Arven remained still for a moment after the spirit messenger faded. His eyes resting on the empty air where the spectral bird had hovered.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before as if the weight of the message had settled into the room around him.
He sighed slowly, his fingers tightening slightly behind his back as his thoughts began to move.
He had spent most of his life within the circles of the Arcane Authority, studying Magic alongside other Mage scholars who dedicated themselves to understanding the deeper structures of the world.
Like them, he had read countless records about anomalies, distortions, and the rare cases of individuals appearing from beyond their world.
These were not myths to him. They were documented phenomena that were discussed in controlled chambers and sealed archives.
But reading about something and facing it were entirely different matters.
