Henry walked through the forest, having already gathered a small amount of herbs his father had requested. However, his mind was preoccupied with what Marcus had said. How had Marcus known his mother? His father had never mentioned this friend, and suddenly Marcus appeared, knowing more about Henry's mother than Henry himself.
This frustrated him. Frank hadn't even told Henry his mother's name; his father always said that mentioning her name brought back bad memories and he didn't like to talk about it. Respecting his father's wishes, Henry didn't press the issue much, but he did ask from time to time, and his father always gave him the same response.
Frustrated, Henry kicked a stone on the ground in anger, and the small stone flew until it collided with the base of a large tree, producing a hollow sound upon hitting the ground. This sound caught the boy's attention enough for him to check what it might be.
As he approached the tree where the stone had collided, Henry didn't notice anything unusual at first. Upon closer inspection, he admired the tree's colossal and magnificent presence. Its leaves seemed to shimmer with a gentle magic, making it stand out among all the trees in the forest.
Tapping his feet lightly on the ground, Henry heard the hollow sound again. Kneeling down, he began to inspect the soil. At first, there didn't seem to be anything, but upon closer examination, he saw a light-colored stone circle beneath him. In this circle, there was a strange inscription in what appeared to be a different language. The inscription read "wiol stydja" (To Remain).
Not understanding what it meant, Henry stood up to leave, but as he did, the stone circle cracked, and before he could react, Henry fell into the hole.
" Urghh… " Henry grunted in pain as he hit the ground. Looking around, he saw massive stone walls, with shelves on each side filled with books preserved by time. As he got up, the boy began to explore the place curiously; the books seemed to be written in the same language as the inscription on the entrance stone.
There were scrolls scattered on the floor, but Henry couldn't read those either. Following a corridor, he came across a large, heavy wooden door, which he pushed open with effort just enough to pass through.
Inside, Henry observed the room, which initially seemed like a treasure chamber. There were several locked chests, and when Henry broke their locks with kicks, he found nothing but large stones covered with some fine cloths. These stones appeared to be precious gems, each of a different color.
When Henry opened a long, almost isolated chest in the room, he saw the word " sundavar " (shadow) written on its lid in the strange language. Upon opening it, Henry was amazed by what he saw: a long, black sword with a spiraled black hilt and a central crystal pulsating with a purple energy.
As he touched the blade, the sword seemed to react, shining with a strong purple light before calming down, leaving the boy bewildered. However, Henry noticed a box next to the sword, made of ebony and carved with various words in the odd language.
Slowly touching the dark box, Henry felt its cold texture, and after a few seconds, he opened it. Inside was a stone similar to those he had seen in the other chests, but this one was different. It was black with golden details, unlike the others, which were cold. This stone seemed almost alive, and Henry couldn't take his eyes off it.
As he ran his hand over the stone, he felt its warmth, which was almost comforting. Unable to resist, he took the stone from its box and put it in his bag, then walked towards the exit.