A Key in the Darkness

The moment Elias took the scroll into his hands, the world around him seemed to contract. The hooded figures, the flickering lantern, even the vast, unknowable space beyond the altar—all of it blurred, as if retreating from his awareness. The weight of the parchment was heavier than it should have been, like it carried something more than mere words.

A whisper brushed against the edges of his mind.

"Read."

He hesitated for only a moment before unrolling the scroll. The ink shimmered, shifting between silver and black, forming symbols that pulsed with an eerie life. The language was old, foreign, yet as he focused, the meaning unraveled before him.

"Beyond the veil, where the echoes of forgotten voices linger, lies the key. Seek the door beneath the hollow watchman. The path is sealed, but the shadowed hand may guide the way."

Elias's breath steadied. Another cryptic clue, another test. But there was a pattern—he could feel it.

Leira leaned closer, her eyes sharp with curiosity. "The hollow watchman… That could refer to the abandoned clocktower near the east ward."

Elias nodded. The old district had long been a place of neglect and mystery, its ruined structures holding stories few dared to uncover.

The silver-marked figure across from him tilted their head slightly, as if acknowledging his thoughts.

"Time moves forward, yet some paths remain hidden until one dares to tread them."

The other hooded figures murmured in agreement. The air grew heavier, thick with unspoken meaning.

Elias exhaled and stood. "Then I will find this door."

The lantern overhead flared one last time, and in an instant, the world shifted again.

Elias staggered as his boots met solid ground. The cold night air of Valesh replaced the suffocating presence of the gathering. He and Leira now stood in a narrow alleyway, just outside the old district's crumbling perimeter. The distant hum of the city was barely audible here, swallowed by the weight of the past.

Leira adjusted her coat. "If this is leading us to the clocktower, we should move quickly. I don't like lingering in this part of the city at night."

Elias glanced around, his grip tightening around the scroll. "Then let's not waste time."

The two moved forward, their footsteps swallowed by the fog that slithered through the streets. Ahead, the silhouette of the abandoned clocktower loomed against the clouded sky, its broken hands frozen at a meaningless hour.

And beneath it, buried in the shadows, something waited.

To Be Continued…