The next day, Sasha left his house at dawn. The fog covered the fields surrounding Fariens, and the birdsong broke the silence like a reminder that the town slept peacefully… for now.
He headed to the central market.
In the original story, there was an old woman who sold enchanted amulets at very low prices, unaware that among them hid a true treasure: an energy-channeling stone capable of empowering an Initiate during their early stages. Sasha remembered her well because the protagonist of the book had bought it by mistake. This time, he would be the one to find it.
The market was beginning to open. Some shops already displayed fruits, herbs, and trinkets on makeshift wooden tables. Sasha wandered among the stalls, alert for any detail, until he saw her: a hunched old woman placing several stones inscribed with faded runes on an old cloth.
— "Good morning," Sasha said, trying to sound casual.
The old woman looked up and narrowed her eyes.
— "Looking for luck, young man? These stones are cheap. They might just be common amulets, or maybe they'll help you find your destiny."
Sasha feigned disinterest and picked up a dull stone that nonetheless gave off a faint warmth in his palm.
— "How much is this?"
The old woman chuckled.
— "That one? A copper coin. Not much. Take it if you like it."
Sasha nodded and handed her the coin without hesitation. As he tucked the stone into his bag, he felt an energy far more concentrated than the one he had sensed last night in his own core.
He smiled to himself.
Leaving the market, he searched for a secluded spot in the fields near Fariens. He sat under a tree and clasped the stone between his hands.
In his mind, he recalled the steps he had read in the novel to speed up energy absorption: slow, deep breathing, visualization of the flow, and above all, keeping a clear emotion as an anchor.
His would be the determination to survive and change fate.
When the warmth of the stone spread through his palm and he felt his core respond, he knew he was achieving something the original Sasha could never have dreamed of.
The energy flowed into him like a river about to overflow.
At that moment, a sound rustling in the bushes caught his attention.
Sasha narrowed his eyes.
A monster? Or maybe someone spying on him?
His heart beat faster.
He rose slowly, energy still coursing through his body.
— "I'm not going down here," he muttered through clenched teeth.
The story was starting to move, and he was ready for the first test.