-12 YEARS LATER-

The rugged peaks of the Melvek Mountains rose into the sky, their snow-capped peaks were the highest point in the southern region of Veedur, and the glistening in the midday sun shimmered like diamond dust. The wind howled through the frozen rocks, carrying with it the echo of ancient legends about the mysteries that lurked in the depths of those mountains. Umbriel, Martel, and Carter trudged along a narrow path that twisted toward the top of the northern peak.

The goal of their ascent was clear: to reach Balari, the legendary mining town in the heart of the mountains, where the secrets of forbidden magic seemed to be intertwined with the very foundations of the land. But, as they fought against the cold breeze and the increasing altitude, something made them stop.

A dull sound, like a tremor inside the mountain, echoed beneath their feet. Umbriel, with her instincts sharpened, stopped Jet, and before she could say anything, a thunderous roar broke the silence of the place.

A column of black smoke and debris rose from the summit, accompanied by a wave of heat and a blinding flash. Umbriel felt the ground crumble beneath her, and before she could react, she was thrown into the air. Her body hit the rocks as he fell, with the sound of wind and stones rolling around her.

Everything faded into a gasp.

The mountain exploded…

I look up at the sky, it's raining ashes. Carter calls me from a distance; my left ear still hears the loud, annoying ringing caused by the explosion.

When I fell, my knees buried themselves in the thick snowy ground, I felt the ice forming in my face, freezing, causing my gaze to eclipse, sealing it with penetrating ice.

My entire life passes before my eyes while the dangerously approaching avalanche looms over the mountain accompanied by a great roar; it looks slow and beautiful, like a big white cotton candy bearing down on me.

“Umbriel!” Martel shouted as he carefully pulled her out of the rubble. Carter, pale and desperate, was looking in his bag for something that could help.

But what caught Umbriel's attention the most in her semi-conscious state was Jet's absence. The steed, which had always been at her side, had disappeared. The bond they shared had been broken at the moment of the explosion, and a deep sadness washed over her, even as her consciousness faded.

“Get on, quick!”

A shadow of someone I think is Martel grabs my face, I feel his warm gloves on my cheeks, with difficulty I try to open my eyes, only the right one responds.

“I… I can't feel my legs…” I whisper to him, in an impassive outline with what little breath I have left.

“Damn it Carter, come here, don't be a coward!” Shouted Martel…

Carter arrived like a lightning bolt and they managed to get me onto Vientomar. Martel jumps up and hugs me from the back. He rides with me now, some heat begins to return to my legs, but my face is still frozen, I can barely feel my heart, the horse takes difficult steps between the spongy and frozen ground, expelling his gasp, letting out a trail of steam breath..

As soon as we reach more solid ground Vientomar takes off like a devil, taking us away from the immaculate and icy danger.

After a long time riding, I begin to regain my senses, gradually.

“We're far from the top,” Martel said in a deep voice as he noticed Umbriel awakened.

“The explosion was bigger than we imagined. It seems like someone is digging deep into the mountain.”

“Blood diamonds,” Umbriel murmured.

“That's what they're looking for. But... Jet... I've lost him.”

Carter approached. “I looked for him everywhere Umbriel, but there is no trace of him. He’s vanished… as if he never existed.”

Carter's words were painful news, but Umbriel knew she had to stay strong.

“We have to keep going,” she said, forcing herself to get up despite the pain.

“We need to find a safe place to rest and regroup.”

“This way, Carter, follow me!” Said Martel.

Martel shouts, pointing to a light that can be seen between the mountains, the now night sky is covered with a beautiful trail of aurora borealis.

We approach the light, a small cabin begins to be defined at the bottom of the valley.

“Hurry up guys, my back is killing me, and my knees are giving up on me.” I babble as I lean against Martel's chest.

“How does my bear coat feel?” Martel says trying to cheer up Umbriel with his particular humor.

“Well, pretty warm and comfy, where did you buy it? Asks Umbriel ironically.

“You know I hunted it and made it with my own hands, woman, don't be foolish and give me some credit, I saved your life!”

“Always so fickle, so typical of Martel…”

“Alright, I love it, and I know you made it. With your bare hands, I bet you killed the bear in one blow.” I am filled with laughter.

He looks at me with disdain and I smile at him. I think I just disarmed him with my smile, because I could see the ice melting on his cheeks, he was definitely blushing, I know.

“We're here!” Carter shouts, and taking a huge breath he blows his vernatu horn cone with all his force...

The sound is spectacular, it reverberates loudly in the valley. The cabin that looked tiny from a distance is enormous and imposing, and that light that we saw in the distance is a wooden obelisk about 25 feet high with a kind of torch at the top. I notice that the entire obelisk is carved, but I can't define what it is.

Carter gets off Ghost slowly, lights a torch and approaches the entrance stairs, the door is black and looks heavy, a deer-shaped knocker is located in the center of it, he knocks three times, without an answer, time passes and no one answers, there are no signs of life inside. It seems that no one is home...

Carter approached us saying.

“I'll do a quick round around the place, we're in dangerous lands so I'll whistle every 5 seconds so you know I'm good…”

The cold gradually disappears from my body, and I look up.

The aurora begins to disappear behind the mountains and Melvek's night sky darkens, revealing a beautiful sky full of stars.

“Were you always so temperamental?” Umbriel asks Martel.

“Who, me?” He said.

It seems like he's the only one who doesn't realize how rude he is sometimes.

“Yes, you, I don't really see anyone else around here, do I?”

He looks at me again with disdain and asks, “Were you always so annoying?” I notice a certain black humor.

“I know that deep down you are a great man, but…”

“He interrupts me… '”Maybe, I am a little rude sometimes, but when life marks you, you can’t help it.''

A torchlight through the mist makes us turn around. Carter, always so inopportune...

“This is a conversation that we will finish later…” I tell Martel, looking him in the eyes…

The fog begins to vanish slowly, the approaching light becomes defined, exposing a thin and curved silhouette, it is definitely not Carter.

“Damn, how long has it been since Carter whistled!?”

“About two minutes,” says Martel.

“He can be anywhere!” He replied.

The silhouette approaches slowly with its torch, then we see that it is an old bearded man, wearing gray rags and looking tired... He asks us if we are okay.

“What are you doing at this time, on a day like this, in a place like this? He questions us terrified, clutching his head with his pale, bony hand...

“A place like this?” What do you mean?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“You see, everyone knows that when the night comes in Melvek mountains after borealis, that only means one thing, those bloody zargos.

Martel rides Vientomar and takes the reins, waking him up.

“If you are going to look for him, it is better that you take this.” Said the old man.

The strange man extends his hand and in it there is a flattened bottle, it is corked and has a red wax seal with a deer's head on it.

“W… What is it?” I ask fearfully.

“It's zargo’s blood. It's the only way to lure them away, he adds softly.

The deer in the jar reminds me of the knocker on the cabin door.

“You’re far from home right, aren’t you? Asks the old man while nodding with a warm smile.

“When you find your friend you are more than welcomed inside my cabin. I will light the fireplace and bake some bread for you, good luck...

“Well, where do we start?” I ask Martel worried.

“From the beginning, come on, it will be good for your legs.”

Martel gets off of Vientomar while I put the zargo’s blood bottle between my breasts. Martel looks at me surprised.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” my chest is closer than my pockets just in case I need to get it out quickly.

“Put it wherever you want, just don't break it…” He blushes.

The wet snowy ground still shows Carter's footprints, they head to the back of the cabin.

“How did we not notice that he stopped whistling?”

“Maybe we were too busy talking?”

I actually feel guilty for Carter, who would’ve guessed that Dr. Edmund Carter, apprentice alchemist and cartographer, would get lost so fast, but what I’m really worried about is that zargos find him before we do.

We were going around the cabin, we noticed that there is a gate to the basement, the footprints point directly towards it and disappear.

-Well now I feel better, at least I know that he hasn't been eaten by zargos because of us.

“Wow, why are there so many locks in this door, what is it holding inside? Hey Martel, how many locks do you think it has?”

“You know I don't know how to count Umbriel…”

“Well, I do know how to count, so I'm counting on you to go in first…”

I smile cynically as I try to open the door, but it is too hefty,

Martel opens the door like it was weightless.

“This door closes from the inside, it was open the entire time, Carter has got to be inside.”

We enter cautiously, watching every step towards the darkness that awaits us. The stairs seem endless.

“How deep is this basement?” Said Umbriel, my legs are still hurting.

After what seemed like hours of walking, they came to a huge wooden door carved with grotesque figures. However, what caught Umbriel's attention most was the feeling of power that emanated from the place, an ancient and dangerous energy.

“Should we go in?” Martel asked, although the answer seemed obvious.

They pushed open the door and found themselves in a vast library, with bookshelves stretching high and farther than their eyes could see.

“Who puts a library in their basement?” I think out loud.

“A scary decrepit old man in the middle of the night?” Martel adds.

As we advanced, the atmosphere became more and more oppressive. The library walls were adorned with strange runes and symbols that seemed to vibrate with their own energy. The only source of light came from a torch that Martel had lit upon entering, and its shadows danced eerily across the walls.

It's true! The old man, I don't think he's very happy that we've violated his house, but finding Carter is now our priority.

We walk among the books. Curiously, the place is immaculate.

It seems like they often come to clean it. I look at the spines of the books. and then my world shakes. They are Inconcessus Prohibitio books.

“This is wrong, Martel…”

“What now Umbriel? You found something interesting to read,” he says humorously.

“Interesting? This is forbidden black magic, Carter is in imminent danger!”

Martel continued his search in the endless series of corridors and rooms that seemed to multiply as he advanced. The walls were filled with bookshelves with ancient tomes and scrolls, many of which exuded a dark energy. A feeling of… despair.

Martel hands me the torch and unsheathes his sword, we head to the end of the hallway and find another wooden door, there is an unlit torch on the floor, it is definitely Carter's.

“Carter isn't usually this reckless,” Martel murmured, holding his sword tighter.

“Something's not right here,” Umbriel said, whispering almost as if she were afraid of waking a sleeping monster.

Each shelf was filled with books from floor to ceiling, some chained with thick iron chains. And there were scrolls that looked as old as time itself. There was an atmosphere of forbidden and forgotten knowledge, a weight that hung over them like a storm cloud.

“These books... are dangerous,” Umbriel said, feeling a strange attraction towards them. However, she resisted the urge to take one.

As they moved between the shelves, they saw a figure at the end of a corridor. It was Carter, crouched in front of one of the books, absorbed in his reading. Umbriel ran towards him.

“Cart!” I shouted. My voice was loudly heard in the vast silence of the library.

When they reached him, they noticed that Carter seemed to be in a trance, his eyes were white and he muttered words in an unknown language. Martel tried to shake him off, but it was like Carter was trapped in another dimension.

“He's under some kind of spell,” Umbriel said, trying to find a way to break the enchantment. But before she could do anything, the ground began to shake.

A roar echoed through the maze, causing the walls to shake. The shelves vibrated and some books fell to the floor, opening to pages full of dark curses. Suddenly, the air turned icy and a figure appeared before them: it was the frail-looking old man, but now his eyes shone with inhuman malice.

“Now do you want some bread?” the old man asked, his voice filled with a power that defied his appearance.

Martel stepped forward, drawing his sword, but Umbriel stopped him. He knew that this man was not what he seemed.

“We are looking for our friend, Carter.”

Umbriel responded cautiously.

“We don't want problems, just take him with us.”

The old man smiled, showing teeth sharp as daggers, and three dark veined horns emerged from his forehead.

“Oh, but it's too late for that,” he said, and with a wave of his hand, Martel fell to the ground, unconscious. Umbriel felt a terrifying cold as the truth revealed itself before them: the old man revealed himself it was a demon, ancient evil. And now, he had complete control of Martel and Carter.

“I won't let you have it,” Umbriel said, her voice firm.

The demon laughed, a sound that echoed throughout the damned library like the echo of a death bell.

“Then you'll have to fight for him,” he growled, before disappearing in a cloud of shadows.

With no time to waste, Umbriel tried to wake up Martel slapping his face and Carter was still unconscious, Martel started to wake up but they noticed, the demon had altered the cabin; Hallways changed turning it into a maze, there were no bookshelves anymore, more doors appeared and the place seemed to spin and twist around them.

Martel put Carter on his shoulder, the maze became more confusing and dangerous. Hidden traps emerged from nowhere, blades cutting through the air and pits opening beneath their feet. Everything seemed designed to bring them to the edge of the abyss.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, they reached a large room where an iron door stood at the end, closed with a large padlock in the shape of a zargo’s head.

“This must be the way out,” Martel said, looking around desperately.

“Quickly, before the demon returns,” Umbriel said, and together they started to kick the padlock and the door but nothing happened. Umbriel remembered the vial of protective blood they had obtained from the demon. And put some of the blood on the padlock… Magically the padlock opened and they could go through the massive door.

However, at the threshold, a gigantic figure blocked their path. A zargo, a four legged-creature of pure darkness, that resembled a dead wolf with huge blackened rotten fangs and bull-like horns. The devilish creature stood between them and freedom.

The zargo lunged at them with a roar that shook the walls of the cabin. Martel, with his sword raised, faced him bravely, while Umbriel tried to protect the still unconscious Carter.

The fighting was fierce. The zargo, made of living shadows, seemed almost invulnerable. Every blow Martel landed passed through the creature's body without causing any real damage. Desperate, Umbriel searched for a solution, her eyes scanning the room for anything that could help them.

Suddenly, she remembered the words of the old man:

"It's zargo’s blood. It's the only way to lure them away."

Without hesitation, she poured some more of the zargo’s blood left on Martel’s sword. To their astonishment, the metal began to glow with a reddish light.

The effect was immediate. The scion writhed, letting out an inhuman scream before disintegrating into a cloud of dark dust.

“You did it,” Umbriel said, panting with the effort.

But before they could celebrate, the demon appeared again, its form made of shadows and ice. This time, his anger was palpable, and the adventurers knew there was no escape.

“It's time to end this!” —Umbriel shouted with all her strength and pulled out her dagger.

The battle that followed was intense and desperate. The demon, with all his power, casted spells and curses that shook the foundations of the cabin. However, Umbriel and Martel fought with all their might, knowing that it was their only chance to save Carter and themselves.

Just when it seemed like the demon had the upper hand, a voice echoed through the room.

“Enough!”

It was Melvek, the mountain wizard, who had been a prisoner in his own cabin for centuries. With a gesture, he released his power, a torrent of green energy that enveloped the demon, weakening it.

“You can't stop me, Melvek,” the demon growled, but the confidence in his voice had faded.

Melvek, with a serenity that only the oldest wizards could possess, looked at the demon with pity.

“You locked me down inside this damned maze and tormented these lands for too long in my name. It's time for you to return to the shadows!”

With a last ditch effort, Melvek and the adventurers combined their forces, and the demon, with a cry of rage, was finally destroyed, its form disintegrating into the air.

With the demon threat eliminated, the maze vanished and everything turned to normal. Melvek guided them to a safe room where they could rest. He healed their wounds with a gentle touch and offered them food and drink.

"I owe you my freedom," Melvek said, sitting down across from them. For centuries, that demon kept me prisoner in my own home, using my power for his own purposes.

Umbriel, still amazed by the wizard's strength, asked:

“What was that creature?”

Melvek sighed, his gaze lost somewhere in the distance.

“A being from ancient times, a demon that feeds on pain and despair. It was my mistake in trying to overpower him, and I ended up being his prisoner.”

After a pause, Melvek turned to Umbriel.

“I have seen something in you… you are looking for the devices aren’t you? I must warn you, that power is supernatural. And for that reason, you should be careful facing the dangers that lie in waiting on your path.”

Melvek then told them all he knew about the Chaos Devices, the seven ancient artifacts that contained unimaginable power.

Umbriel listened carefully, noting every word in her journal.

“These objects have caused the destruction of entire civilizations,” Melvek said.

“But they could also be the key to saving this world, if they fall into the right hands.”

Before leaving, Melvek gave Umbriel one of the library's banned books. “Septima Chao Intus” This book is all you need to know… for now, but use it wisely, as it contains information and knowledge that could be dangerous if inexperienced hands dared to use it.

With the book in hand, Umbriel, Martel and Carter said goodbye to Melvek. Although the cabin was now free of the demon's influence, the place remained a site of dark and unknown power.

When they came out, they found a completely different landscape from what they had seen before. The cabin, which had previously seemed like a cursed place, was now surrounded by nature in full bloom, as if the evil that inhabited it had been completely purged.

“What now? Carter asked.

‘’Now try not to pass out in every adventure, Car!”

Umbriel looked at Carter, she felt relieved that everything turned out good for them this time, she put the book in her backpack and then looked at the horizon.

"Now, let's move on," she replied. We have to find the devices.