Darkness. Absolute, unyielding darkness.
Marzin opened his eyes to nothingness. Silence stretched endlessly around him; the forest of Veyra, Glomveil, had vanished—or perhaps it had never existed. All he could perceive was the pitch-black void.
He was floating. He couldn't feel his hands. His entire body was numb, weightless, suspended in a void that chilled him to his core.
And then… a voice.
"Marzin… The Carrier of Darkness that leads the Light…"
The words cut through the emptiness like a blade. They were neither male nor female, neither distant nor near, yet their weight pressed upon his soul.
A sudden blaze of light erupted, blinding and warm. Marzin gasped, flailing, and woke with a start.
He panted violently. His whole body trembled, sweat soaking his clothes. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
…He was in his bed.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Master… may I enter?"
"Selena, you may," Marzin replied, his voice hoarse.
The door opened. Selena stepped in, her hand reaching out to touch his face. "Are you okay, Master?"
He brushed her hand aside gently. "I'm fine," he muttered.
Selena placed a steaming cup of tea on the table and bowed slightly. "Yes, Master. Call me if you need anything."
As the door clicked shut, Marzin pressed his hand to his face, feeling the clammy sweat, and closed his eyes. He tried to recall the fragments of his dream—or vision—but all he could remember was being sucked into the void and hearing that voice call him "The Carrier of Darkness."
A shiver ran down his spine.
After a long moment of thought, he made his decision. He needed answers. And there was only one person who could provide them: his father, the patriarch of the Elmar family, Lord Daryon Elmar.
Marzin rose from the bed, his resolve hardening. Today, the shadows had called him… and he would seek the light.