~ unknown location ~

  [The Year 8616 in the current Age]

  THE HOLE in the wall eerily greeted Eljas.

  His mind was in turmoil as he couldn’t comprehend how the already hopeless situation had turned now even worse. For it couldn’t be an improvement, in his opinion, that after two days of being imprisoned this sudden change of circumstances came to be.

  The man-sized hole appeared way to conveniently he thought - and the vial resting in-between them rose a whole other bunch of questions. Where did it come from and why…?

  The clamour had vanished the moment the door fully revealed itself, leaving the chamber steeped in an oppressive silence that seemed to press in on Eljas from all sides. The once-ambient dripping of water from the ceiling now echoed with unsettling clarity - each drop like the ticking of some unseen clock, counting down to the next tribulation lying in wait.

  Focusing on the ominous vial resting on the stone floor, he approached it slowly, his movements laced with a healthy dose of apprehension. He guardedly crossed the distance and stepped next to the it, always keeping the opening in the wall under careful scrutiny. Squatting down, he closely examined the object. The vial hadn’t changed, a dull glow still emanating from the liquid that was contained inside.

  He knew that a decision had to be made and a risk taken. He had a guess what the vial contained, however, the chances that it truly was such an elixir should be astronomically slim in such a place and would lead to even more questions if proven true.

  Eljas carefully extended his left arm and apprehensively closed his hand around the vials neck, but no response was triggered. Eljas continued holding the vial at arms length, waiting for something to happen, however, it really appeared to be a common elixir vial.

  He stood up again and carefully turned the vial over in his hands. A small label on the previously hidden side caught his attention at once, and Eljas furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he tried to decipher the unfamiliar language written on it. However, he had never really paid attention to his language classes at school - he deeply started regretting the fact now. Eljas couldn’t read it, nor could he place the language geographically based on its calligraphy. The only thing that he recognised was the symbol scribed in the middle of the label - an inverted triangle placed into a circle, the symbol for everything that had to do with the magical art of healing.

  Eljas let out a pent up breath he had unconsciously held since he had grabbed the vial from the stone floor. A vial containing a healing elixir inside, how unlikely as it might be in his opinion, was a marvellous boon.

  Nevertheless, an inner conflict now raged within him. His thirst for this sudden, miraculous gift - the solution to his dire predicament - was overwhelming. Yet, his paranoia screamed at the too-convenient appearance of such an expensive elixir. The liquid's glow did nothing to ease his doubts; instead, it mesmerised him, keeping his gaze fixed on the vial.

  The struggle overcame everything and he began to sweat slightly, making him shiver in the light breeze that had risen after the opening had appeared.

  Suddenly, the pressing silence around him was interrupted by terrified shouting from afar, followed shortly by a blood-curdling scream echoing through the opening and washing over him. A cold feeling of dread slithered down his neck, and he looked with wide, terror-filled eyes towards the darkness that laid behind the opening. This, combined with the numb sensation in his arm steadily getting more noticeable, resolved his inner struggle. Without flinching, and with trembling hands, he uncorked the vial and drank its contents in one go.

  The liquid burned like fire down his throat, nothing like the sweet salvation he had unconsciously expected. Eljas gagged slightly but forced himself to keep it down, his eyes watering as the glow from the vial seemed to ignite within him, spreading everywhere in his body like it had its own consciousness. The feeling quickly seemed to notice his injury and his shoulder flared up with agonising intensity, a white-hot lance of pain shooting through the numbness, before suddenly vanishing.

  His breath hitched, and he nearly fell to the cold stone floor. Though he caught himself just in time, his breath ragged, sweat clinging to his brow.

  The trembling in his hand slowed, then ceased entirely. He flexed his fingers in disbelief, watching as a healthy colouring slowly returned to his skin, the swelling visibly lessening and ssensation returning to his numb arm in waves.

  But the scream - that terrible scream - still echoed faintly in his ears. His eyes returned to the now-gaping doorway. The darkness beyond seemed heavier, full of terrors and animosity.

  A premonition gradually settled in his mind - whatever had delivered this miraculous gift had not done so for free.

  Eljas warily peeked out of the opening, his hands gripping each side of the opening to push himself away in a moments notice if needed. Beforehand, he had felt the smooth edges of the opening. Surfaces so smooth only came to be after thousands of years under running water he had learned, and this wasn’t the case here. They were too smooth for anything natural and an excited, yet, nervous feeling coursed through his being - the only other reason for such changes could only be found in the realm of magic.

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  As a boy he had always wanted to witness the effects and wonders magic produced. In his hometown Eresford, however, only a few elders had any history with magic, but had stopped practicing it a long time ago. Instead, they spoke about it on festivities and town gatherings - children listening to the stories with wide eyes and bated breaths.

  The last time a mage had passed through the town was before Eljas had even been born. Sightings of gifted individuals were more common in other parts of the Merchant Empire, though they were usually limited to the upper echelons of the many guilds, the nobility, and the like. The majority of the population - mostly in larger cities and towns - caught only rare glimpses of these powerhouses, and even then only on irregular occasions.

  The Merchant Empire was not founded upon magic at its core, but rather on the talent and sweat of the many inhabitants that called this part of the world their home. Some products of gifted artisans could be encountered throughout the empire, however, they were few and spread all over the continent. Though, the more you closed in on the centre of The Shattered Lands the more encounters with individuals and strongholds of the Gifted Society occurred - there, in-between the fragments of a long lost continent, awaited adventure and treasure, after all.

  Nonetheless, the mysticism of the gifted society and the stories heard from the elders on summer evenings had only deepened Eljas’s desire of setting out on his own and looking for said adventures.

  And now, he was in this dreadful place - not able to recount how he had even gotten here in the first place. The memories were still fuzzy, but were gradually returning to him - at least he hoped. He remained standing in the opening, wary and still as a mouse, trying to recognise something in the darkness that stretched away from him on both sides. Eljas shivered, the cold from the wall’s surface slowly seeping into his hands. The abrupt growling of his stomach made him jump in fright, the sound impossibly loud within the stillness of his surroundings.

  He reckoned it had been at least three days since he last ate something - his stomach growled constantly now, and sharp pangs of hunger struck him once in a while. He knew he had to take action soon; without clean water, this ordeal would soon turn into a nightmare. To slow the descent, he had resorted to sucking the small amounts of water that collected in shallow hollows on the floor. The elixir of healing had helped a lot, though, he continued to put off any thoughts regarding the implications the vial caused.

  His mind made up and the mission for food and water firmly set, Eljas slowly stepped through the opening, leaving his barren chamber behind for the first time - one that, all of a sudden, started to feel familiar and almost welcoming.

  He stepped out of the reassuring confines of the opening and into the space in front of it. The stone floor looked to be the same and the immediate area around it was dimly illuminated by the scarce light that emanated out of the chamber. However, the light didn’t reach anything solid on the other side, instead getting lost in the looming darkness. Eljas squinted his eyes, trying to see anything at all but the small amounts of light prevented his eyes to adapt to the new environment.

  ?Best to stay close to the wall, keeping my back protected…‘ he thought and quickly retreated next to the opening. He stretched his right arm backwards until his fingers grazed the wall again and he was able to use them to guide himself further into the shadows. He proceeded with caution until he got swallowed by the darkness, and then some more.

  He turned his head and looked back towards the dim ray of light emerging out of the door to his chamber.

  ?This should be enough‘.

  Eljas repositioned himself and began staring into nothingness.

  Time passes slowly when surrounded by darkness - or rather, you lose any point of reference to track its passage. Eljas had tried using his breaths as a measure. Though promising at first, he soon lost count; even the slightest noise in the dark was enough to steal away his attention.

  Gradually, the outlines of a much larger circular chamber that had to be at least three times the size of his familiar prison were revealed - his eyes continuing to trace its outer walls. He gasped in surprise when he recognised something leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the circular hall. Did it resemble a person or was that only his imagination playing tricks on him?

  ?H-hel-lo?“ he tentatively called out - his voice eerily echoing in the hall. But no response was forthcoming.

  In that moment, Eljas decided to be brave - to have no fear of the unknown and to try to overcome the situation he was placed in. Like the heroes and mages of this world, he would face any obstacle and he would finally be the main character of an adventure.

  He squared his shoulder and followed the curvature of the hall, always watching the slumped form on the other side.

  When he was only ten paces away, he stopped and observed his surroundings once again. The opening to his chamber, on the other side, shone like a star on a night sky. Refocusing on his purpose, he began noticing more details. The slumped individual, for it surely had to be a person based on its outline, still hadn’t moved at all. Now, only a stone throw away he retried his earlier attempt and tried to evoke a reaction.

  ?Can you hear me?“ He called, taking note of the noise he involuntarily was causing. But again, he received no response and the silence stretched on for an eternity. When he couldn’t keep still anymore - his nerves frayed from the tension - he slowly stepped forth and closed in on the sleeping person. Standing over them, he recognised a traveler’s cloak the wearer had protectively thrown over and he couldn’t help but envy the equipment they displayed.

  Trying not to cause any violent reaction, he cautiously extended his arm while leaning somewhat towards them.

  Intending to gently shake the figure awake, Eljas reached for their shoulder - only to gasp in surprise when he was met with no resistance and the cloak suddenly gave way. The entire form crumpled inward with a clatter, kicking up a cloud of dust. Eljas, already fully overextended, jerked in surprise making him fall onto the body.

  The dust invaded his nose, making him cough violently as he spat out curses between fits. Flailing to free himself from the mess, he subconsciously pushed aside several hard objects scattered around him. But the next curse caught in his throat the moment he found himself staring into a pair of hollow eye sockets. A jawless skull lay on the stone floor before him, its remaining splintered upper teeth locked in a ghastly grimace.

  Eljas’s terrified cry resounded everywhere in the hall and adjacent chamber, the echoes overlapping in a cacophony of terror - only to escape through an oculus in the middle of the hall’s ceiling.