The Road To Erythion

The first day passed without incident, the landscape shifting from rolling dunes to jagged cliffs and dry riverbeds. They spoke little, their focus on maintaining their pace and conserving their strength.

As night fell, they found shelter in a shallow cave, its entrance partially hidden by an overhang of rock. Alina built a small fire, its flickering light casting long shadows on the cave walls.

Elias stared into the flames, the harp’s melody faint but persistent in the back of his mind. He couldn’t help but feel it was guiding him—pulling him toward something he didn’t yet understand.

“Elias,” Alina said, breaking his reverie.

He looked up to find her watching him, her expression unreadable.

“You’ve been quiet all day,” she said. “What is on your mind?”

Elias hesitated. “The harp… It’s like it is alive. I can feel it, even now. It’s… it’s calling to me.”

Alina frowned. “That is not a good sign. If it has that kind of hold on you, then it is more dangerous than we thought.”

“I don’t think it’s trying to hurt me,” Elias said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s like it wants me to understand something. To remember.”

Alina studied him for a moment, then sighed. “Just don’t let it control you, Elias. That is how she used it—how she hurt so many people. We can’t let that happen again.”

Elias nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure he could keep that promise.

The second day brought new challenges. The path grew steeper, winding through rocky terrain that left their legs aching and their throats dry. The sun was merciless, and their water supply was dwindling faster than they had hoped.

By midday, they reached a narrow gorge, its walls towering high above them. Alina paused, scanning the cliffs with a wary eye.

“This is the fastest way to Erythion,” she said. “But it is also risky. Bandits use these paths, and the cliffs give them plenty of places to hide.”

Elias swallowed hard. “Do we have another option?”

“Not unless you want to add a day to our journey,” Alina replied. “And we don’t have the supplies for that.”

Elias nodded reluctantly. “Then let’s keep moving.”

The gorge was eerily quiet, the only sounds the crunch of their boots on the gravel path and the occasional call of a distant bird. Elias couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

His suspicions were confirmed when a sharp whistle echoed through the gorge.

Alina stopped in her tracks, her hand immediately going to her dagger. “Stay close,” she said, her voice tense.

Moments later, figures emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by scarves and hoods. There were six of them, each armed with crude but deadly weapons.

“Well, well,” the leader said, his voice muffled by his scarf. “What do we have here? Travelers, all alone in the big, bad desert.”

“We’re just passing through,” Alina said, her tone calm but firm. “We don’t want any trouble.”

The leader laughed. “Trouble? Oh, no, no, no. Trouble’s the last thing we want. Just hand over whatever valuables you’ve got, and we’ll let you go on your merry way.”

Elias glanced at Alina, his heart pounding. “We don’t have much,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

The leader tilted his head. “Oh, I think you’ve got more than you’re letting on. Word is, someone’s been poking around the old ruins. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Alina’s grip on her dagger tightened. “We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The leader’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so?” He motioned to his men, who began to close in.

Elias’s mind raced. The harp’s melody surged in his thoughts, a powerful, almost overwhelming crescendo. He felt its energy coursing through him, a strange mix of fear and exhilaration.

Without thinking, he raised his hand.

A pulse of energy erupted from his palm, sending a shockwave through the gorge. The bandits were thrown back, their weapons clattering to the ground.

Alina stared at him, wide-eyed. “What did you just do?”

“I… I don’t know,” Elias stammered, his hand trembling. “I didn’t mean to—”

The bandits scrambled to their feet, their expressions a mix of fear and fury.

“Get them!” the leader shouted.

Elias and Alina didn’t wait. They turned and ran, their footsteps echoing off the canyon walls.

By the time they emerged from the gorge, their breaths were ragged, and their muscles burned. They didn’t stop running until they were certain they were no longer being followed.

Elias collapsed to his knees, his chest heaving. “What was that?”

Alina knelt beside him, her expression a mixture of concern and anger. “That was the harp’s power. It’s inside you, Elias. And it’s dangerous.”

“I didn’t mean to use it,” Elias said, his voice shaky. “It just… happened.”

Alina placed a hand on his shoulder. “You need to control it, Elias. If you can’t, it’ll consume you. And if that happens…” She trailed off, her meaning clear.

Elias nodded, his resolve hardening. “I’ll control it. I have to.”

The city of Erythion rose like a mirage against the endless desert, its high walls and spires gleaming under the afternoon sun. Even from a distance, Elias could feel its pulse—a living, breathing entity teeming with the energy of countless lives. For a brief moment, he felt a pang of doubt. Would they find the answers they sought here? Or had they only stumbled into a new web of danger?

Alina’s voice broke his thoughts. “Stay close. Erythion’s not kind to strangers, and it’s worse for those who look like they’re hiding something.”

Elias nodded, adjusting the strap of his pack. His encounter with the harp’s power in the gorge weighed heavily on him, but now wasn’t the time to dwell.

As they approached the gates, the city’s size became overwhelming. The walls towered over them, carved with intricate reliefs of battles and triumphs long past. Two guards stood at the entrance, their spears crossed to bar the way.