The Path of the Forgotten A Legacy Unraveled

The chamber's air had changed—thicker, charged with something unseen. Liam felt it coil around him, like invisible threads tightening, weaving something deeper into his very being.

The lead Wayfarer—who had yet to give their name—watched him with calculating eyes. "You've made a choice few would dare to."

Liam's jaw tightened. "I made the only choice that made sense."

The Wayfarer's lips curled in something resembling a smirk. "Practical. I can respect that." They gestured toward the dimly lit path behind them. "Come."

Liam cast a glance at Iris and Ileana. Neither looked happy, but neither objected. They knew this was necessary.

Vance, however, looked outright amused. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

Ignoring them, Liam stepped forward, following the Wayfarers deeper into the underground sanctum.

The stone walls bore markings—old, unfamiliar. Some looked like inscriptions, others like sketches of structures too grand, too impossible for mortal hands.

Liam's fingers twitched as he passed one. It called to him.

As if the ink within him recognized something.

He exhaled, forcing himself to focus. Answers first. Then questions.

The Echoes of the First Architect

The tunnel widened into another chamber—this one vast, lined with stone pillars that disappeared into darkness above. At the center stood a massive circular platform, its surface etched with elaborate sigils.

The Wayfarers took their positions around it. The lead figure turned to face Liam.

"What do you know of the First Architect?"

Liam frowned. "Not much. Only fragments."

The Wayfarer nodded as if expecting that. "Few do. History would have you believe they were nothing more than myths. That the Architects were simply a forgotten sect of scholars or builders." Their voice lowered.

"But that is a lie."

A pulse rippled through the chamber.

Liam stiffened as his veins burned for a brief moment—as if reacting to the words.

The Wayfarer continued. "The First Architect did not simply create structures. They created the very laws upon which reality was built." Their gloved hand traced the sigils on the platform's surface.

"Everything—the world's balance, the limitations of power, the boundaries between life and death… The First Architect laid the foundation for it all."

Liam's breath hitched.

That… that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

Iris crossed her arms. "And yet, no one remembers."

"Because someone ensured they wouldn't."

The room fell into silence.

Liam exhaled slowly. "The Tyrant of Null."

The Wayfarer's gaze snapped to him, sharp and unreadable. "…So you've heard the name."

Liam nodded. He didn't fully understand what the Tyrant was, only that they had opposed the First Architect. That they had sought to erase what had been created.

And yet… something didn't add up.

He took a step closer. "What happened to them?"

A pause. Then—

"No one knows."

The Wayfarer's voice was even, but Liam could sense the weight behind those words.

Vance let out a low whistle. "Now that's unsettling."

The Wayfarer nodded. "The Tyrant vanished. But their influence never truly faded." They gestured to Liam. "Your very existence proves that."

Liam tensed. "What do you mean?"

Another Wayfarer spoke this time—a woman, her voice calm but firm. "The power within you should not exist. Not anymore. If the First Architect's legacy was truly erased… then there should be nothing left."

Ileana's grip on her bow tightened. "But there is."

The lead Wayfarer inclined their head. "Exactly."

Liam swallowed. He was an anomaly.

Not just because of his abilities.

But because his very existence challenged the natural order.

For the first time, the weight of it truly sank in.

The world wasn't just hunting him because of his bounty.

It was hunting him because he was proof that something long buried was trying to return.

And the ones who buried it… would not let it resurface without a fight.

A Trial of Understanding

The Wayfarers finally stepped aside, revealing the platform fully. Its markings glowed faintly, as if recognizing his presence.

The lead figure gestured to it. "Step forward."

Liam hesitated. "What is this?"

"A test." The Wayfarer's voice was unreadable. "You want answers? Then prove you are worthy of them."

Liam glanced at Iris and Ileana. Neither looked pleased, but they didn't stop him. This was his path to walk.

Exhaling, Liam stepped onto the platform.

The moment his foot touched the stone—

The world shifted.

His breath caught as the chamber faded—no, it peeled away like ink dissolving in water.

And then—

He was somewhere else.

The sky above him was a vast, swirling canvas of black and gold. Structures loomed in the distance, impossibly large, shifting as if they were still being drawn. The ground beneath him wasn't solid—it was ink, shifting, alive.

A voice echoed through the space. Not spoken. Not heard.

Felt.

"What will you create?"

Liam's heart pounded. His fingers twitched, the ink inside him reacting to the presence around him.

This place…

It wasn't just an illusion.

It was a memory.

A remnant of the First Architect's domain.

And now, it was his to understand.

The test had begun.

To Be Continued…