Page 64 of The Scars Within
Ignoring that unsettling thought, I braced myself against the shelf, trying to understand what was happening before anyone caught me looking like a fool. My entire body gradually slipped through the books, vanishing into thin air. As my head passed through, I glimpsed the mysterious hallway to my left, and my body precariously balanced on one foot to my right. The approaching footsteps were the final nudge I needed to retreat into the dark space fully.
I stood at the threshold, facing the hall I had just come from but hesitant to cross the invisible line. Surely, the lit torch in my hand will catch someone’s attention if they happen to pass by.
Right?
The footsteps grew louder, accompanied by a throat clearing. Then, the sound of boots tapping across the stone floor echoed around the corner. It was Professor Scrivens, skipping down the hall with her armsoutstretched. She twirled gracefully on her toes, humming softly to herself as she danced past me without a care in the world.
I. Am. Jealous.
I returned to reveal what the plaque said, using the torch to illuminate it. Brushing off more dust, I carefully uncovered the engraved words. Leaning closer, I softly read them aloud to myself.
In the veiled echoes of Mareki’s grace,
When the past unfolds anew,
The truth will come face to face,
As scattered elements entwine in the few.
The splintered shards will become whole again,
Once the forgotten realm is due.
The key lies within the Crimson Wraith,
Whose flames will guide what shadows pursue.
“Hm,” I grunted, turning back into the dark passage and walking softly. The torches flickering light guided me about twenty feet into the hallway, where the only sounds were the crackling of the flame and the echo of my footsteps. The air grew colder, and I could see my breath fogging in front of me. After another ten feet, I reached a large, round archway that opened into a circular room.
I slowly entered the room. Goosebumps prickled on my skin, but I felt an odd pulling sensation forward. Like it was... calling to me. Dark stone walls swallowed the light from my torch, but the shadows weren’t dark enough to hide the sparkling reflections on the floor. I looked up to find the domed ceiling covered in what looked like obsidian crystals. Their glittering texture was projected across the room thanks to the light of my torch.
I could feel the cold floor through the soles of my boots. It was made of polished marble, with no imperfections that I could see. A seriesof torches remained unlit around the room. And in the center was an eerie pedestal crafted of a material that I couldn’t pinpoint.
The sensational calling was coming from the pedestal. I crept closer, and my torch lit a corner with a symbolic rune indented into the surface. I held my torch over another corner to reveal a different rune and walked around to reveal two more runes etched on the pedestal.
Holding the torch above the pedestal, I traced the indentations from the rune before me to the center, forming a complex pattern entwined with the other three runes.
I squinted through the dim light and noticed faint writing beneath the one closest to me. I leaned closer and let my fingers trail along the carving. Moving around the pedestal, I examined each rune in turn. All four bore the same markings, etched deep into the stone as if someone had carved them with a blade—deliberate, jagged strokes that hinted at urgency or perhaps something darker.
“Past unfolds anew”
“Scattered elements entwine”
“Become whole again”
“Crimson Wraith”
The air around me hummed with ancient, arcane energy so thick it was almost palpable. I gave into the calling and laid my hand flat on one of the runes. A subtle vibration pulsed through the floor beneath me, rushing up my legs and to my fingertips. A shiver snaked down my spine, and I jumped back. The moment I lifted my hand from the pedestal, the sensation vanished, leaving behind an eerie stillness as if the energy had never existed.
Officially spooked, I bolted back to the main hallway. As soon as I escaped the concealed corridor, I returned the torch to its sconce, only then realizing that my hands were trembling. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself.
This was turning out to be a weird-ass weekend.
Chapter 25
I spent the entire next day reading happily alone in my room. I snatched food from the cafeteria to hold me over and only took bathroom breaks. After the events of the past two days, I decided to escape into a fictional world and shut off my brain. Cadets will return soon, and I’m sure my roommates will be ready to share stories of their weekends away.
And since my fantasy novel isn’t exactly handing me pointers on how to deal with the Wylder brothers… I’m left to decipher my feelings for them all on my own.
