The moment Callista Valeheart's rune-cuffs fell away, magic rushed back into her — a wild, elemental force that filled her veins with power. Ezra tightened his grip on Felton Harper's journal, bracing himself as the two forged their Pact of Shadows.
Callista pressed her wrist against Ezra's, letting a drop of her magic seep into his. The magic flowed together, intertwining their fates, tying their two spirits in a bond forged by necessity and danger. A shimmering rune briefly glowed between them — a rune that glimmered gold and purple — a rune of unity.
"That's it… there's no turning back now." Callista whispered, reluctantly. "Whatever happens, we face it together — until the conspiracy is defeated, or until we destroy ourselves in the process."
She turned toward a nearby staircase — a spiral descent that fell into the academy's catacombs. "The Relic's Curse… Felton Harper stumbled upon something that was meant to remain buried — something the Council hoped would remain a silent, forgotten piece of magic. We must reach it before they do."
Ezra fell into step alongside Callista. His pulse pounded in his ears, not just from fear, but from a growing rush of magic. Felton's notes, the box, Callista's magic — all were connected. All were components in a conspiracy much greater than he'd previously suspected.
"The Eye of Felthurn isn't a curse in and of itself — it's a key… a key to unlocking magic's true form." Callista pressed forward, descending into a labyrinth of abandoned catacombs. The stones glimmered faintly under her magic, lighting their path. "But it carries a curse for those who wish to control it. Felton knew it, and he chose to destroy it… or at least to keep it from falling into the Council's hands."
"That's why he chose me." Ezra tightened his grip on the journal. "He knew I wouldn't destroy magic… I'd redeem it… or redeem him."
Callista nodded. "Exactly. Felton Harper saw something in you — something pure — something that hadn't been forged by the ambitions of the Council. That's why you must be the one to break its curse."
Deep in the catacomb, a colossal rune-covered doorway rose up before them, its ancient magic shimmering faintly. Callista pressed her hand against its surface, letting a pulse of magic seep into it. The rune glowed gold — then opened with a deep, thunderous rumble.
Inside, a chamber filled with gold and obsidian glimmered faintly in magical light. At its center rested a pedestal — upon which a small, shimmering box was placed — the Eye of Felthurn, its aura oppressive, heavy, wild.
"That's it." Callista whispered. "The artifact that Felton Harper died trying to protect. Now it falls to us…"