Page 90 of The Scars Within
“You said there was a plaque with some kind of scripture, right?” Laney chimed in. “Why don’t you write it down and bring it back? That way, we can all study it together. We’ll stand guard while you go.”
Her suggestion made sense, but I couldn’t shake the nagging frustration that I was the only one able to pass through.
Tatum dropped her pack, quickly handing me a quill, ink, and paper. I grabbed a torch from the sconce on the wall, feeling more prepared this time. And then, I stepped back into the unknown.
The air was just as cold and musky as before, the silence broken only by the occasional scurry of a rat. Critters didn’t bother me, but I silently prayed I wouldn’t stumble upon a snake. Those, I couldn’t handle.
I moved cautiously, only turning back once to glance at my friends on the other side of the barrier. They couldn’t see me, but their worry was plain on their faces, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I should’ve turned back.
But the pull of the unknown was too strong.
Reaching the plaque, I awkwardly balanced the torch between my elbow and side as I pressed the paper to the wall and scribbled down the inscription. Nothing new caught my eye as I studied the text, but the faint tug of something more profound in the passage gnawed at my curiosity.
I had planned to return immediately to show the others what I found. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a faint light glowing in the distance. Not just a torch or candle, but something... more.
Someone was back there—someone who might have answers.
I should’ve gone back and told my friends, but I couldn’t risk whoever—or whatever—was beyond that light slipping away before I could reach it. My curiosity overruled caution.
I moved forward, each step deliberate, trying to mask the sound of my footsteps. I knew the glow of my torch would eventually give me away, but for now, I embraced whatever stealth I could manage.
When I entered the circular room, my breath hitched. It was empty, but the light I’d seen wasn’t coming from a person. It was something far more unsettling.
The pedestal stood at the center, just as I remembered it, but now two runes etched into the corners were glowing. One emitted a soft, white light, while the other burned a fierce red. Their glow seeped into the center symbol, mixing together but not blending in color.
I hesitated, then reached out, tracing the glowing designs with my fingertips once again. The air around me hummed with magic as I felt its calling incredibly stronger than before.
And this time, I was ready to listen.
I tentatively grazed my finger over one of the unlit runes, curiosity overtaking caution once again. The moment my skin made contact, a vision exploded behind my eyes.
Suddenly, I wasn’t in the circular room anymore. I was back in the village—the same one I had seen when I tried to engage with Lakota’s bond. But this time, everything was sharper, more real. I was closer, as though I had stepped right into the scene, yet I had no control over my body.
It felt like I was watching through someone else’s eyes.
The host of the vision whipped their head to the left, the abrupt movement blurring and spinning everything around me. The dizzying sensation struck hard, pounding my head, and I instinctively jerked my hand away from the rune.
In an instant, I was back in the cold, dark room, the eerie silence settling around me once more. My heart hammered in my chest, and I stumbled back, struggling to shake off the lingering disorientation.
What...was that?
The risk should have been enough to scare me away, but it only deepened the pull I felt toward the magic humming in the room. With my heart pounding, I placed my hand over the final, unlit rune and closed my eyes.
The vision swept me away instantly.
I stood in front of the largest wolf I had ever seen. Its sheer size should’ve sent me running, but instead, I found myself reaching out to scratch behind its ears as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The wolf towered over me from the tip of its pointed ears to the ground, its midnight-black fur glistening in the low light.
But it wasn’t the size that held me captive—it was its eyes. Golden and familiar. Eyes I had seen before.
A surge of recognition hit me, but I didn’t let it tear me away from the vision this time. I held onto it, my left arm moving of its own accord, petting the massive creature. I saw my scar from the corner of my eye, so I knew it was myself standing in this imaginary vision.
Stepping back, I felt the vision slipping away, the ethereal pull loosening its grip. I returned to the cold room, my breath shallow, my mind racing. It wasn’t just a vision or a dream—I had been in that village before. I had met that wolf before.
I knew it deep in my bones. I felt that odd sense of familiarity when I spotted it in the forest. Now I understand why. But how was that possible? How could I know a creature that I had never met?
The questions circled like a storm, but one thing was clear—whatever this connection was, it wasn’t just for anybody. It was my own; seeing my scar proved that.
I hurried back to my friends and showed them the writing.
