A heavy silence hung in the air as Healer Cruz’s words sank in. I exchanged a loaded glance with Timothee, seeing the same dawning realization reflected in his eyes that I felt churning in my gut.
Of course. The purification rituals, the blending of sacred botanicals - it all hinged on far more than simple ingestion. We’d gone about it all wrong, imbibing the foul-tasting concoction like some trifling health tonic.
No wonder the results had been so catastrophically adverse for Prilly and Griffyn. We had profaned the very essence of the hallowed practices.
“You’re sure about this?” Timothee’s voice was tight with barely restrained tension. “Using the tinctures for bathing, for ritual cleansing - that’s the proper way?”
Healer Cruz met his intense stare with a solemn nod. “Indeed, Sir. The methods were designed to harmonize body and spirit through full immersion and meditation.” A flicker of dismay passed over his weathered features. “To ingest such potent, ancestral brews...I shudder to think of the consequences.”
My mind rushed back to the agonizing scene we’d just witnessed - Prilly’s tormented convulsions, Griffyn’s guttural roars of pain. Tendrils of cold dread began to coil in my belly.
If their harrowing reactions were only the result of improper ingestion, of upsetting the delicate balances at play...then what fresh hell might we have unleashed through our grave error?
Timothee seemed to be following the same grim line of thought. “We need to get them properly treated at once,” he stated in a tone that brooked no argument. “Whatever antidotes, whatever _remedies_ are required to reverse the damage.”
Healer Cruz opened his mouth, but I cut him off with an upraised hand, finally finding my voice.
“Wait. Before we rush headlong into treating just the symptoms, I need to understand the full extent of what we’re dealing with.” I took a steadying breath, willing my voice not to waver. “If misusing the sacred botanicals in such a way opened a door to...to something darker, I have to know.”
The words hung heavy between us - an unspoken acknowledgment that this went far beyond simple poisoning or allergic reactions. No, the very fact that ancestral rituals were involved hinted at a threat that could be cataclysmic.
Healer Cruz pressed his lips into a grim line, and I could sense his trepidation rolling off him in waves. When he finally spoke, it was with the quiet gravity of a man imparting grim truths.
“There are...forces, you understand. Primordial guardians whose sole purpose is to safeguard the most primeval of our teachings from despoilment by ignorant hands.”
A chill slipped down my spine at his ominous words. Of course - we had blundered into forbidden territory, breaching archaic wards and protections set in place by the ancients.
And by Healer Cruz’s foreboding tone, the consequences of such transgressions would be nothing short of catastrophic.
Squaring my shoulders, I met the old healer’s gaze head-on. “Tell me everything. Spare no detail.”
Because one thing was horrifyingly clear - we had poked a slumbering beast, and its wrath would be as implacable as it was savage.
Timothee moved to stand at my side, the line of his jaw carved from granite. Together, we would bear the full brunt of these awful revelations.
And then...then we would chart a course to undo this grievous wrong, no matter how treacherous the path ahead.
Because the alternative - to leave our grievous error unaddressed - was to invite a reckoning of untold ferocity upon our world.
As Healer Cruz began to weave his dire tale, I felt the hair prickle on the nape of my neck, an atavistic warning flaring to life.
We stood upon the precipice of oblivion. And the long, agonizing fall...had only just begun.
Healer Cruz’s voice was a low murmur, barely above a whisper, as if the very walls might betray his confidences. “Long ago, the ancients sealed away a force so malevolent, so utterly destructive, that its name was stricken from all records. They called it ‘The Maw’—a chasm of darkness that consumes all light, all life.”
Timothee’s eyes narrowed, his voice steady but laced with urgency. “And we’ve awakened it, haven’t we?”
The healer nodded solemnly. “Yes. When the last of the blood moon’s shadow passed, the seal weakened. Your intrusion was the final breach.”
I felt a surge of responsibility weigh upon my shoulders. “What must we do to reseal The Maw?”
“There is a way,” Healer Cruz said, pulling a tattered scroll from his robe. “The Rite of the Seven Stars. It requires…”
The Rite of the Seven Stars
Gathering of Elements: We must collect sacred elements from the corners of the earth, each representing a celestial body.
Ancient Incantations: The ritual involves reciting incantations that date back millennia, in the tongue of the ancients.
Alignment of Stars: The rite must be performed when the stars align, a rare celestial event that fortells either salvation or doom.
Sacrifice: A willing soul must offer themselves to the darkness, to appease The Maw’s insatiable hunger.
Healer Cruz’s hands trembled as he held the scroll out to us. “The path is fraught with peril, and time is against us. Are you prepared to face such dangers?”
Timothee stepped forward, determination etched into his features. “We have no choice. Lead us, Healer Cruz. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
As we poured over the ancient text, the gravity of our task settled in. The elements were scattered across treacherous lands, guarded by creatures of legend and lore. The incantations would test our sanity, the alignment was weeks away, and the sacrifice…
I looked at Timothee, his resolve unwavering, and knew that one of us might not return from this quest. But the stakes were too high to falter now.
“We begin at dawn,” I declared, my voice steady. “We’ll gather the elements and ready ourselves for the rite.”
Timothee nodded, his hand finding mine in a silent pact. “Together, then. For the sake of our world.”
Healer Cruz watched us, his eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight. “May the ancients guide you,” he whispered. “And may you find