The Shattered Seer
Rain pelted the ground as Lyra made her way towards the daunting doorway of the abandoned mansion, the note she held with the address was getting soaked, the ink spreading with the water droplets becoming illegible. She sighed, but based on the description she was in the right place. It’s not like she hadn’t done this before, being a researcher for magical artifacts put her in many strange situations that many others dare not put themselves in. The ornate stone doors creaked in protest as she pushed inside.
Lyra searched through many rooms, furniture covered with dusty sheets, corners riddled with cobwebs, and water damage seeping throughout the ceiling and walls. She could see the beauty it once had though, she could practically hear the laughter and see the dancing of ball-goers all around her. The main entertaining room was ten times the size of her apartment, and she felt a pang of sadness for what the mansion could have remained as. But, if the stories were true, no wonder it was left in disrepair.
Searching for the study, she pulled out a small blueprint of the mansion that was not entirely accurate and found where it should be. She made her way down the halls, through twists and turns of various rooms and paths. Finally, she had found the room she was looking for. She could feel it was the right place when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The door was dark wood, inlaid with intricate golden symbols she did not recognize. She pulled out a notebook and hastily sketched the door, not wanting to lose any information it may give.
With a deep breath Lyra pushed open the door. Instantly the temperature in the room dropped, and shadows seemed to coil and writhe around her. The center piece of the room was exactly what she had come for. The crystal ball sat on an ornate iron pedestal, its surface shimmering with an eerie, otherworldly light. She was instantly drawn to it, like it was pulling her in with cold shadowy tendrils. Lyra began to examine the ball, her fingers tracing the intricate, swirling patterns on its surface. She knew to be wary as this was a cursed item, and wore a pendant of protection around her neck, but her eyes were wide with intrigue gazing deep into the crystal ball.
Suddenly, the crystal ball flared with a blinding light, and Lyra was plunged into a vision of a ruined kingdom under siege. The dark sorcerer who was foretoled to have been the first wielder of it appeared, the same dark sorcerer who was the source of the curse, his face twisted in a mixture of rage and despair, as he desperately attempted to alter the outcome of the battle unfolding before Lyra’s eyes. Then, the vision shifted rapidly, showing the consequences of the sorcerer’s meddling: a kingdom consumed by chaos and darkness, where hope was a distant memory.
The vision dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Lyra was left feeling the dark sorcerer’s anguish, hatred, and fear. With these feelings rippling through her, she let out a cry that echoed throughout the empty halls. She instinctively grasped her protection pendant, which was hot to the touch, meaning it had done its job. Without it, she realized, the crystal ball likely would have taken over her mind already. The curse wasn’t just a relic of the past but an active force, feeding on the desires and fears of those who dared to wield it. Lyra felt the desire, the desire to grab the crystal ball and absorb the power it offered, but her fear was stronger. She intended to collect it to study, but the dark power radiating from the crystal ball had already begun to plague her mind further. Lyra knew if she kept the crystal ball, it would undoubtedly consume her.
The crystal ball’s power over her was growing rapidly, grasping at her like an upset child pulling on a mother’s clothes. Without much thought and her panic rising, Lyra ran to the closest bookshelf and pulled the largest, heaviest tome off of the shelf. She lifted the tome above her head and smashed it onto the crystal ball with all her might. The crystal ball shattered, and the room was filled with a momentary but deafening roar, and the oppressive darkness that had plagued the mansion dissipated with hiss. Lyra felt lighter, and the room was filled with warmth and light. She sighed, thinking she wouldn’t be returning with much, and slight regret that she’d destroyed it so hastily. Then, she glanced at the tome she had grabbed.
“Kaelmar’s Grimoire of Dark Sorcery” was etched in a pulsating purple glow.
She let out a gasp realizing this was the dark sorcerer’s. Maybe she wasn’t leaving so empty handed after all.
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