Miller's Rest – Weaver's Quarter
Kael sat at Emma's table. Little Maria sat next to him, kicking her feet happily. The room smelled sweet because Emma was baking honey cakes.
Emma put a plate in front of Kael. Three warm, golden cakes sat there, dripping with honey. "Here," Emma said with a small, shy smile. "Eat them warm."
Kael took a bite. It was sweet and good. It made him feel calm inside. "It's... really good," he said, sounding warm for once.
Maria grinned. "See? I told you!"
When Emma cleaned up, Kael took out his bag of gold coins. He counted out ten shiny gold coins – way more than cakes cost. He pushed them across the table to Emma.
"For the cakes," he said, not looking right at her. "And... for letting me come."
Emma stared at the coins. Her smile disappeared. She looked shocked, then very sad. She touched the coins. "Kael... this is too much. We can't take—"
"Please," Kael said firmly but kindly. "Take it. For Maria. For... wood." He remembered her angry father yelling about firewood.
Emma's eyes filled with tears. She looked at the coins, then towards the back room where her mean father usually was. He'll just take this money. He'll never say thank you. Her shoulders drooped. Kael's kindness made her happy but also scared of what her father might do.
"Thank you, Kael," she whispered, her voice shaky. She quickly put the coins deep in her apron pocket, like she was hiding them. "You... you didn't need to do this."
Maria leaned against Kael's arm. "Don't be sad, Didi. Big brother Kael is nice!"
Kael patted Maria's head gently. "I need to go now," he said, standing up. The happy moment felt delicate because Emma looked worried. He didn't want to cause problems. "Thanks for the cakes, Emma."
Emma nodded, wiping her eyes fast. "Anytime, Kael. You can always come back."
Kael walked to the door. He stood there for a second, hearing the noisy street. He didn't look back. He thought: Anis. Teleport me back to my room at the Gilded Grove Inn.
[Teleportation Activated. Location: Gilded Grove Inn - Room 204.]
POOF!
He vanished right from the doorstep.
Maria gasped, pointing. "Whoa! Magic!"
Emma stared, her hand over her mouth. He just... disappeared? Kael felt even more mysterious now, and she felt a little lonely.
---
A Big Old Library – Kingdom of Eldoria (Far Away)
Deep inside a very old library, full of dust and moonlight, walked Lyra Frostweaver. She was one of the Six Sorcerers. She looked serious and moved quietly. She had black hair pulled back tight and eyes as cold as ice.
She stopped at a locked-up part of the library. She waved her hand, and ice patterns glowed on her fingers. The lock opened. She pulled out a huge, heavy book called "The Blackwood Scourge: The Worst Time."
She read quietly:
> "Long ago, there was a man named Ragnar Blackwood. He was a good knight in a place called Grimfen. But the King of Grimfen got scared of a prophecy. He had Ragnar's wife killed and his baby son smothered. Ragnar begged all the other Kings for help. Nobody helped him. Grimfen shut its gates and pretended nothing happened."
>
> "Then Ragnar came back. He wasn't a man anymore. He was pure destruction. Where he walked, everything died. Not war. Just... death. His power was too strong."
> "Powers Ragnar Blackwood Had":
> Life Steal: He could suck the life out of thousands of people at once, leaving only empty bodies.
> Shadow Soldiers: He made whole armies out of darkness. Swords couldn't hurt them.
> Killing Breath: His breath made people sick and rotted things away like a bad fog.
> Time Twist:He could slow down time so armies were stuck, or speed it up to turn people into dust.
> Earth Breaker: He split the land open and swallowed cities.
> Death Touch: If he touched you, you died slowly and painfully, becoming his puppet.*
>
> "In just one month, he killed ninety out of every hundred people alive. The best Knights broke. The strongest Hunters vanished. Even powerful Sorcerers were beaten..."
Lyra turned the page. There was a scary picture: One dark figure fighting a huge army of glowing warriors, knights, and sorcerers – everyone teaming up against him. It was called "The Last Fight: Everyone vs. The Scourge."
She looked up at a big painting nearby, lit by moonlight. It showed a man with silver hair and star-like eyes, shining with power. Sorcerer Seraphiel Nox. Under it said: "The Hero. Who Locked Away the Darkness. Died Saving Us."
She kept reading:
> "...Only Seraphiel Nox, the strongest Sorcerer, didn't give up. Their fight broke mountains and dried up seas. Finally, Seraphiel gave his own life. He didn't kill Ragnar. He locked him away. He made a magical prison, not of stone, but of broken space and frozen time. Ragnar Blackwood was sealed... somewhere. Seraphiel died before telling anyone where. The Grimfen Kingdom was wiped off the map. Only a cursed desert remains..."
Lyra closed the huge book with a soft thump. Dust floated in the moonlight. She stared at Seraphiel's painting, then remembered the list of Ragnar's terrible powers. Ninety percent of everyone... gone in one month. Locked away by the greatest sacrifice... and lost.
The library felt colder and scarier now. Lyra Frostweaver turned and walked away silently. The world slept, not knowing. But the lock held... somewhere. For now.
(Chapter 18 Fin)