The seal of oblivion

Kai was carefully examining the ancient altar. The ruins looked abandoned for many years, but there was something strange about these stones, as if the earth itself remembered the tragedies that unfolded here a long time ago. The altar radiated a faint, barely perceptible glow, as if a forgotten fire was smoldering from within. There was a tension in the air, as if something important was about to happen.

"What is this place?" He muttered to himself, running his fingers over the worn symbols. Their meaning eluded him, but his intuition told him that they were connected with something ancient and dangerous.

A shadow tied to a nearby pillar snorted anxiously, shuffling its feet. Kai turned sharply, peering into the gloom around, but noticed only the movement of leaves in the wind. Or was it something else?

"Calm down, girl," he said softly, trying to calm not only the mare, but also himself.

It seemed that the forest had become alive. Every branch, every rustle, every faint sigh of the wind suggested that someone or something was watching him from the darkness. The shadows between the pillars swayed unnaturally, as if they were drawn to the altar.

He looked back at the altar and couldn't get rid of the feeling that this place was calling him, like an echo of an old memory that couldn't be fully remembered. Another whisper came from behind him, soft and lingering, as if the wind were whispering his name.

"Kai..."

He shuddered and gripped the hilt of his sword. But when he turned around, there was no one behind him. Only a shimmering mist spread over the ground, covering everything around.

"Damn it," he swore under his breath.

A sudden sound broke the silence. A branch snapped loudly somewhere very close. He abruptly drew his sword and stepped aside, trying to take a position from where he could control all exits from the ruins. At that moment, the Shadow lunged, snorting and twitching, trying to free itself from the rope.

"Hush, Shadow!" he commanded, feeling goosebumps running down his back.

But the mare did not obey — her instincts told her that they were in danger. She kicked at the rocks until she finally broke the knot and broke free. Kai tried to hold her back, but the Shadow had already disappeared into the fog, like a spirit disappearing into the night.

"Fuck!" — he whispered and wanted to rush after her, but then something appeared in front of him, which made his feet seem rooted to the ground.

A man stepped out of the shadows—or rather, what could once have been a man. A tall figure in a gray raincoat, and under the hood, his eyes glittered empty, like a dead man's. His face was pale, haggard, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in ages. Steam was escaping from his mouth, as if he had just emerged from icy water.

"You made a choice," he said, and his voice sounded as if it was not one person speaking, but several at once.

Kai took a step back, clutching his sword. "Who are you?"

The figure took another step forward, and there was an inhuman lightness in its movements. "Someone who knows what you're looking for. But the answer will cost you more than you're willing to give."

Kai squinted, trying to figure out what kind of creature was in front of him. It didn't look hostile, but it gave off some kind of creepy aura, as if **** itself was walking nearby.

"Give me the sword," the stranger's demanding voice rang out, and for a moment the air around thickened, as if before a thunderstorm.

Kai only tightened his grip on the hilt. The figure froze in place, and the silence between them became unbearably heavy.

"This sword did not belong to you, but to someone who fell for the truth. But even the dead have debts that the living must pay."

Kai felt his heart beat faster. "My father... Are you talking about him?"

Instead of answering, the figure raised his hand, and suddenly Kai saw in front of him fragmentary images — scenes from the past that flashed before his eyes, as if in a delirium. In one of them, he saw his father kneeling in front of the king, and then a glowing blade falling into the mud. In another picture, the father hands that very sword to someone in a cloak, with an expression full of despair and determination.

"He knew that the price of truth was high," the stranger said, stepping back as if sinking back into the shadows. "And now this debt is yours."

Kai was breathing heavily, stunned by the vision. His hands trembled slightly, but he clenched his teeth and raised his sword, resolutely looking at the figure. "I will find out the truth. Whatever the price is."

The figure froze, as if assessing him, and then nodded like a teacher satisfied with a student's determination. "Very soon you will realize that every answer only multiplies the questions."

And with these words, the stranger disappeared into the shadows, as if he had never existed.

Kai was left alone, standing among the ruins, under an angry sky and howling wind. He stared in the direction the stranger had disappeared for a long time before lowering his sword. It felt as if he had just crossed an invisible boundary beyond which there was no way back.

He looked back at the ruins, feeling that this place held even more secrets than he had expected. And then he remembered the Shadow.

"Fuck," he cursed softly and ran in the direction the mare had sped off.

The forest greeted him with a cold, heavy silence. But somewhere in the depths of the branches he heard a familiar snort. The shadow was nearby.

He sped up, breaking through the fog, and finally saw his mare: she was standing at the cliff, looking down as if she was looking at something.

"What is it, girl?" Kai whispered, cautiously approaching her and stroking her neck.

When he looked down, his heart stopped. Below, among the overgrown rocks, there was an old, dilapidated staircase leading somewhere deep underground. A light flickered dimly at its end, faint but unnatural, as if it were waiting for him.

Kai exhaled slowly. He realized that their journey was just beginning.

Kai stood on the edge of the cliff, looking at the dilapidated staircase that descended into the unknown. The barely discernible light below beckoned to him like a beacon promising answers—or a trap. The shadow snorted softly, nervously moving its hooves over the rocky ground. She, like Kai himself, understood that it was too late to go back.

"Well, girl, it seems that the adventures have just begun," he whispered, patting her neck. "Stay here, and I'll see what's down there."

The Shadow snorted in displeasure and shook her head as if trying to warn him, but Kai just sighed, checked his sword belt and headed for the stairs. The stone steps were smooth and slippery with age, and every step echoed in the depths.

The fog slowly crept behind him, as if it did not want to let go, enveloping the staircase until it turned into a narrow corridor leading down into darkness. Stepping onto the first of the ancient slabs, Kai felt a barely noticeable vibration under his feet. The wind from above had died down, leaving him alone with the cold and the sounds of the underworld.

Step by step, he descended lower and lower, and the light ahead became brighter. Soon a wide hall opened up in front of him — gloomy and ancient, like time itself. The ceiling was high and ragged, and tree roots could be seen through holes in the stone, twining around the columns, as if they were trying to take over this forgotten world. The walls were covered with bas-reliefs depicting scenes of battles and rituals. Among them, he noticed something strange: a man in armor was holding a sword very similar to the one Kai was currently holding.

"So that's where he's from," Kai muttered, feeling an unpleasant chill in his chest.

In the center of the hall stood a massive round stone, on which was carved a symbol — the same one that he had seen on the altar above. The symbol glowed with a faint bluish light, pulsating as if the stone had a heart. Kai cautiously approached him, feeling a strange feeling growing inside him — a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

When he touched the stone, something happened. The air around him trembled, and the symbol flashed with a bright light. In the blink of an eye, the floor beneath his feet trembled, and the walls of the hall began to move. The bas-reliefs on the walls came to life: the warriors raised their swords, and the figures of the magicians began to stretch their arms forward, as if directing **** at Kai.

"What the hell..." he whispered and took a step back, but it was too late.

The stone in the center of the hall split in half, and a ray of light shot out from the crack, blinding him. At that moment, Kai felt something inside him click, like a lock opening after a long imprisonment. Power, cold and ancient, surged into his body. For a moment, he lost his sense of time and space, as if he had fallen into an abyss where there was no past or future.

When the light faded, he found himself kneeling in front of a split stone. Runes burned directly into his skin glowed on his hands, and the sword he held vibrated like a living being.

"What did you do..." a familiar voice rang out from behind him.

Kai turned around and saw the same stranger he had met upstairs. He was standing in the doorway of the hall, with an expression of either curiosity or horror on his face.

"You have awakened something that should have remained asleep," the stranger said softly. "Now you're connected to this place and to a power you don't understand."

Kai got to his feet, feeling a strange lightness and energy pulsing through his veins. "What kind of power is this?"

The stranger stepped forward, and his face became serious. "This is the duty of your family. A power that brought **** over and over again to all who tried to use it. She can give answers, but in return she will demand more than you are willing to give."

Kai looked down at his hands, where the runes were still faintly glowing. "And now this is my fate?"

The stranger nodded. "Yes. And the only way to get out of this network is to move on. You can't go back. They're already waiting for you."

"Who?" Kai raised his sword and felt the runes on his arms ripple slightly.

"Those who have been following you from the very beginning. Your role in this story is just beginning, Kai Tarnel. And not everyone will want you to get to the end."

The stranger slowly turned around and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Kai alone among the ancient bas-reliefs.

When Kai emerged from the ruins, the sky was already almost black. The shadow was waiting for him at the entrance, nervously shifting its feet, but calmed down as soon as it saw him.

He stroked her neck and sighed wearily. "Well, girl, it seems we have more questions than answers now."

Kai climbed into the saddle, feeling that there was something much more ahead of him than he could have imagined. He now had a power in his hands that he did not understand, and a duty that could not be waived.

The shadow slowly moved forward, and Kai took one last look at the ruins hiding in the fog. His journey was just beginning, and there was no turning back.