Dawn's hands trembled slightly as he turned another fragile page of the journal. The ink, though faded with age, remained legible, its words carrying the weight of desperation and revelation. His eyes darted across the script, absorbing every detail, every nuance. The scholar who had penned this account had searched for answers, just as he was now.
"The cure is not of the body alone, nor merely of the mind. No, the corruption runs deeper than mere flesh. When the body, mind, and origin have all succumbed to twisted fate, only a place where past meets future may unravel it."
Dawn's breath hitched. This was it. This was what he had been seeking all along. Not just a way to mend his broken, twisted mortal shell, but the understanding of what truly made it twisted in the first place. His fingers traced the faded ink as his thoughts spiraled.
He had known since childhood that something about him was different. That his mortal shell was fractured, disfigured, not in the physical sense, but in a way that made him... other. While others grew stronger, embracing the layers that came after, he had remained trapped, caged in a body that refused to resonate with the world around him.
His mind reeled. A place where past meets future? What did that even mean? The scholar had written as if such a location existed, but there was no description, no direction. His heart pounded against his ribs. He needed more.
Then, it struck him.
The old man. The supposed assistant of the Grand Archives who had handed him that cryptic map. He had almost forgotten about it, buried under the weight of his own preoccupations. Could it be? Was the map related to this? His instincts screamed at him, demanding he find out.
Without hesitation, he shut the journal and stood, pushing his chair back against the old wooden floor with a sharp scrape. He barely noticed the darkness outside, the heavy silence of the academy in the dead of night. Dawn moved swiftly, footsteps barely making a sound as he made his way back to his dormitory.
The door creaked open, and the dim glow of a lantern illuminated the room's simple furnishings. Gary stirred, groggy and half-awake, blinking blearily at Dawn, who had begun rummaging through his belongings.
"What the hell are you doing?" Gary muttered, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"The map," Dawn replied curtly, eyes never leaving his frantic search. "Where is it... where did I put it...?"
Gary sat up fully now, intrigued despite himself. "You mean that old parchment you got from the Archives?"
Dawn barely spared him a glance. "Yes."
"It's on the shelf. You left it there when you came back earlier."
Dawn turned sharply, eyes locking onto the slightly crumpled map at the edge of his bookshelf. Without another word, he seized it and unfurled it on the desk. His eyes scanned the ancient markings, searching, analyzing.
Gary sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You gonna tell me what's so important about it? Or are you just gonna keep acting like some manic scholar?"
Dawn hesitated for a brief moment before exhaling. "I found something—a clue. About my condition. A place that might be the answer."
Gary's brows lifted slightly. "A place?" He leaned forward, peering at the map over Dawn's shoulder. "Let me see..."
Dawn was about to push him away out of habit but stopped himself. He needed help. And Gary, being a noble, knew more about geography than he did.
"Do you recognize any of these landmarks?" Dawn asked, voice quieter than before.
Gary hummed thoughtfully, tracing a finger over the aged paper. "Some of these look familiar... This one here, it's near the Silverwood region. And this..." He squinted, tapping a symbol at the edge. "This is close to the Whispering Vale. I've been there before with my father."
Dawn felt something strange stir within him. He was not used to asking for help. In fact, this might have been the second time in his entire life that he had done so. Sixteen years, and he had always fought alone. Yet now...
"Can you help me find this place?" he asked, forcing the words out.
Gary blinked at him, then smirked. "Well, well. You finally admit you need me, huh?"
Dawn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't make me regret this."
Gary chuckled but nodded. "Alright. I'll help. But you owe me."
Dawn gave a small nod, then turned back to the map, eyes alight with new determination. The path ahead was still uncertain, but at least now, he had a direction. And for the first time in a long while, he wasn't walking it alone.