Charter: Rewritten History

The streets became narrower, the streetlights became less frequent, and soon they found themselves in an old neighborhood full of sagging buildings. Elmar turned down a side alley and motioned for her to follow him.

They stopped in front of a door that seemed ordinary, unremarkable. But when Elmar touched it, faint glowing symbols appeared on the wood.

"Protection magic?" – Calcium watched as the symbols flared for a moment, then faded, allowing the door to open.

Inside was a small room filled with books, scrolls, and ancient artifacts. The smell of dust mingled with the aroma of wax and herbs.

Elmar walked further into the room, approached one of the cabinets and took out a bundle.

–Here. This is one of the texts that mentioned the Tattooists of History. –

Calcium sat down at the table, unfolded the parchment and began to read.

The words were written in an old language, but her tattoo suddenly glowed slightly, and the text seemed to become clear by itself.

"Fates are inscribed in stone, but there are those who can blur the engraving. They capture stories, but they can also change them. They are the guardians of time and the destroyers of truth. For he who writes his name on the tablet risks being erased from reality itself."

Calcium frowned: –The guardians of time... the destroyers of truth?

She looked up at Elmar. – This means that the Tattooists did not simply record stories. They could rule them.

Elmar nodded slowly: – Exactly. And if your power grows… then you are getting closer to what they could do.

Calcium ran her fingers over the tattoo.

"If I can change the past… then I can control the future too?"

The thought was too dangerous and too tempting. And perhaps that was why someone had already started hunting her.

Calcium felt her fingers tremble slightly as she ran her hand over the old parchment again. The symbols that had seemed incomprehensible a moment ago now formed meaningful words.

"So I really can not only write, but also change history?"

The thought caused a strange feeling. On the one hand, it was like the power of the gods, on the other, she felt anxiety growing deep in her soul.

Elmar, watching her, crossed his arms over his chest: –Now do you understand why this is not just a gift? Why did I call it a curse?

Calcium looked up at him.

–But this is… incredible. If I can change stories, I can change everything.

– Exactly. – He exhaled heavily. –And someone has already done it before you.

Calcium thought about it.

– If that's true, if history has already been rewritten... does that mean there are false events in the world? People who should have disappeared, but remained? Or vice versa - those who were remembered are no longer there?

Elmar was silent, but from his look she understood that she had hit the nail on the head.

"If I can find traces of these changes... then I can figure out who is doing this."

She looked at the tattoo again. Its mandala flickered, as if reacting to her thoughts.

–I need to try it. – She said firmly. – Create a tablet and see what changes.

Elmar frowned: –Are you sure you're ready? If you do this, you might... attract attention.

"They're already watching me anyway."

Calcium just chuckled: – If they want me not to know the truth, then I need to move forward.

She pulled out a blank tablet and placed it in front of her. Closing her eyes, she ran her fingers over its smooth surface. She felt how mana began to flow into the stone, forming symbols... History began to be born.

"Show me... traces of the changed past."

Words appeared on the tablet. They were vague, like shadows, but soon they became clearer, an invisible window of the system appeared in front of Calcium that only she could see, the system was able to translate the symbols.

"A city that no longer exists. A name erased from all books. An event that happened, but no one remembers it."

Calcium opened her eyes abruptly: –I need to go there.

Elmar looked worried, but did not argue: –Then I'm going there too, I don't know where. We're going after the ghosts of the past.

As soon as the words on the tablet took shape, something clicked inside Calcium. A warm wave ran through her body, and a translucent window appeared before her eyes.

[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]

Quest received: "Traces of an erased history"

Description: Find a place that has disappeared from all records. Find out what happened and who was behind it.

Reward: 300 gold, 20 experience points, improvement of the "Reading hidden texts" skill.

Penalty for failure: Loss of 10 mana points.

Calcium involuntarily held her breath.

"The system? It reacts to my actions? But why now?"

She glanced at Elmar, but he didn't react, meaning she was the only one who had seen the window.

–Is something wrong?– he asked, noticing her frozen expression.

Calcium blinked quickly, mentally trying to close the notification. The window obediently disappeared, leaving only a slight tingling in her fingertips.

–It's okay. –she replied. –It's just... this place. It could be dangerous.

Elmar grinned: –You're just starting to think about it now?

She shrugged.

"If the system gives rewards, then it has a purpose. But what is it?"

She glanced at the tablet. She had to move. If she wanted answers, she would have to take risks.

–Okay. –she said. –Let's go.

And at that moment, a new notification appeared:

[Quest activated]

Objective: reach the forgotten city.

Additional condition: do not get caught by the Shadows.

Calcium chuckled: "As if I have a choice."

Calcium stepped to the table and put the tablet in her bag. The magical symbol on her tattoo flickered slightly, as if responding to the activated task.

[New information discovered]

Location name: Ghost Town

Status: Erased from history

Recommendation: High danger level. Be careful.]

She gritted her teeth.

"The system gives advice, but for some reason it doesn't reveal the whole truth. Does that mean I can find out something it doesn't want to tell me?"

–Where exactly should we go?– she asked Elmar.

He walked over to the shelf, pulled out a yellowed map, and spread it out on the table.

–There used to be a city here called Lorden.

It suddenly disappeared about a hundred years ago, and now there are only ruins in its place. No one knows what happened, but all the archives about it have either been destroyed or distorted.

Calcium frowned: –How could it just disappear?

–I don't know. But if your power really is related to changing history, maybe you can find out.

She ran her finger over the map. Lorden was on the edge of the old lands, far from the major cities.

[Updated: The journey to Lorden will take 3 days.]

"Three days of travel… And I'll have to be careful."

–Then let's go.– she said, putting the map in her bag.

Elmar looked at her with slight doubt: –Are you absolutely sure?

–If I don't start looking for answers now, they may soon be gone. –She took a step towards the exit. A new notification immediately popped up in her head:

[Hidden quest activated!]

"Winds of Change"

Description: Find out the truth about an event erased from history.**

Reward: ???

Penalty: ???

Calcium gritted her teeth.

"The system is hiding something. And I'll find out what it is… And why are you suddenly so noisy!"

She stepped out the door, not even suspecting what secrets awaited her ahead.

// To be continued, like and save