Chapter 1: Blood and ink
Writing is exhausting, it may not seem like it, surely you think that being a writer is sitting in an internet cafe with a university professor's outfit, a good latte and a laptop that the writer fills with words as if he knew exactly what he does, and although sometimes if we have blows of inspiration that motivate us to write complete chapters in less than a day, a reality is that we have problems, we have several ideas in our heads that are useless because they destroy the plot; coming up with more good ideas, but forgetting them completely when you get out of the shower, having to rewrite entire chapters just because of a mistake or another idea, doing extensive research to find out how much water can come out of a cactus (apparently it's not recommended to do this) , constant criticism about what we do with our free time, plot holes that it is better to discover soon, before the geek on duty tears your beloved work to pieces as if it were the wrapping of his Christmas present.
But, leaving all this aside, every problem that occurs when one decides to be part of this world full of letters that form a bridge to the imagination tends to lead to a beautiful work, it may not be perfect, but you know that that manuscript What you have in your hand is a part of your soul and that is something that can never be taken away from you.I am about to publish it online, the initial idea was to publish it in a publisher, but I guess you don't always get what you want.
At this moment I look at the manuscript in my hands, wanting to record that moment, while my greatest work to date is still mine and mine alone, I flip through the pages recreating the passages of the book in my mind, and finally I come to one of my favorite parts.
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"...her sword cleanly passed through Veronika's torso, quickly her eyes filled with tears, she had always despised violence, she had convinced herself that there was always a better option, that she should not feed the flames of chaos and discord, but now she wondered if there really was a difference, in the end she had resorted to murder to achieve her goal, was it really worth it? all the death and destruction, her beloved friend pierced by the sword in her hands, she looked for the last time in her eyes that had lost all trace of life, the innocence and goodness that she once possessed had completely vanished, leaving just the empty shell of once the fairest maiden in all of Pargon.
She was so absorted in her thoughts that she hadn't realized she was still standing, she didn't knew how long she had been holding Veronika, she looked at her face again, remembering again the good times they shared, the dances, the annoying suitors, the escapes from the palace, every trip to the Narcissus field. An inaudible whisper escaped her mouth, an "I'm sorry" so fleeting and silent that she thought she hadn't really said it, but she no longer had the strength to say more.
-Veronika? She came out of her torpor for a moment and looked straight ahead, it was Cassian, of all people, why Cassian? If before she felt that her soul couldn't feel more pain, she was wrong, she tried to say something, to apologize, but she couldn't speak, and even if she could, there was no way that Cassian could forgive her, she herself knew that she didn't deserve to be forgiven, no when the sword in her hands had just claimed the life of the sister of that young man in front of her.
-Cassian, I...
She couldn't say more, not only because her heart was broken, but because the young man had fled, and knowing him, she would never be able to find him. With all the pain in her heart she dropped the sword, letting that sweet maiden fall, seeing in full what she had done, and finally she fell in tears next to her once best friend..."
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I'm about to turn the page when I feel like I've cut myself, leaving a small blood drop on the edge of one of the pages.I am about to go get a napkin to clean myself, when I notice a crimson glow coming from the book, more specifically, from the bloodstain, which soon detaches from the manuscript on its own and begins to float on it, I observe with fear the small red orb at the moment I start to hear a distant murmur.
For the one who transcends the obsidian vortex
the one beyond Nirvana
whose force the world shapes
fate please transform
further than the stars and deeper than the soul
bring calm to this world
I shivered, I knew what was happening, a summoning enchantment, it was just an idea, I had never really put it down on paper, but there was no doubt about it.
Cooperari, undo meo impero operari...
At that moment a great pain ran through my entire body and I couldn't help but fall to my knees.
-STOP!!!!!
It was a moment before the pain subsided and I heard the voice again.
-I can't, I have to do something... I... I can't keep losing anymore.
- I don't know who you are, but you must stop.
Silence fell again, I had to convince him to stop.
-Silentium non capietur et mendacium punietur, sed veritas tolerabitur.
I felt a great burning in my neck, a nearby mirror let me saw a series of fluorescent green symbols around my neck, I knew that spell, I had created it, it is forcing me to tell him the truth, and I had no way to oppose it.
-Answer, if I manage to finish the enchantment, will I be able to get what I want?
At that moment I could recognize who the voice belonged to, despite never having heard it in my life, it was Cassian, the young sorcerer of the Gotheria court, I know his desire very well, I know what his objective is and despite what I try I can't lie to him.
-Yes.
-Do you know how to make the spell work?
I tried to resist despite knowing it was useless, but the more I resisted, the more the force on my neck tightened and burned like red hot metal.
-...Yes.
-Tell me what I need.
The spell was causing me deep pain, I could barely breathe or stay conscious, but the magic prevented me from falling or being silent.
- You can let me go, I... I can change your past.
The silence took control again and I could see how the glow of the drop of blood began to fade, Cassian must have noticed it too, because he immediately spoke again.
- I can't keep the enchantment for much longer, tell me, if I let you go now, will my world really change?
-Yes, I... I can... change it.
At that point I could barely think clearly, it didn't matter if I resisted or not, the mark became more and more painful, while the truth came out more and more easier.
-I've been deceived before, I learned the hard way the difference between being able to do something and doing something, so answer, are you really willing to change my world so that we all have a happy ending?
At that moment I felt a surge of anger that the spell could not turn off, in fact I think the spell itself was responsible for revealing that truth that lay buried inside me, in other circumstances I would have said I would, but at that moment, Despite the pain, I managed to think with a clarity blinded by anger.A happy ending? How I hate that phrase. Change what I had worked so hard to achieve, so that someone who wasn't even real would have what he wanted? that was... my life's work.
-Of course not
The answer came out of me with a clarity that the pain could only accentuate.
-And you... you have no right to force me... if it weren't for me, neither you nor your dear sister would even exist... YOU OWE ME EVERYTHING, I AM YOUR GOD
From one moment to another I was able to breathe normally again, the mark on my neck was gone and so was the pain.-I understand.
Anger and sadness were marked in his voice, I knew that I had made a serious mistake, and that I would soon die because of it, but it was too late to regret it, and to be honest, I did not regret it at all.
-So be it. veni ad me, deus verborum et atramenti vel non, haec res differet.
The drop of blood turned black, each letter came out of the manuscript and fused with the orb of blood, I did not try to escape, I knew it was useless, I could only stay still, while my body dissolved into ink that was absorbed little by little by the orb.
I woke up in the silent clearing of a forest, if I hadn't been looking at the sky, I would have thought it was night, but in front of my eyes, in the middle of the sky, there was a ring of a dim silver light.
With effort I managed to sit up and when I did, I could see Cassian, sitting on a rock just a few steps away.
-Welcome to Midnight Forest "God".