Chronicles of Destiny

Inside the dungeon, the cavernous corridors twisted and turned as Kaelem and Selkor ventured deeper. The further they went, the darker it became. The air was thick, heavy, and laced with the smell of damp earth, completely stale. 'I think I'm starting to miss the air of Ashbarrow,' Kaelem thought to himself.

Selkor's pace was brisk, his glowing orange eyes scanning the shadows. The traps that had once been in place during the dungeon's prime were now so old they didn't work, and the crude technology of the goblins posed little threat to the seasoned wizard. But Kaelem could sense the tension building in his mentor - something had shifted, though he couldn't quite place it.

"Keep your eyes open, boy," Selkor muttered, his voice barely audible above the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, echoing through the tunnel.

"What is it?" Kaelem asked, unable to shake the sensation that someone - or something - was following them. "Are we being watched?"

Selkor paused, his orange eyes glowing dimly as he turned to look back at Kaelem. "I'm not sure," he replied, "but we're definitely not alone."

They moved forward, passing through a crumbled archway into a narrow passage. Kaelem's skin prickled with unease. The feeling that had come over him upon leaving the chamber hadn't gone away; in fact, it only grew stronger as they descended deeper.

A faint rustling caught their attention, followed by grunts and groans. Selkor raised a hand, signaling Kaelem to be silent. The rustling grew louder, and Kaelem noticed Selkor's other hand subtly tracing something in the air as it hung at his side, then sharply pointing at Kaelem from behind with his index finger.

Instantly, Kaelem's vision sharpened in the dark, as though a faint light had been turned on. He could now make out faint outlines in the distance - small, hunched figures rifling through something on the ground, now moving toward them.

"Goblins," Selkor muttered under his breath, his tone calm but tinged with impatience. "Another scout party. We're getting closer."

"Whenever you're ready, boy," Selkor whispered. "There are only two of them, but see if you can put that spell to use."

Kaelem stepped forward, recalling the runes of the spell he had engraved into his mind's eye. He cast the spell again, slightly quicker than before, and the blue blade of fire emerged from the spell circle. He grasped the handle of the blade and took a deep breath, the power humming through his veins.

The goblins were alerted by the glow of the spell circle, snarling as they charged, their primitive weapons raised high. Their movements were erratic, their beady eyes darting between Kaelem and Selkor. The nearest goblin lunged, and Kaelem raised his blade, slashing downward. The blade cleaved through the air, leaving a streak of fire in its wake, slicing through the goblin's bone weapon and into its shoulder. The creature howled, collapsing to the ground and rolling in agony as blue flames ignited the wound.

The second goblin leaped toward him, but Kaelem was faster. He spun, bringing the blade around in a wide arc. The flames flared, catching the goblin mid-air, and within seconds it too was engulfed in fire. With both goblins incapacitated, Kaelem went over them to finish them off and end their suffering.

Once he was done, the hallway fell silent again, no longer filled with the goblins' horrid cries. Only the faint crackle of the lingering flames remained.

As the adrenaline faded, Kaelem turned to Selkor and noticed him standing unnaturally still, fixated on the shadows ahead. His eyes narrowed, and for the first time, Kaelem saw something in the wizard that he hadn't before: fear.

"Selkor?" Kaelem asked, wiping sweat from his brow. "What's wrong? What is it?"

Without answering, Selkor took a step forward, scanning the walls as if searching for something - something only he could sense. The tension in the air thickened, and Kaelem felt the same prickling sensation return, stronger than before.

Then he saw it.

Stepping through the shadows on spindly legs, a creature gave off an eerie green glow, its many eyes piercing. It stopped when it realized the two of them were watching, its mandibles moving in a way that made Kaelem's skin crawl.

"A familiar," Selkor said, his voice low. "And not just any familiar."

Kaelem instinctively raised his sword again, though the spider-like creature was too small to fight comfortably. "What do we do?"

Selkor didn't answer immediately. His face had gone pale, and Kaelem saw the muscles in his mentor's jaw clench under his messy beard. The familiar crept closer, its sharp gaze locked onto Selkor. There was something ancient and foul about the creature - stirring an old wound within the wizard.

"Selkor?" Kaelem asked again, now more concerned.

Selkor's eyes remained fixed on the creature. When he raised his hand, Kaelem noticed the slightest tremor. "This creature, this familiar… It belonged to someone I knew. Someone I thought was dead."

Kaelem watched Selkor's interaction with the familiar, unsure of his mentor's sudden change in demeanor. This felt personal, and Kaelem was only now realizing how little he knew about Selkor.

"I've lived a long life. There are things in this world you do not yet understand, boy," Selkor said, his voice carrying the weight of old scars. "I fought in the last war of Kings - a war between powerful wizards. I was not always…" His voice trailed off as the familiar now stood in front of them, staring unrelentingly at Selkor.

Kaelem's unease grew, the tension palpable. "What does it want?"

Selkor's expression hardened, the fear dissolving, replaced with resolve. "It's a warning," he said quietly. "My past is catching up to me."

The familiar let out an awful sound - a guttural purr filled with malice - before it scuttled back into the shadows.

Selkor stood for a moment longer, his face grim. "We need to move," he said, snapping back to the present. "I'm afraid we may no longer be the only wizards in Ashbarrow."

Kaelem's heart sank. Ashbarrow was unfamiliar with magic - it was a den of scum and thieves, the dregs of society. But if powerful wizards were now involved, it could change the landscape of the city forever.

As they pressed on toward the dungeon's end, Kaelem glanced at his mentor. For the first time, he didn't just see a powerful wizard - he saw a man haunted by ghosts of the past, and a dark history that had returned to claim vengeance.