Chapter 5 – The Beginning of the Adventure
"What are these points?" — Adrian stared at the glowing marks scattered across the magical map, his brow furrowed in confusion. He stepped closer, studying each symbol. Some looked like destinations, others like hidden paths, and all seemed to be connected by thin golden lines.
— "What are these places? This is my parents' map... They wouldn't mark anything here unless it was important. Wait a minute — I get it! These must be equipment caches. Of course. The place where the inheritance is kept must be dangerous. If it weren't, my parents wouldn't have made the journal teleport me to a safe place."
He stepped back, absorbing the thought with a growing sense of clarity.
— "So, if I want to find the location of the inheritance, I need to retrieve this equipment first. Now... where is it?"
Adrian examined the map again, his eyes scanning the landmarks. Then he smiled, a spark of recognition lighting up his face.
— "That old tree! It's near the lake we used to visit!"
Without wasting another second, Adrian opened the front door and dashed out, the journal safely tucked under his arm.
— "Oh, lake!" — Adrian shouted as he ran, his voice full of excitement.
— "Adrian!" — Maria called from behind, startled by his sudden outburst.
— "I'm okay! I just found something really important! I can't wait any longer! Ah... ah... finally, I'm here."
He arrived at the edge of the lake, breathless. The water shimmered under the sun, and the gentle rustling of the leaves greeted him like an old friend. Adrian approached the large, weathered tree that stood tall near the shore. Its roots were twisted and thick, like ancient veins clinging to the earth.
He placed his hand on the bark and then saw it — faint, but unmistakable — the initial of his name carved into the trunk. He hadn't noticed it before... or perhaps he had forgotten. A sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Without hesitation, he lightly cut his finger with a small blade he carried and pressed the bleeding tip against the carved letter. A burst of light erupted from the mark, and before him, suspended in the air, a ring materialized, glowing with a silver shine.
Adrian's eyes widened. The ring... it was identical to the one engraved on the journal's cover.
He grabbed it quickly, glancing around in case the flash had drawn unwanted attention. Clutching the ring tightly, he ran back to the orphanage.
As soon as he arrived, he tried to head straight to his room to examine what the ring might contain.
— "Adrian!" — Maria's voice stopped him. — "You're only going to your room after lunch. Come on, everyone's already at the table!"
With a groan, Adrian obeyed, sitting in his usual seat on the right.
Maria looked at him curiously.
— "Did you find the answer you were looking for?"
— "Yes." — Adrian replied simply, still catching his breath.
— "Was it the answer you wanted?"
Adrian paused. His thoughts turned to the love his parents had shown him, the way they continued to protect him even after death. His chest tightened — not with sorrow, but with gratitude.
— "Yes… I couldn't have asked for a better answer." — he said, smiling genuinely.
Maria blinked, surprised. It was the first time she'd seen that expression on his face — a look of true peace and purpose.
— "I'm done!" — Adrian suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and dashing toward his room.
— "Adrian! It's your turn to wash the dishes!" — Theo shouted after him.
— "Theo, cover for me this time! I promise I'll buy you some chocolate later!"
— "Seriously, Adrian?"
— "Really!"
Once in his room, Adrian wasted no time. He held up the ring, and as he focused on it, the air shimmered. With a bright flash, items materialized one by one in front of him: durable clothes suitable for travel, a finely crafted sword with an intricate hilt, a silver bracelet with strange symbols, a glowing amulet, and a small wooden cross.
Each object floated briefly before gently settling around him. His journey... had officially begun.
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