The one that has been found

Adrian managed to escape the city and made his way towards the Silverspire Peaks. His stomach growled with hunger, but he pressed on, driven by the need to put as much distance between himself and his pursuers as possible.

He found his way to a serene lake nestled within the peaks. He felt a sense of relief, believing he had finally outrun the thugs. He decided to rest by the lake, taking a moment to catch his breath and quench his thirst.

As Adrian sat by the lake, he took in the beauty of his surroundings. The crystal clear water sparkled in the sunlight, while the mountains were shrouded in a mist which gave them an ethereal quality. He felt a sense of calm as he watched the ripples on the water's surface, the only sound being the gentle lapping against the shore.

He sighed heavily as he gazed upon the torn piece of paper that he had taken from a notice board in Mythstine. The words on it blared back at him, daring him to dream once more: The Bergen Academy of Magic. As his right hand delved into his pocket for the few coins he had scrounged up to keep his head above water for a few more days, his left clenched the paper tightly. He was both excited and scared at the prospect of embarking on this new journey, but the cost of entry seemed impossible to overcome.

His tranquil reverie was soon disturbed by a rustling in the shrubs nearby. He tensed up, prepared to flee if required. Suddenly, out of the foliage emerged a warg.

Its fur was matted and its eyes looked empty. Adrian realized he had made a grave mistake in letting his guard down. He slowly rose to his feet. But the warg did not seem to be making any aggressive moves. Instead, it simply stared at him with an almost pleading look in its eyes.

Adrian hesitated for a moment before realizing that the warg was injured. One of its hind legs was twisted at an unnatural angle, causing it to limp. He hesitated, unsure of what to do next. He had been taught to always be wary of beasts, especially when they were wounded, but he couldn't just leave the warg like that.

Adrian slowly approached the warg. The animal growled at him, but it was a weak growl. Adrian knelt down and examined the warg's leg. It was definitely broken, and it looked like it had been that way for a while. Adrian realized that the warg must have been suffering for some time. He knew that he had to help the animal, but he had no idea how to set a broken leg.

He remembered reading about an old healer who lived in a nearby village. Adrian decided that he had to take the warg to the healer. He knew that it was a risky decision, but he couldn't let the animal suffer any longer.

Adrian took a deep breath and slowly reached his hand out towards the warg, still unsure of what he would find. But to his relief, the animal allowed him to touch its fur. He then carefully lifted the heavy beast into his arms. As he started walking, Adrian noticed the warg's eyes gleaming and was sure that it had smiled at him. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard a voice say "I've found you," coming from the wolf.

Adrian froze in place, shock and disbelief coursing through him as he realized that the warg had actually spoken to him. The creature grinned up at him with a set of sharp teeth, confirming what he already suspected: this was no ordinary animal.

"Who are you?" Adrian asked meekly.

"I have no name, no form; I am known only by a feeling," came the reply. "They call me many things, but you humans call me Despair."

At those words, Adrian felt a chill run down his spine. He had heard legends about creatures like Despair, but never believed they were real. To think that one was standing before him now was too much for Adrian to comprehend.

Despair could sense the fear emanating from Adrian, the human before him. But even more than that, he felt something else. It was a foreign feeling, but he knew what it was.

"You need not be afraid," said Despair, his voice softening. "I mean you no harm."

Adrian took a shuddering breath, struggling to contain his fear. The warg's words were surprising and calming at the same time, but it did nothing to change the fact that he was talking to a creature from legend.

"What do you need me for?" Adrian asked, feeling an inexplicable dread fill his heart.

"I was created with the purpose of pushing all life forms towards progress, by any means necessary," the wolf replied as its body dematerialized into a humanoid figure shrouded in light. "But before my father vanished, I was assigned another mission, and you are part of it." With a sinking feeling in his chest, Adrian asked: "What is this mission? Who is your father?"

Adrian's stomach twisted as Despair spoke. His voice seemed to drip with malice, a menace that stifled the air around them and made Adrian feel paralyzed.

"You are no match for my father," Despair sneered. "Your feeble mind is not fit to even utter his name, let alone comprehend what I ask of you. If I were to speak of it, you would be undone."

Despair's eyes pierced Adrian's very soul. He felt a chill ripple through him, as though the creature had complete control over his being. He wanted to run away, but he knew there was nowhere to hide from it's menacing gaze.

"What do you want from me then?" he croaked, a million questions running through his mind. The only response was an icy silence.

Despair reached up to the night sky and with a trembling hand, the stars began to spin in divine harmony. A dazzling vortex of light spiraled down from its center, writhing like a living being. At its core lay a pristine grimoire, radiating an incandescent light like a newborn star.

Despair clutched the ancient tome close to its chest, feeling a profound bond as they were reunited after centuries apart. Filled with longing and love, Despair fondled the grimoire tenderly, basking in its majestic radiance.

Adrian watched in awe as the vortex of light dissipated into the air, leaving only the warg and the grimoire in its wake. He had never seen anything like it in his life, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at the power emanating from the unearthly scene before him.

Despair turned back towards Adrian, his eyes now a bright, electric blue. "You are to take this and keep it safe," he said, holding out the grimoire. "It contains ancient knowledge that must never fall into the hands of those who would use it for their own selfish ends."

Adrian hesitated, unsure of what to do. He had never been entrusted with something as important as this before. And yet, there was something in the Despair's eyes that made him trust it, despite everything he had been taught about mythical creatures.

"I can't stay any longer or they will find me. Now, Felix, wake up."

Without another word, Despair placed the ancient grimoire into Adrian's hands, and with a final nod it vanished into the ethereal mist. Adrian was left alone by the still lake, clutching the arcane book with a mixture of trepidation and awe.

And then, it began to glow. A pleasant warmth spread through Adrian's body.

Myriad tendrils of energy erupted from his chest, swirling and writhing as they reached out for the grimoire. The powerful force pulled it towards him, until it melted inside like a divine key, unlocking a hidden power within him.

Adrian gasped as the grimoire disappeared into his chest, his body wracked with a powerful surge of energy that left him shaking.

He fell to his knees and clutched at his chest, trying to keep the new power that was pulsing inside him contained. The world around him shifted and shimmered, as though reality itself was breaking apart. He tried to call out for help, but his voice was drowned out by the cacophony of magic surging through him.

As the magic subsided, Adrian struggled to regain his breath. He looked down at his hands, watching as they glowed with a soft, golden light. He could feel the power coursing through his veins.

It took several moments for Adrian to compose himself and stand up. He took a few deep breaths, trying to steady his nerves. He looked out over the lake, taking in the tranquil scene before him. Somehow, it all seemed different now that he had absorbed the grimoire's power.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Adrian doubled over, clutching at his heart. The pain was intense, like something was trying to claw its way out of his chest.

He fell to his knees, gasping for air. Beads of sweat started trickling down his forehead, and he felt like he was going to pass out. His vision started to blur, and he could feel the world slipping away from him.

But as suddenly as the pain had come, it vanished. Adrian took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself. He looked down at his chest, trying to figure out what had caused the pain.

And there it was, sitting right above his heart. A glowing, pulsating mark that he had never seen before. It was shaped like a star, and seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

Adrian stared in awe and fear as the strange mark appeared before him. In the midst of what seemed like an eternity, an ethereal frame materialized, suspended in the air. Puzzled, he watched as ancient runes began to rearrange themselves into letters that he could read. His heart raced in anticipation but at the same time, dread crept up his spine as he wondered what secret knowledge was about to be revealed.

[And thus Adrian Ravenwood received the Omniscript of Genesis.]

The star on his chest glowed brightly and released a shower of tiny sparks that spun around him in an ever-widening circle. As the sparks began to fade, they revealed the silhouette of a cat wearing billowing wizard robes, slowly solidifying until it was standing in front of him.

Adrian watches in astonishment as the cat steps forward, its robes fluttering around it in the breeze. Its fur is a sleek black, and its eyes are a piercing green that seem to glow with an inner fire.

"Greetings, young one," says the cat in a voice that is both soothing and commanding. "I am your guide to the Omniscript of Genesis."

Adrian stares at the cat in disbelief. "You can talk too..." his voice barely above a whisper.

The cat nods, its eyes never leaving Adrian's. "Indeed. And there is much that I have to show you, if you are willing to learn."

Adrian nods.

"Very well," says the cat, its voice carrying a note of finality. "Let us begin."