Chapter 32 - The Ones Who Remember

Ren had been waiting for nearly an hour. The sun outside shifted, casting longer shadows across the stone walls of the guild hall.

Finally, the door to the upstairs office opened.

Guild Master stepped out, scanned the hall, then spotted Ren below. He gave a sharp nod and beckoned with a hand.

Ren glanced around, pointing to himself. Me?

Garran nodded again.

Ren climbed the stairs.

Inside the office, the woman from earlier. The S-rank, was seated near the window, arms loosely crossed, posture relaxed but aware.

She looked up as Ren entered.

"We meet again," she said, voice cool but not unfriendly.

Ren gave a short nod. "Ah… yeah, faster than I thought."

She tilted her head slightly. "Didn't know you were on good terms with the Guild Master."

Ren shrugged. "Just happened to work out that way."

She offered a small smile. "I'm Seraphyne. You can call me Sera. I'm an adventurer here too. Technically."

"Ren," he replied simply, offering his name in return.

Garran closed the door behind him and took his seat. "You asked to meet someone with high-level magical knowledge. Now you have."

Ren glanced between them. "She's the one?"

Sera raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed?"

"No," Ren replied. "Just they said you're quiet and cold. Anyway…"

That drew a small laugh from Garran.

Ren reached into his satchel and carefully laid a cloth-wrapped object on the table.

"I found this near the mountain ridge, not far from the site I mentioned to the Trade Union." He unfolded the cloth, revealing a curved metallic piece with etched runes and an embedded shard that shimmered faintly with internal light.

Sera leaned in to study the relic as Ren unwrapped it, her expression shifting from mild interest to sharp focus.

The embedded shard shimmered again, this time brighter. Reacting faintly to her presence.

"This isn't just an artifact," she murmured. "It's still charged. Whatever it was part of, it's not fully dead."

Ren watched her closely. "So it works?"

"Partially," she said, brushing her fingers just above the surface. "The matrix is holding. Stabilized runes, layered weaves. This would take months to replicate from scratch, if it could even be done."

"Then it's worth more than I thought."

"It's very rare, and maybe useful."

There was a pause. Sera looked up, meeting his eyes. "Are you planning to keep it?"

Ren leaned back slightly, thoughtful.

"I could trade it. I could sell it. But I don't think either of us wants that."

She didn't speak, but her interest sharpened.

Ren continued. "You know how to use it. I don't. But I know where I found it. I know there's more."

He tapped the table gently, fingers resting near the relic.

"You want it? Help me find the rest. Work with me. Not just for this trip, but beyond it. Full cooperation. Resources. Guidance. Information? I have a way to find it."

"And in return?" she asked, cautiously.

 "You get access to everything we uncover. And this," Ren smiled faintly. "Stays with us. As a start."

Garran, still seated behind the desk, let out a low chuckle. "Careful, Sera. He negotiates like a merchant. And a clever one."

Sera looked at the relic again, then back to Ren. Her smile was different now, measured, maybe impressed.

"Deal," she said quietly. "But I hold onto it. Just for safekeeping."

Ren nodded. "As long as you don't run."

She grinned. "I don't run. I walk into danger and ask it for directions."

***

Later that afternoon…

The sun had already begun its descent by the time the small team reached the ridge.

Dust kicked up behind their wagon as it creaked to a stop near the marked perimeter.

Three Trade Union workers stepped out, unloading tools, crates, and tents with practiced efficiency.

Ren stood near the edge of a slope, looking down toward the exposed stone layer that led to the underground chamber.

Sera stood beside him, her coat caught in the wind, eyes scanning the horizon.

The site was quiet. Too quiet. Just as he left it.

"This is it," Ren said. "Where I found the shard."

"Feels… dormant," Sera murmured, eyes narrowing slightly. "But not dead. Something's pulsing beneath."

Union had granted them two guards and a logistics clerk, who now began setting up the camp.

Ren gave them a rough layout of where not to dig, just enough to keep them busy but not so much that they'd find the wrong thing too fast.

"You're not staying here?" one of the guards asked.

Ren shook his head. "I've got something else to check nearby. We'll be back after, you can explore here and I'll detect the rock you'll find later."

He turned to Sera. "You still up for seeing things?"

She smirked. "I didn't come all this way to babysit miners. Let's move."

They hiked a short path off the ridge, deeper into the hills. The terrain became more jagged. Sharper, older.

Ren led the way, guided not by visible markers, but by memory and instinct.

Soon, they reached it. The marked place, the broken branches is still there.

He said, "There's something, below here."

"How do you know?"

"This map tells me. Just forget it, you can't see it anyway."

"A map?" she murmured, "Interesting, let's see that later."

"You said something?" Ren asked.

"No, just fasten your move. I'm curious about the place you found the relic."

Not take to long to reached the place.

A narrow crevice between two cliffs. Barely visible unless you were looking for it.

Ren ducked inside first. The narrow stone passage gave way to a hollow, natural chamber.

Cool air drifted through cracks in the ceiling. Moss had crept up the walls. And there, at the back. Stood the mural.

Still untouched.

Sera stepped beside him and exhaled slowly. she stepped closer, her glowing fingertip casting soft light over the ancient wall.

The mural stretched wider than Sera expected, carved deep into the stone, its lines worn but still intact.

It depicted faceless figures, each surrounded by elemental forms frozen in motion.

One stood with arms outstretched, wind swirling in waves behind them.

Another raised a hammer, jagged bolts of lightning erupting from the sky.

A third crouched low, the ground rising like wall around them.

Sera's voice dropped to a whisper. "Fire… storm… earth. These aren't just symbols. These are… elements."

She stepped sideways, following the arc of the wall with her hand.

"They're not spells. They're forces. Raw. Before any modern magic."

Then she stopped, pointing toward a fourth figure. This one more detailed than the others. A warrior cloaked in fire, wielding sword ablaze.

"This one," she said. "He's in the history of this kingdom. A prince who unified the early tribes. The Flameborn. Someone even drew his face once. It was in the old capital ruins."

Ren said nothing. He just watched her, eyes unreadable.

She turned to him. "You've seen this before?"

"Not before this one."

"You understood it?"

"Not really," Ren said. "I have a theory, something about the origin of magic. But I can't prove it. That's why I needed someone like you."

She crossed her arms. "How did you find this place? And what kind of origin are we talking about?"

Ren pulled out the map from his satchel, held it in both hands without unfolding it.

"The same as before," he said. "This map. It shows me. Not just places. Connections. Hidden things. Patterns."

Then he looked her in the eyes. "I'm willing to share what I've found. But you'll have to come with me. It's a long road to get the answer. And most of my thoughts aren't proven yet."

Sera's gaze sharpened. "That's fine. I like long roads. And I've got a few acquaintances who are obsessed with this kind of thing."

Ren gave a faint smile. "Then we end this here for today. After this, help me with the mine. And then… we go into the Wasteland. Together. Maybe the answers are buried deeper."

Sera stepped forward, and then, to his surprise, she raised her hand, palm turned upward, and spoke with quiet formality.

"I am Seraphyne Valeharn, Stormmarked of the Seventh Circle, bearer of the sigil flame. In the name of old magic and true curiosity, I swear to follow this thread beside you. Until the path ends, or the truth is found, you will have my shield and spell."

She lowered her hand and gave him a half-smile. "That's the mage's way of saying I'm in."

Ren blinked. "That's... official."

"It is," she said. "So don't waste it. Besides, I have a feeling the real adventure starts when I walk with you. That's why I'm here."