Chapter 5 – Secrets in the Shadows

Finally, we reached the village, and Seraphine led us to a small inn. The fire inside was warm, and the room was a welcome relief after the cold rain and the tense encounter with the beast. The innkeeper, an older man with a grizzled beard, greeted us with a nod. "Rooms for two, I assume?" he asked.

"Yes," Seraphine replied curtly, handing over a few coins.

We were shown to a modest room with two beds, a small table, and a single window that overlooked the village square. The room was plain, but it offered a welcome respite from the cold and rain.

After we settled in, I sat at the edge of one of the beds, staring out the window. The village seemed peaceful, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing within me. There was so much I didn't understand—about my bloodline, about warlocks, about the power I had yet to learn to control.

Seraphine sat at the small table, her eyes watching me. "You've been quiet," she said, her tone softer now, as if she could sense my inner turmoil. "Thinking about your future?"

I nodded slowly, unsure of where to start. "I don't know what to do with all of this... power," I said, my voice betraying the uncertainty I felt. "The mark, the bloodline... I don't even know who I am anymore."

Seraphine's gaze softened, though it remained hard with the knowledge of what I was about to face. "I understand more than you think," she said, leaning back in her chair. "I've walked this path before. In a way, we're not so different."

Her words caught my attention. "What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

Seraphine was quiet for a moment, her eyes distant as if recalling something painful. Finally, she spoke. "I wasn't always like this, Kalen. I wasn't always a warlock. I was born into a different life—a life I thought I would never leave behind."

I leaned forward, intrigued despite myself. "What happened?"

She hesitated, then stood, walking to the window where the rain continued to fall outside. "I was the daughter of a well-respected family of mages, far removed from the politics and bloodshed of warlocks. But everything changed when the war began. The Council of Shadows came for my family, looking for recruits. They wanted the most talented of us to join their ranks, to use our power to further their control."

She paused, her voice tight. "My parents... they resisted. But in the end, it wasn't enough. I watched as they were taken from me, one by one. The Council doesn't care about loyalty or love—they care only for power."

I sat in stunned silence, not sure what to say. Seraphine had never shown any sign of weakness, but the story she was telling painted a different picture of her past—a past filled with pain, loss, and betrayal. 

 The warmth of the fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls of the inn room. The storm outside hadn't let up, but inside, the atmosphere was oddly calm, the tension between Seraphine and me now replaced with a quiet understanding. I had been lost in my thoughts for a long time, my mind racing with the recent events—the mark on my hand, the beast, and the reality of the powers awakening within me.

Seraphine sat across the room, sharpening a dagger with a methodical precision. Her movements were fluid, almost graceful, and her gaze remained focused on the task at hand. For a moment, she looked like any other warrior preparing for a battle—no sign of the sorrows or past she had shared with me earlier. She had built a wall around her emotions, something I envied.

The firelight danced in her eyes, and I found myself wondering again how she could be so composed. The battle against the Twisted Beast had been a testament to her skill, but it had also left me with many questions.

"You've been quiet again," Seraphine remarked, breaking my train of thought.

I shifted in my seat, my gaze drifting to the fire. "I can't stop thinking about the beast... and what you said. About the Council of Shadows and your past."

Seraphine didn't look up from her dagger, but the tension in the room seemed to thicken. "It's not a story I like to tell. The past is behind me, Kalen. What matters now is the road ahead."

I nodded slowly, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't getting the full picture. There was more to Seraphine's past—more than what she was letting on. She had shared just enough to pique my curiosity, but not enough for me to fully understand her. And something told me that understanding her might help me understand myself as well.

Seraphine finally set the dagger down and stood, walking toward the window. She gazed out into the storm, her silhouette outlined by the faint glow of distant lanterns. For a moment, she said nothing, and the quiet stretched between us like a living thing.

"I know what you're thinking," she said at last, her voice low. "You want to know more about me, about my past. But some things are better left unsaid, Kalen."

I opened my mouth to argue, to ask why, but she raised a hand to silence me. "Not everything needs to be shared. There are things I did—things that shaped me into the person I am now. But they don't concern you."

Her words stung more than I expected. It was clear that she had buried her past deep inside, and there was no way to pry it out. Still, the sense of mystery surrounding her made her all the more intriguing. I had to remind myself that she wasn't here to be my friend or confidant. She was my mentor, and that was all.

Seraphine turned back to me, her eyes sharp. "Your bloodline, Kalen. That's what matters."

I straightened, my heart skipping a beat at the mention of my bloodline. "I don't know if I'm ready for this. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with this power."

"You don't need to be ready," she replied coldly. "This isn't a choice you get to make. The bloodline has chosen you. You don't have the luxury of doubt. Not anymore."

Her words hit me like a cold wind, and I felt my stomach twist in anxiety. The burden of being the son of Zeroth that carried bloodline that is powerful was something I couldn't escape, no matter how much I wanted to. The mark on my hand burned faintly, as though it, too, was reminding me of the power coursing through my veins.

"We'll leave at first light," Seraphine continued, her voice steady. "We have a long way to go before we reach the Vale of Echoes. There, you'll learn what you need to know. It's the only place where you can begin to understand your true power."

I nodded, though the idea of being even further from the familiar world I once knew unsettled me. I wanted to protest, to say that I wasn't ready for this journey, but something in Seraphine's tone told me that such things didn't matter. She had already decided.

The night passed quietly, the sound of the rain beating against the windows lulling me into a restless sleep. Dreams haunted me, filled with twisted visions of magic and shadows, of power I could not control. The mark on my hand pulsed with each beat of my heart, and I awoke in the morning with a sense of unease that clung to me like a heavy cloak.

At dawn, we made our way to the village stable, where Seraphine negotiated with the stablemaster for two strong horses. I could sense the village was still recovering from the storm, and the streets were quiet. There was an air of unease lingering in the village, as if the people were holding their breath, afraid of the next storm, the next danger. The stablemaster, an old man with a thick white beard and a gruff demeanor, seemed reluctant at first but agreed once Seraphine offered him a generous amount of coin.

The horses were sturdy, well-fed, and prepared for the long journey ahead. 

We set off just as the first rays of the sun broke through the clouds. The storm had finally passed, but the land was still wet, the air crisp. Our destination lay far ahead, and the journey would take several days. It felt like an eternity stretched before me, and yet, there was no turning back.

The road to the Vale was treacherous, winding through dense forests, across crumbling bridges, and up steep hills that seemed to rise endlessly. Along the way, we encountered more beasts—twisted creatures born from dark magic that lurked in the wilderness. Each battle was a test of my growing abilities, and with every victory, I could feel the mark on my hand growing stronger, feeding on the magic I wielded.

But Seraphine was always there, her presence a constant source of guidance. She showed me how to channel the power within me, how to focus my energy and shape it into something tangible. There were moments when I felt as though I might lose control, but Seraphine's calm was a steadying force.

We rode through the days and nights, the world around us a blur of trees, mountains, and rivers. The journey was long and exhausting, but it was the only path I had left.

And as the days passed, the questions began to stack up. What awaited us at the Vale? What would I learn there? And most pressing of all, what was I becoming?