The Mysterious Intruder

As the sun sank below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of crimson and gold, I successfully infiltrated Marcus's confidential archives. The dim glow of the monitor cast eerie blue reflections across my face as I accessed Dene's personal collection, my fingers flying across the keyboard until I found what I sought—the Elf King's ancient manuscript.

The text on the screen shimmered unnaturally, the digital scan of stone tablets pulsing faintly as if still imbued with residual magic. I squinted, trying to make out the faded carvings that had survived centuries of erosion despite preservation spells. These records were at least several centuries old, preserved by special magic and scanned into digital documents, yet time had still eroded some of the characters beyond recognition.