As the piercing sunlight struck the castle walls, the king remained restless to see his daughter.
He knew he had sent someone to search for her, someone who would not fail his mission.
Later in the forest,
While searching for clues that could lead him to Alara, the wizard came across something that might become the key to his success in this mission.
It was glowing as if he were holding the sun in his hands, it was the pendant Alara had lost in the forest.
He immediately sensed that this object belonged to the missing princess. However, because of the barrier Abrum had placed around his castle, the wizard was unable to see or trace Abrum's dwelling.
The pendant became the key to finding Alara, as it belonged to her alone.
The wizard could feel her presence somewhere nearby. Using his magic, he cast a spell upon the pendant and soon discovered the existence of a castle hidden deep within the forest. He also saw the powerful barrier spread across it.
For the wizard, the only way to break the barrier was to obtain a wolf's blood and combine it with his dark spell.
With everything he needed, he returned to the castle. The king was pleased by the news and immediately ordered his finest sentinels to accompany the wizard into the forest for the mission.
The wizard requested permission to meet the king alone. The king was in his chamber when the wizard entered and bowed before him. While still in that position, he drew the pendant from his pocket and presented it to the king.
"Your Majesty, I found this in the forest, and it led me to the princess."
Fury burned within him, tangled with an unsettling sense of uncertainty. How Alara had come to possess this pendant remained a mystery. Still, what mattered most at that moment was Alara herself. Fury burned within him, tangled with an unsettling sense of uncertainty.
The forest was always quiet, an eerie silence lingering within it, disturbed by an unseen unease, as if it were whispering warnings of a storm that follows peace.
The forest had always been home to Abrum, and he knew that without doubt.
It had protected him since childhood, long before the world had turned cruel toward him.
There, Abrum stood before the door. Unease crept around him, pressing against his senses then, without warning, his chest tightened. Breathing became difficult, as though something unseen were choking the air from his lungs.
The forest resisted the wizard's spell, how could a savior step back while the one it protected was being harmed?
As the wizard began casting his dark magic upon the wolf's blood, Abrum's breath faltered. His chest tightened, each breath growing heavier than the last. Sensing his pain, the forest stirred, rising in his defense and straining with all its strength to defy the wizard's magic.
The old master saw him and ran toward him at once.
"Old Master, where is Alara?" Abrum gasped. "Where is she? Tell her to run, to run far away from here. Danger is coming for her… for all of us. You must go with her. Protect her at all costs, just as you have always protected me."
"I can't leave you behind," the old master said desperately. "You have to come with us, with me. Abrum, I cannot guarantee my own life if you stay. You must protect Alara."
"The wizard is casting his dark spell on the wolf's blood," Abrum said, his breath uneven. "If I go with you, they will find her. So for now, you must leave. Right Now!"
Alara was coming downstairs when she heard their voices.
The world seemed to stop. Time froze around her, and she stood there, unable to move.
Abrum turned toward her and rushed forward.
"No-no, I can't," she said, her voice breaking. "Don't ask me to do this. Don't."
"You don't want to lose me… not like this." he continued desperately. "I can't come with you. They will catch us if I do. For now, I need you to believe me."
He held her face gently. "I promise I will come back to you… even if it costs me my life."
Alara only nodded. How could she say anything?
Tears rolled down her cheeks as Abrum wiped them away with trembling hands. His body shook...
and with it, his entire world.