sounds of nature calming him despite the faint hum of mana that still thrummed beneath his feet.

But as noon approached, he noticed something unusual: the quiet around him had deepened, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. The usual sounds of birdsong and rustling leaves were absent, replaced by an eerie stillness that prickled at the edges of his awareness.

Something isn’t right.

Felix slowed his pace, gripping his walking stick a little tighter. He scanned the shadows between the trees, searching for any sign of movement. And then, just at the edge of his vision, he caught a glimpse of something—a figure, cloaked in darkness, watching him from the shadows.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He stopped, his breath catching in his throat. The figure was silent, motionless, yet there was a strange familiarity in its posture, as though it were connected to the vision he’d seen at the shrine. The memory of the cloaked figures flashed in his mind, their hands raised in ritual, their faces hidden in shadow.

“Who… who are you?” he called out, his voice steady despite the tension knotting in his chest.

The figure didn’t respond, but a faint, almost imperceptible whisper drifted through the air, its words lost in the silence. And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the figure melted back into the shadows, leaving Felix alone once more.

He exhaled, his heartbeat gradually slowing as the forest around him seemed to breathe again, the sounds of nature returning as if nothing had happened. But Felix knew better. Whatever he’d seen, it hadn’t been an illusion.

There’s more to this journey than I thought, he realized, feeling a renewed sense of determination. If the Grimoire is reacting to these things, then I need to understand why.

Later that afternoon, as the sun dipped lower in the sky, Felix found himself in a denser part of the forest. The trees grew taller here, their branches twisted together in a canopy that cast dappled shadows across the ground. The air was thick with the scent of moss and damp earth, and the faint hum of mana seemed stronger, pulsing through the forest floor like a hidden heartbeat.

As he rounded a bend in the path, he suddenly heard a rustling in the underbrush to his left. Felix tensed, his senses sharpening as he gripped his walking stick, ready for whatever might emerge.

A pair of creatures stepped out of the shadows, their forms sleek and graceful, with fur that shimmered in the dim light. They resembled wolves but were smaller, their eyes glinting with an intelligence that felt almost human. He recognized them from Oswin’s descriptions as Duskhounds, known for their cunning and their habit of observing travelers from a distance.

The Duskhounds circled him slowly, their movements cautious yet curious. Felix held his ground, remembering Oswin’s advice to show respect for the creatures of the forest. He kept his breathing steady, focusing on the faint warmth of mana within him, letting it ground him.

After a moment, one of the Duskhounds stepped closer, sniffing the air around him. Felix held out a hand, careful to keep his movements slow and unthreatening. The creature regarded him with an unblinking gaze, then let out a low, approving growl before retreating back into the underbrush, its companion following close behind.

Felix exhaled, a sense of relief washing over him. He hadn’t been attacked, but the encounter had reminded him of the delicate balance that governed this world. Respect, as Oswin had taught him, was as important as strength.

As the sky darkened, Felix set up a small camp at the edge of a clearing, the faint glow of a fire casting flickering shadows across the trees. He sat by the fire, his mind racing with thoughts of the day’s events—the cloaked figure, the Duskhounds, the strange silence that had fallen over the forest.

The Grimoire’s presence pulsed faintly in the back of his mind, a reminder of the ancient magic woven through his journey. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Grimoire was guiding him, responding to the things he encountered, urging him to dig deeper into the mysteries of this world.

He lay back on his bedroll, staring up at the stars that peeked through the canopy above. The forest around him was quiet, peaceful, yet he knew that danger and discovery lay just beyond the edges of the firelight.