Chapter 24:
Morning came, but the sky was still dark. Heavy clouds gathered above the mountains, and distant thunder rolled like the growl of a beast waking from slumber. The air was thick and damp, carrying the sharp scent of rain.
Aldric and Adrian had already been running for hours since dawn. Both were drenched in sweat, their steps unsteady, yet neither dared to slow down. They were close—so close—to leaving the Blood Fang region behind. The thought of finally escaping this cursed place kept them moving.
But before long, the first drops began to fall.
At first, it was only a light drizzle, cold and harmless. Then the sky split open with a crack of thunder, and rain began to pour in thick sheets. The downpour was relentless, drowning out every other sound.
Aldric glanced at Adrian, who nodded wordlessly. They both understood—it was too risky to continue. Wet ground meant unstable footing, and the visibility was dropping fast.
They searched quickly and found a cluster of boulders that formed a natural overhang. It wasn't ideal shelter, but it would have to do. They hurried inside just as the wind picked up, howling through the valley.
The storm outside grew stronger by the minute. Lightning flashed across the sky, painting the red cliffs of the Blood Fang mountains in eerie white light before plunging them back into darkness.
Aldric sat near the wall of the rocky shelter, his knees drawn up, watching the rain cascade down like silver threads. Adrian leaned against the opposite side, silent as always, his sword resting across his lap.
For the first time in a while, Aldric had the space to think.
Everything that had happened replayed in his mind—the battle with the vile spawn, the destruction of the caravan, the people who died one after another. It hadn't even been that long since he awakened as an arcanist, yet so much had already happened.
His mind was filled with thoughts—old and new, simple and complex.
He remembered his time at the orphanage. He had read many books there—about history, philosophy, and the world beyond the walls he was trapped in. Back then, he didn't understand most of what he read. He had only read because it gave him an escape, a way to ignore the reality of being unwanted. But now, the words he had once skimmed without comprehension began to make sense.
He muttered softly to himself, almost without realizing it.
"In this wide and vast world, there's no shortage of wonders... and just as many horrors. Most of the time, these things—whether they're wonders or horrors—aren't even real. They're just creations of the human mind... delusions to comfort or torment themselves."
He gave a small, tired chuckle. The sound was lost under the rumble of thunder.
"There was something I read once," he continued quietly, more to himself than to Adrian. "About a tribe that lived far from civilization. They were strong, prosperous, and believed they were favored by the world itself. But when hardship struck—famine, sickness, death—they couldn't handle it. So, they created something greater than themselves... a god."
Adrian shifted slightly but didn't interrupt. The rain poured harder, and a faint chill crept into the air.
Aldric's eyes were unfocused, staring out into the storm. "They said this god watched over them, guided them, protected them. They threw their problems at this invisible being and felt better. The problems didn't go away... but the belief gave them peace. It made them feel less alone."
He smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in it. "Maybe that's what people really want. Not salvation... just the illusion of it."
Silence returned, broken only by the rhythm of the rain.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The storm's howls filled the emptiness between them, and the shadows flickered as lightning illuminated their weary faces.
Aldric closed his eyes and leaned back, trying to rest. But something inside him refused to settle. His body was still, but his mind was restless.
He had lived as a slave for most of his life—from childhood to early adulthood. Survival had always been his only goal. Every day, he had been forced to watch his back, read faces, sense moods, and predict danger before it happened. It was a skill that had kept him alive all these years.
That instinct—that sharp, almost supernatural sense of danger—had saved him many times.
And now, it was stirring again.
Even though the rain drowned out every other sound, Aldric's body tensed. It was an instinctive reaction, something primal, buried deep within his bones. His senses screamed that something wasn't right.
He looked out into the storm, his eyes narrowing. The valley beyond the curtain of rain was hidden, but he could feel it—an unease in the air, a faint pressure that brushed against his awareness.
"Adrian," he said quietly, his voice steady but low.
The older man opened his eyes and met Aldric's gaze. He didn't need to ask what was wrong. The look in Aldric's eyes said enough.
Something was out there.
Neither of them moved right away. They listened. Waited.
A flash of lightning illuminated the valley for the briefest moment. The light reflected off the wet stones and flickered across the rain-soaked earth.
Then, in that instant of brightness, Aldric thought he saw something move in the distance.
When darkness returned, his heartbeat quickened.
"Maybe it's nothing," he muttered under his breath, though he didn't believe it.
The uneasy silence stretched on.
The storm continued to rage, but within the shelter, the air grew heavy—thick with the tension of unseen danger.
Aldric tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, ready for whatever came next.
For now, they lay still and silent, waiting.
Outside, thunder rolled once more, echoing through the mountains like the roar of something vast and ancient.
And somewhere within that sound... something moved again.
A/N: sorry for the late update everyone I had no idea I had run out of scheduled chapters
Here's chapter 24