Ice-cold water slammed into me, stealing my strength. Blood pulsed from the claw wound along my side, mixing in dark rivulets with the lake’s currents. Something powerful yanked me downward—an undercurrent or magic—I couldn’t tell. My vision dimmed, limbs going limp, as the cold claimed me.
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Gasp! I tore a breath into my lungs. Coughing, I clawed open my eyes. No sky. No river. Only black stone walls pressing in. I was in a cavern.
Sitting up, pain flared with every movement. My fingers brushed the dried stain on my tunic—my own blood. Grief crashed through me: father dead, village burned, everything gone. My jaw clenched, and I sat in stunned silence, letting sorrow and rage knot together.
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After what felt like an eternity, I hauled myself to my feet. My back, still sore from the wound, burned with every step. Light was nearly absent, but a faint, pulsing green glow drew me forward. I moved on instinct, as though the cavern itself guided me—no thought, only motion.
Ahead, a circular chamber bloomed with life: twisted vines, bioluminescent flowers, and streams winding around mossy rocks. At its center hovered an orb of green energy, ancient and humming with power.
“ A voice whispered inside my mind. I froze, hand inching toward the cavern floor. The air thrummed, and I stiffened for an attack that never came.
” The voice coaxed, gentle yet unyielding. My legs obeyed before my will could interfere.
Stepping into the green light, I saw him: a man–no, a dying warrior—bleeding onto the cavern’s floor. His eyes found mine as he whispered, “”
My heart thundered. I could pull back, refuse. But something in me—a hunger for revenge, a spark of destiny—urged me forward. I knelt, reached out, and our fingers touched. In that instant, pain and warmth flooded my veins.
“ the warrior rasped as his light dimmed. “
His form dissolved into emerald motes that swirled into me. Dizziness washed over me, vision blurring—but one truth burned clear: I was alive, transformed, and bound forever to this island’s fate.
