Edward – POV
My mother returned the same way storms do—quiet, fast, and with pressure in the air.
Lady Emily Saber, Archmage and professor, walked into the estate without fanfare, but everyone noticed. Servants moved faster. Guards stood straighter. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
At dinner, we sat across from each other in silence. She hadn't spoken a word since arriving. Her sharp violet eyes scanned me once—twice—before she finally asked:
"You look… different."
"Training," I answered simply.
Her gaze lingered. "Your aura feels unstable. As if it's growing in ways it shouldn't."
I tried not to react. "I've just been pushing harder."
"I see," she said quietly, but I could feel the doubt under her words.
I changed the subject. "How was the capital?"
She didn't press further—but I could tell. She didn't believe me. She felt something was off. But thankfully, she didn't yet know about the artifact.
Not yet.
⸻
Later That Night – The Cliffside Cave
The pull returned.
I followed it to the cliffs beyond the estate—near-forgotten ruins buried in the rock. As I descended into the cave mouth, the air shifted. Cold. Damp. Ancient.
A pool glowed at the heart of the cave, swirling with blue light. Floating above it was a silver crown—not for the head, but shaped like woven water, forming twin armlets.
"The Tide Crown," Astaroth whispered in my mind. "Water, memory, and restraint. The opposite of the flame you hold. Be careful—it sees deeper than fire ever could."
I reached for the Crown.
Water shot upward, surrounding my arms like snakes. There was no pain, only clarity—as though the world slowed. Thoughts sharpened. The past whispered. I could feel… everything.
The Tide Crown split and latched onto my forearms with a splash of glowing silver. I collapsed to one knee, breath shallow but steady.
A second artifact.
And with it, something had awakened in me.
⸻
Back at the Estate
I returned just before dawn.
The house was still quiet. As I crept through the side entrance, I didn't sense anyone—until a voice echoed softly from the shadows.
"You've been out all night."
I turned. My mother stood at the base of the stairs.
"You're not a child anymore," she said, tone neutral. "But you're walking a dangerous line. If you're training in secret… fine. But don't forget who you are. And who watches you."
"I haven't," I said.
She studied me for a long moment. Then, to my surprise, she said nothing else. No lectures. No spells. Just a quiet nod—and she turned, leaving me alone in the corridor.
She doesn't know. Not yet.
But her instincts were catching up.
⸻
Later – In My Room
Astaroth materialized in the dim candlelight, leaning lazily against the wall. He gave a soft chuckle.
"She smells the change but can't name it yet," he said. "Your mother's clever. But cleverness isn't always clarity."
"She'll find out eventually," I said.
"Eventually isn't now," he replied. "Let's talk about what matters."
He raised a spectral hand, conjuring symbols that hovered midair like constellations.
"There are nine known Artifacts," he explained. "Seven Elemental. Two that defy nature itself."
Elemental Artifacts
• Ashen Ring (Fire): Destruction, decay, rebirth.
• Tide Crown (Water): Memory, intuition, stillness.
• Verdant Fang (Earth): Growth, patience, hunger.
• Storm Gauntlet (Lightning): Speed, chaos, impulse.
• Shroud of Silence (Wind): Invisibility, misdirection, forgotten truths.
• Celestial Spire (Light): Judgment, truth, and sanctity.
• Gravebrand (Dark): Shadows, deception, forbidden memory.
Non-Elemental Artifacts
• Eye of Stillness: Time perception, foresight.
• Veilborn Heart: Emotional resonance, soul-forged power.
"Each artifact tests its wielder," Astaroth said. "Some accept you. Others break you. But all leave a mark."
"And you want me to find them?" I asked.
"I want nothing," he said, though his eyes gleamed. "But when the third one finds you, you'll no longer be hidden."
I frowned. "Third?"
"The Ashen Ring burned your soul. The Tide Crown calmed it. The next will challenge it."
I looked down at my hands—one fiery, the other shimmering blue.
And for the first time, I realized…
I was becoming something not even the heroes before me ever were.