Elara's POV
The court of the Inkless Lord was not a place that obeyed natural laws. Time moved strangely here. Sometimes the shadows lengthened too quickly; sometimes they froze in place, stretching across the glossy floor like spilled paint. I stood on the edge of his throne room, clutching the Book of Forgotten Realms to my chest like a shield.
The Lord had dismissed me without another word. He sat upon his throne of shifting ink, his head tilted as if listening to voices only he could hear. Around him, fragments of lost pages floated, circling like vultures above carrion. I could feel his eyes on me, even when he wasn't looking. It was like the book itself was alive, watching, waiting for me to stumble.
> [SYSTEM NOTICE: TRIAL I — THE INK MAZE INITIATED] Objective: Survive and retrieve the Memory Fragment hidden within. Time Limit: 1 hour. Penalty for failure: Permanent corruption.
The words flashed before my eyes in crimson red, burning themselves into my thoughts. My legs trembled.
The floor beneath me cracked.
Before I could react, I was falling—
—into darkness.
No, not darkness.
Ink.
It swallowed me whole, cold and suffocating. I couldn't scream. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. I was being pulled into something deeper, something ancient.
And then—
Light.
I crashed onto stone, coughing, drenched, my limbs aching. When I opened my eyes, I was inside a corridor with walls made of parchment, covered in trembling text. The maze.
The silence was not empty. It hummed with pressure. The walls around me trembled like they were alive, reacting to my breath. My footfalls echoed with unnatural delay.
I heard footsteps.
Fast. Heavy.
And I wasn't alone.
"Kael?" I whispered, hopeful.
No response.
A figure emerged from the ink-dim hallway. Not Kael. A young man—broad-shouldered, shirt bloodstained, a dagger in each hand. His eyes, golden and burning with fury, landed on me.
"Another player?" he growled. "Damn the Lord."
"I'm not your enemy," I said quickly, raising my hands. "I'm Elara. I—"
"I don't care."
He lunged.
I barely rolled out of the way, the point of his blade slicing my sleeve.
> [SYSTEM: Combat Initiated – Enemy: Player Ranked Rogue] Tips: Avoid direct engagement. Seek the Truth Node.
I sprinted down the maze, ignoring the throbbing pain in my arm. Pages fluttered around me, whispering warnings. Blood dripped from my shoulder. I turned left, then right, then another left—until I reached a sealed door covered in runes.
I placed the Book of Forgotten Realms against the center rune. The ink glowed.
> [ACCESS GRANTED]
The door creaked open.
Inside was a circular room—walls lined with floating ink orbs, all pulsing like hearts. In the middle stood a pedestal with a page upon it.
The Memory Fragment.
I stepped forward.
> [SYSTEM WARNING: GUARDIAN APPROACHING]
Of course. Nothing was ever simple.
From behind me, a low growl. I turned—and stared into the eyes of a creature stitched from broken words and claws made of quills. Its mouth unhinged into a scream that shook the room.
I reached for the page.
The creature lunged.
I screamed and slammed my hand on the fragment.
Light exploded.
And then I remembered.
I remembered her—
My sister.
Hair like midnight. Eyes like mine. Standing before a burning door. Reaching for me.
"Elara, run!" she had shouted, even as the flames devoured the floor beneath her.
But I hadn't run.
I had watched.
Frozen.
And she was gone.
The vision shattered.
> [MEMORY FRAGMENT COLLECTED: 2/7 – THE FIREBOUND SISTER] New Skill Unlocked: Flamebind (Passive Resistance to Ink Creatures)
The guardian screamed, dissolving into black ash as the flame aura ignited around me. I fell to my knees, gasping.
And then the maze faded.
I was back in the throne room.
The Inkless Lord stood.
His ink-eyes observed me carefully.
"You did not scream," he said.
"I did," I whispered.
He nodded. "But you screamed and still survived. That is progress."
He turned away, the shadows shifting.
"Rest now, Inkbearer. The next trial begins at dawn."
I didn't move. Couldn't.
Because I had seen something in that vision—something the Lord didn't want me to know.
My sister's eyes.
She was still alive.
Somewhere.
Inside this cursed book.
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