Chapter 3: The Forgotten Path
The cold had finally started to lift.
Spring crept into Philistines slowly, melting the snow in patches and waking up the color in the world again. Tiny green buds peeked through the frost. The academy grounds, once blanketed in white, now smelled of wet earth and new life.
Inside Zephyr Academy's mission hall, Kiel and Anna sat on a bench by the window, watching as a group of older students excitedly discussed a dragon-hunting quest pinned to the job board.
Anna sighed, arms folded behind her head. "We're never going to get anything fun, are we?"
Kiel tilted his head toward her. "Define fun."
"I don't know—haunted castles, forgotten ruins, things that explode."
He raised an eyebrow. "Last week you got caught in your own fire trap."
"It was a small explosion."
"It singed my eyebrows."
Anna smirked. "You looked better without them."
Kiel rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, a quiet voice interrupted them.
"You two are still unassigned, right?"
They turned. Instructor Miriam, the mission coordinator, stood before them holding a faded scroll. She looked tired—like she hadn't slept much—and wore a thick scarf even though the halls were warmer now.
"There's a mission nobody else wanted. It's low-risk," she said, offering it to them. "But strange."
Anna perked up immediately. "Strange is good."
Kiel took the scroll, unrolling it carefully.
Request from a village elder, Esten Hollow.Abandoned shrine deep in the north forest.Unusual magical energy readings.Locals claim the area is cursed.No known threats. Investigate and report.Payment: 12 gold.Clearance: Novice Rank.
Anna grinned. "Sounds like ghosts."
Kiel handed the scroll back to her. "Sounds like moss and mud."
"It's better than more herb gathering."
He had to agree. Last time they'd picked herbs, a squirrel stole their lunch, and Anna chased it through three fields before realizing it had dropped her spellbook into a stream.
Instructor Miriam gave them the mission pass and nodded. "Be careful. The shrine is old. Very old. I've only seen that village mentioned once—in a report over fifty years ago."
"Cursed shrine, forgotten village, spooky forest. Perfect," Anna said cheerfully.
Kiel didn't smile.
He wasn't superstitious, but something about the name—Esten Hollow—stuck in his mind, like a splinter he couldn't quite reach.
They left the next morning at sunrise.
Kiel wore a simple traveler's cloak over his academy uniform. Two short swords were strapped across his back, and several throwing knives rested at his belt. Anna brought her wand, her notebook, and a small crystal that pulsed faintly with stored magic.
They talked as they walked through the thinning woods.
"Do you think we're being tested?" Anna asked.
"How so?"
She shrugged. "We're the academy's weird pair. You've got that double-class thing going on, and I'm... well, a Valor. People expect us to mess up or blow something up."
Kiel gave her a sideways look. "Probably both."
Anna laughed. "I hope it's something cool. Like a sealed demon."
Kiel gave her a flat look.
"Okay, maybe not a demon. But something exciting. I'm tired of pretending this place is just books and tests."
Kiel didn't answer. He was scanning the forest quietly, eyes tracking shapes between the trees. Something about the air felt wrong. Too quiet. No birds. No wind.
After a few hours, they reached a worn sign buried in weeds: ESTEN HOLLOW - SHRINE PATH AHEAD.
They followed it to a narrow trail nearly hidden under leaves and roots. It felt like no one had walked it in decades. Maybe longer.
The shrine was small, carved directly into the face of a rocky hill. A stone arch marked the entrance, wrapped in thick vines. Moss covered the cracked statues of forgotten gods. The air smelled like wet stone and old magic.
Anna approached first, brushing her fingers against the runes etched into the archway. "These are ancient... pre-Valorian. This isn't just a shrine—it's a seal."
Kiel stepped past her and looked inside.
There was a large stone altar in the center, covered in dust and old offerings—broken candles, cracked bowls, dried herbs. But at the far end of the room, something caught his eye.
A mark on the wall.
A symbol burned into the stone, like someone had carved it not with tools—but with magic.
It looked familiar.
Like something he'd seen before... in a dream, maybe. Or a memory.
Anna stepped beside him, studying the mark. "That's not a warding rune."
"No," Kiel said quietly. "It's a binding."
He didn't know how he knew that. He just did.
Anna narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
She looked at him, her voice softer. "Kiel... what do you know about your family? Your bloodline?"
He looked at the symbol again, then turned away.
"Not much. My dad doesn't talk about it. My mom said we didn't come from anywhere important."
Anna frowned. "That's not true."
Before Kiel could answer, the air shifted.
The room grew colder. The candles relit themselves—one by one—without a single spark. And the mark on the wall began to glow.
Anna stepped back, wand ready. "We didn't touch anything!"
Kiel didn't move.
Something was happening inside him—something deep, like a door unlocking. His breath caught as a strange warmth bloomed in his chest. The light from the wall seemed to recognize him.
Anna's voice broke through the silence. "Kiel. What's going on?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But I think this shrine... was meant for me."
Outside, the wind picked up.
Back at Zephyr Academy, far from the shrine, Roger Valor sat at his desk, flipping through old mission reports.
When he saw the words Esten Hollow, he stopped.
His hand trembled slightly.
He stood up and called for his steward.
"Find my daughter," he said. "Now."