Chapter 9: The Meeting That Was Definitely Not A Meeting I Wanted
The guild hall's inner room was warm.
Uncomfortably warm.
The kind of warm that feels like someone boiled the air just to make you sweat and confess crimes you did not commit. The fire crackling in the corner looked way too cheerful for a day where demon-corrupted corpses kept popping out like limited edition collectibles.
Rena walked in first, calm as ever, even though her hair was still dripping from the storm. She looked like she was built to handle emergency situations. Meanwhile, I looked like someone pulled me out of a river and told me to solve math.
Adventurers stared the moment we passed.
Not curious stares.
Not friendly stares.
More like,
who is this kid and why does he smell like dungeon trauma.
Therin pushed the door closed behind us. The sound echoed around the room like a judge banging a gavel on my fate.
He motioned at the chairs.
Three chairs.
All placed neatly around a table that looked too clean for a building full of sweaty adventurers.
I sat down slowly, trying to look normal, which probably made me look more suspicious.
Rena sat beside me with perfect posture. Of course she did. She could sit in a field of thorns and still look like she was attending afternoon tea.
Therin placed his lantern on the table.
The flame inside flickered faintly and then settled.
He finally spoke.
Calm.
Low.
Gruff.
"We start from the beginning."
My entire soul sagged.
Fantastic.
Nothing says fun like recounting every moment of suffering in chronological order.
Rena began explaining in her usual steady, noble tone. The ruins. The collapse. The crown sticking. The demon scout. The hooded watcher. The corpse on the street. The gore. The corruption. The storm.
Meanwhile I just nodded along like a traumatized bobblehead.
Therin listened without interrupting, but his eyes narrowed every few sentences. He was processing everything at expert speed, constructing theories, ticking off invisible boxes, judging our existence.
When it got to my part, I had to talk.
"So, uh… the crown basically glued itself to my face and tried to eat my soul or something. I am not entirely sure. It felt like someone was microwaving my brain through my skull. And then the ruins exploded. And then a rock tried to kill me. And then a squirrel tried to kill me. And then the crown decided to leave because apparently I am not 'compatible' which is rude. Very rude."
Rena looked at me like she wanted to correct half of that.
Therin looked at me like he wanted to correct all of it.
But neither interrupted.
Instead the Guildmaster leaned forward and said, "Describe the crown's behavior carefully."
Carefully.
My worst enemy.
"It glowed. Throbbed. Whispered ominous nonsense. Pulsated like it was warming up to destroy my entire bloodline. You know, normal ancient artifact behavior."
Therin pressed two fingers against his forehead.
I sensed judgment.
Deep judgment.
Rena added her explanation. More technical. More factual. Less… me.
Therin listened again.
Too closely.
The kind of listening that makes you rethink your entire life choices.
When she finished, he sat back and folded his arms.
"You two encountered something that should not exist in this region," he said quietly.
Rena leaned forward. "The scout."
"No," Therin said. "Something else."
The room felt colder.
The fire crackled.
The rain pounded the roof like it wanted to break in.
My hair dripped onto the table.
The crown inside my pack pulsed a tiny, tiny bit.
And Therin's next words did not help my blood pressure at all.
"The demon scout was drawn to something in the ruins. Something that activated. Something unstable. And it was not the scout you should fear. It is what comes after."
My stomach fell so fast it probably clipped through the floor.
Rena tensed.
I tried not to scream.
Therin looked at me. Not at Rena.
Not at the table.
At me.
"The crown is calling attention," he said.
And then my life decided it was not done ruining itself, because the crown pulsed again in my pack, like it was waving hello.
Therin inhaled deeply.
"This is only the beginning."
The room went silent.
Oppressive.
Heavy.
The kind of silence that makes you wish for homework instead.
Rena put her hand lightly on my arm, like she could sense the existential panic radiating off me.
I appreciated it.
Not that I would admit that out loud.
My pride could not handle the paperwork.
Therin stood up slowly.
"We continue the briefing shortly. Do not leave this room."
He walked toward the door, opened it… and paused.
Then he muttered under his breath, barely audible.
"This town does not have the luxury of ignorance anymore."
He stepped out.
The door closed.
The fire crackled.
The crown pulsed.
Rena exhaled.
And I realized, with deep internal suffering, that this was going to get much worse before it gets even slightly better.
The moment Therin left, the room got way too quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
Not cozy quiet.
The kind of quiet where you start hearing your own heartbeat and question whether that organ is even working properly.
The crown in my pack pulsed again.
Just a tiny warm throb.
Barely noticeable.
Barely.
Rena noticed.
Her eyes flicked toward my bag like she expected it to start walking on its own. Honestly, I would not be surprised. At this point, if the crown sprouted legs and introduced itself, I would just accept it and move on.
Rena leaned closer. "Lairn."
I blinked. "Please do not say you think it is reacting again. My heart can only handle so many mid life crises in one evening."
"It is reacting again."
Fantastic.
I slid the pack onto the table and stared at it like it was a bomb someone forgot to defuse. Rena kept her distance, but not too much. Protective instinct or morbid curiosity. Hard to tell with her.
The pulses were slow.
Soft.
Like it was breathing.
Or thinking.
Which is disgusting. Artifacts should not think.
I took a cautious breath and whispered, "Should we open the bag."
Rena stared at me. "Do you want to die."
"Not particularly, but keeping cursed objects in bags seems questionable."
She pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Leave it alone for now. If we touch it without proper handling, we might trigger something."
Trigger something.
My favorite phrase of the day.
Before I could respond with something deeply unhelpful, voices drifted from the hallway. Urgent footsteps. The slam of a door. Raised whispers. Someone muttering a prayer to stay safe.
Yeah. Definitely a great time to be alive.
Rena clasped her hands together on the table, clearly thinking through everything Therin said.
After a full minute, she glanced at me.
"How are you feeling."
I raised a brow. "Do you want the honest answer or the optimistic lie."
"Honest."
"Mentally, I am one inconvenience away from throwing myself into the river. Physically, I feel like I was used as a chew toy by fate."
She gave a small laugh. Quiet, but real. A tiny crack in her usual noble composure.
"You are handling this better than most would."
"Handling implies I have control. I am surviving by pure accident."
Rena shook her head, but she was smiling.
Then the ground vibrated.
Not enough to knock anything over. Just enough to make the lantern flame stretch sideways, like it was leaning toward something.
The crown pulsed harder.
Twice.
Rena immediately snapped upright. "Something is near."
"Near," I repeated, absolutely done with everything. "Define near. Near as in outside. Near as in the room next door. Or near as in this building is about to file for retirement."
Before she could answer, someone knocked on the door. Hard.
Rena reached for her sword. It was broken, but she grabbed it like she was ready to use it anyway. Respectfully terrifying.
I stared at the door like it personally offended me.
The knob twisted.
The door cracked open.
Therin stepped inside again, but this time he looked far more tense.
And behind him were two new people.
A woman with sharp green eyes and healer robes that looked too clean for the kind of night we were having.
And a tall, tired soldier whose armor had dents and burn marks.
Therin gestured for them to enter.
"This is Iris, guild medic," he said. "And Captain Hallen of the town guard."
Iris nodded politely. Hallen nodded like he had not slept since the invention of stress.
Rena greeted them with a calm bow.
I gave them the traditional Lairn greeting: staring at them like I wanted to evaporate into mist.
Hallen squinted at me. "So this is the boy with the crown problem."
Yes. Hello. That is me. The crown goblin.
Iris did not even try to hide her curiosity. She examined my pack like it held a newborn dragon. "The artifact is reacting. I sensed its mana through the door."
"That is not comforting," I muttered.
Therin closed the door firmly. "You will all stay here until we complete a full assessment. The situation outside is escalating."
Captain Hallen grunted. "Two more corruption cases. South gate. It is spreading."
Rena stiffened.
I did not even bother pretending to be calm.
Therin turned to me. "Lairn. We need to inspect the crown directly."
My spirit left my body for a moment.
Rena immediately spoke. "Guildmaster. Last time he touched it, it nearly forced a resonance that collapsed the ruins."
"Which is why Iris is here," Therin replied.
The healer stepped forward. "I will monitor the artifact and suppress any dangerous activation. If needed, I will sever the flow."
Sever the flow.
Wonderful.
Just chop the magic like a vegetable.
Therin continued, "We cannot wait any longer. The artifact is calling something. And whatever is answering cannot reach this town."
I stared at them all.
The healer.
The guard captain.
The responsible guildmaster.
Rena ready to stand between me and the world.
The crown pulsing like a heartbeat in a horror movie.
And all I could say was:
"I really hate my life right now."
Rena placed a steady hand on my shoulder.
"We know."
And unfortunately, that did help.
Just a little.
The air in the room thickened the moment Therin said we needed to inspect the crown. Not magically thick. Just socially thick. The way tension makes the atmosphere feel like soup.
Iris stepped closer to the table, lifting her staff slightly. A soft pale glow formed around the carved tip, like someone trapped moonlight inside a crystal. Her expression was calm. Too calm. Suspiciously calm. The calm of someone who either knew exactly what she was doing or was about to level the entire building by accident.
Captain Hallen leaned against the wall, arms crossed. His armor squeaked every time he shifted. I could tell he was the type who wanted to retire at twenty five but fate said no.
Therin nodded at my pack. "Open it."
I opened it. Slowly. Very slowly. Like I was unwrapping a present I strongly suspected contained a live bear.
The moment the flap lifted, a hot pulse rolled through my fingers.
Not burning.
Not painful.
Just a warm shock, like someone flicked the inside of my nerves.
Iris sucked a breath through her teeth.
"Yes. It is fully active."
Hallen muttered, "Active my ass, the thing feels like it wants to jump out and bite."
I gently nudged the pack farther away from me.
Tiny steps.
Baby steps.
Distance equals safety.
Rena stood at my left, ready to intervene. Her expression was stone cold calm, but her shoulders were tense enough to snap a plank in half.
"Careful," she murmured.
"I am trying. It is difficult when touching this thing feels like holding a morally questionable secret."
Therin motioned. "Bring it out."
I stared at him.
Then stared at the crown.
Then stared at him again.
"Are you sure you do not want to use gloves or tongs or maybe a different unlucky person."
"Lairn," he said flatly.
"Fine."
I reached in.
My fingers brushed cold metal.
Not a dead cold.
A deliberate cold.
The type of cold that says, I know you are touching me and I disapprove.
Then the crown pulsed again, harder this time.
I flinched.
Iris immediately tightened her magic field.
The air vibrated.
The lantern flickered.
Even the storm outside seemed to pause for a heartbeat.
But the crown did not explode or whisper in my brain, so I counted that as a win.
I pulled it out and placed it on the table.
The moment it hit the wood, a small ripple of red light spread across the surface and faded. Not bright. Not loud. Just a quiet announcement that this object was definitely alive in the worst possible way.
Rena inhaled sharply.
Hallen swore under his breath.
Therin leaned in slightly, eyes sharp.
Iris lowered her staff until its glow hovered just inches over the crown.
"Stabilizing field set," she whispered.
A soft white aura wrapped around the artifact. "Continue."
Therin crossed his arms. "Lairn. Tell us exactly what the crown did from the moment it stuck to you."
I groaned internally.
Story time.
Again.
My favorite.
"It glued itself to my head. That was the first betrayal. Then it started heating up like my skull was a steel pot. Then it whispered creepy nonsense. Then the ruins decided to collapse, which I blame on the architects. Then it refused to come off until I smashed my face on a rock and it yeeted itself off my head like it was abandoning a sinking ship."
Silence.
Three people stared.
One noblewoman covered her face with her hand.
Iris cleared her throat. "Let me translate that into something usable."
She turned to Therin.
"It bonded forcibly to him. It projected mental pressure. It reacted to environmental instability. It released its hold during physical trauma. And now it is in a semi awakened state."
Therin nodded once.
Rena nodded too.
Hallen mumbled something about never touching anything magical again.
I sat there, unappreciated, robbed of comedic value.
Iris lowered her face closer to the crown, examining the engravings.
"This is not demonic."
She paused.
"Not fully demonic."
My stomach dropped. Rena stiffened.
Therin leaned forward. "Explain."
"The outer structure is crafted with aether forged metal. Human made. But the core runes inside contain demon script. That means it was either made using captured demonic essence or was forcibly altered."
"So someone tried to combine human and demon magic," Rena said quietly.
"Not just combine." Iris's voice lowered. "They tried to fuse them."
The crown flickered faintly, as if confirming her theory.
I slumped back in my chair.
"Oh perfect. A hybrid abomination. My life just gets better every hour."
Therin tapped a finger on the table. "Why did it choose Lairn."
Iris studied it again.
"Based on the readings. It did not choose him. He triggered it by accident."
Rena blinked. "Accident."
"Yes. He must have been the first living being to disturb it after a long dormant state. It latched onto him because it had nothing else to latch onto."
I slowly raised a hand.
"So, what I am hearing is… this ancient artifact chose me the same way a random bug chooses to crawl on the nearest human being."
Iris nodded. "Accurate enough."
Fantastic.
Wonderful.
Exactly the kind of destiny I expected.
Therin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Regardless. The artifact is active. And the demons will seek it."
Rena glanced at me.
Her eyes softened for a split second. Just a fraction.
She knew what that meant.
I was a target.
Not because of power.
Not because of prophecy.
But because I was unlucky enough to touch cursed metal.
Iris leaned back and let her magic loosen slightly.
"The crown is stable for now, but it is becoming aware of its surroundings. We cannot wait long."
Therin nodded.
"We move to the next step. Once everyone is ready, we test resonance."
I almost fell off my chair.
"Test what."
Rena snapped to attention. "Guildmaster. That is too dangerous."
Hallen grimaced. "Resonance can melt walls if done wrong."
I raised my hand again, panicking.
"Hello. The walls melting is concerning. Why does resonance sound like something that ends with me on fire."
Therin looked directly at me.
"Because it might."
I nearly died spiritually.
Rena grabbed my arm. "There must be alternatives."
"There are not," Therin replied. "We need to understand this artifact before it decides something on its own."
Iris folded her hands. "If the resonance spikes too high, I can block it. Mostly."
Mostly.
Mostly.
I wanted to cry.
Therin turned to the group.
"Prepare. We begin once the storm calms slightly."
He looked at me last.
His voice dropped, low and serious.
"Lairn. Whatever happens, stay conscious. You cannot afford to black out during this."
I did not respond.
Because my soul had left my body.
Rena tightened her hold on my sleeve.
The crown pulsed again.
Harder.
Like it heard everything.
Like it was waiting.
The storm outside calmed just enough for the wind to sound like annoyed breathing instead of full destruction. Therin watched the lantern flame until it steadied. Only then did he turn back to us with the grim patience of a man who had already accepted his life choices but regretted all of them.
Rena stood beside me like a silent guardian. I appreciated it. Not emotionally, because I was too stressed for emotions, but spiritually. My soul clung to her presence like a wet cat clinging to someone's pants.
Iris stepped forward, staff glowing a faint white.
"Everyone stay still. If the artifact reacts violently, do not run."
"Why not run," I whispered.
"Because running makes it chase faster."
Therin shot her a look. She coughed softly, then clarified, "Kidding. Mostly kidding."
Fantastic. I was surrounded by professionals.
The crown sat in the center of the table like a smug little parasite. Innocent shape. Evil energy. A piece of metal that radiated the aura of a bad idea wrapped in ancient regret.
Therin pointed at me. "Lairn. Put your hand near it."
"Define near," I said.
"Close enough to make contact."
"I hate this so much."
Rena lightly squeezed my arm.
"You can do this."
"That is the problem. I actually can. I wish I was more useless."
Hallen scoffed. "Just get it over with. It is not like it is going to explode."
The crown pulsed.
All five of us stared at it.
Hallen cleared his throat. "I take that back."
Iris lifted her staff higher, magic thickening into a bubble of white light around the table. "Begin when ready."
I swallowed every piece of common sense I had left and slowly reached out my hand.
The air changed instantly.
Colder.
Sharper.
Like the space between my fingertips and the crown was turning into thin ice.
My skin prickled.
Every hair on my arm stood up.
The crown pulsed again.
Harder.
Almost eager.
Rena whispered, "Slow."
I nodded. My heart tried to escape through my ribs but I maintained a dramatic level of dignity.
Then my fingers got close enough that I felt static pricking them.
Therin's voice cut through the tension.
"Stop there."
My hand hovered just a few centimeters above the crown.
The room went silent.
Utterly silent.
Even the storm outside dimmed like nature itself wanted to hear what happened next.
Then it began.
A thin thread of red light rose from the crown, slow and trembling like a string of smoke. It stretched toward my hand. Not fast. Not violent. Just searching.
Iris tightened her grip.
"Resonance confirmed."
The red thread wavered, then began to glow brighter.
Therin murmured, "Stay still."
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I stayed still.
Barely.
The red light touched my palm.
My breath stopped.
Not because of pain.
But because the moment it connected, a rush of memories that were not mine surged against the edge of my mind.
Images.
Flashes.
Voices that were neither fully human nor fully demonic.
A battlefield.
A collapsing tower.
Someone screaming, not in fear but in triumph.
A voice whispering, "Chosen vessel located."
I jerked, almost pulling my hand away, but the crown latched onto my magic like a magnet snaps onto metal.
Rena grabbed my shoulder. "Lairn. Stay with us."
"I am trying. My brain is having a conversation with an artifact. This is not normal."
The crown began glowing brighter.
Red.
Then white.
Then black.
Then back to red again.
Iris's eyes widened. "It is waking more than expected. Guildmaster, we need to cut the reaction."
"Not yet," Therin said. "We need to understand what it wants."
"I do not want to understand," I hissed. "I want to live to see tomorrow."
The light grew stronger.
My vision blurred.
The room dimmed.
Everything felt slightly tilted, like reality itself was leaning sideways.
Rena moved closer. "Lairn. Look at me."
I tore my gaze from the crown and locked onto her eyes.
That grounded me.
My breathing steadied.
The panic went from a scream to a whisper.
Then the crown spoke.
Not out loud.
Not in any language.
But in a voice that pressed into my head like gravity.
"Anchor detected. Vessel incomplete. Interference present. Adjusting probability. Initiating alignment."
I gasped.
"Therin. It is saying things. It is trying to align something. I do not know what but I do not want it."
Iris paled. "Guildmaster. That is not normal resonance. Something is interfering with the artifact."
"Interfering how," Therin asked.
Iris hesitated.
"The crown is not aligning to Lairn. It is aligning the world around Lairn."
The silence that followed could have killed a small country.
Rena whispered harshly, "Cut it. Cut it now."
Iris slammed her staff to the floor. A burst of white light shot up and wrapped around the crown like a cage.
The resonance snapped.
A shockwave rippled through the room, rattling the lanterns and shaking dust from the ceiling.
I stumbled backwards.
Rena caught me.
Hallen cursed loudly.
Therin braced himself against the table.
The crown's glow vanished.
Silence.
Breathless.
Heavy.
Iris staggered slightly. "The artifact is unstable. Someone tampered with its core. And someone is calling it from outside the region."
"Calling it," I repeated weakly. "Calling it like a pet. Like a puppy whistle. I do not want to be involved in this family reunion."
Therin took a slow breath.
Then he faced us with the expression of a man preparing to make decisions everyone would hate.
"This confirms it. We cannot stay here. Morinvale is no longer safe. And neither is the artifact."
He looked at me specifically.
"Lairn. At dawn, you and Rena leave this town. You will head for the capital. No exceptions."
My stomach collapsed.
Rena stiffened, but did not object.
I croaked out, "Why us."
"Because the crown reacted only to you. And because the capital is the only place with experts who can contain this safely."
I tried one last attempt at survival.
"Can I at least eat breakfast first."
"No."
I wanted to cry.
Rena placed a hand over mine.
"We will manage. Together."
Her tone was steady.
Calm.
Unshakeable.
Mine was not.
Therin nodded once. "Rest for tonight. Leave everything else to us."
He extinguished the lantern.
The room fell into darkness.
The crown pulsed once.
Quiet.
Cold.
Waiting.
And I knew that when dawn came, my life would get infinitely worse.
Chapter Ends