⊰✧⊱
The setting sun bathed the excavation site in a warm, golden light, casting long shadows across the land of Elsar. Lea, her regal silhouette marked by the elegant black gown adorned with intricate golden embroidery, moved through the ruins with the ease of someone who had spent her life among ancient stones. Her pale hair, styled in a refined braid that spoke of her meticulous nature, contrasted sharply with the somber hues of her attire. With eyes sharp and practiced, she had seen many apprentices come and go over the years, but there was something different about her most dedicated disciple, Vloren.
Something both promising and troubling.
For weeks, she had watched him from afar, observed as his focus began to shift. He was a natural prodigy. He was quick to grasp the basics of archaeology, but lately, there was something else creeping into his work. His hands, once steady and deliberate, now flickered with faint traces of magic. It wasn’t uncommon for magic to intertwine with archaeology, but there was a recklessness to his use of it, a distraction from the discipline he had once shown.
Today was no different.
From the edge of the dig, Lea spotted him kneeling over a relic, his fingers brushing against the stone with far too much haste. A shimmer of runic energy danced along his fingertips—subtle, but unmistakable. He was using magic where he should have been using patience. She watched him for a moment longer, the faint smile she had once held for him now replaced by a quiet sigh.
She approached him, silent as a shadow, her steps deliberate. Vloren, engrossed in his work, didn’t notice her until she spoke.
“Young one,” her voice, calm yet commanding, cut through the stillness.
Vloren froze, his hand hovering above the artifact he had been studying. Slowly, he looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and guilt. “Master Lea,” he murmured, his voice hesitant. “My apologies, I didn’t hear you.”
Lea studied him for a moment, her gaze unwavering. There was no anger in her eyes, no sharp rebuke. Only the weight of disappointment. She crossed her arms and took a step closer, her presence like a shadow over his actions.
“Have you forgotten the lessons I taught you?” she asked, her voice steady, though there was a sharpness to her words that made Vloren’s fingers twitch. “You let magic cloud your judgment, Vloren.”
He opened his mouth, searching for words to explain, but nothing came out. Instead, his eyes dropped to the artifact at his feet, the faint traces of magic fading from his fingertips. The weight of her presence hung over him like a looming storm.
“I’ve been watching you,” Lea continued, her tone softening but no less firm. “You’ve changed. You’re walking a path I didn’t show you.” She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked down at him. “You’ve let magic guide your hand instead of the discipline I taught you.”
Vloren’s gaze flicked up to her, his brow furrowing. “Master Lea, I... magic isn’t a distraction. It’s a part of this world, a part of me. I only use it to enhance what we do here.”
Lea raised a hand, silencing him. “I know what magic is, young one. But you’re letting it consume you. You’re forgetting the purpose of archaeology. The careful, deliberate work of revealing the past, not rewriting it.”
Her words stung, but Vloren remained quiet. He could feel the truth in them, and it gnawed at him. He had been so eager, so quick to use his growing magic that he hadn’t realized how far he’d strayed from the path she had laid before him.
“You have learned from me,” Lea reminded him, her voice carrying the weight of their shared history. “You learned patience, the care it takes to bring the past to life. And now…” She gestured to the artifact at his feet. “You've become impatient. Rushing the process. Using magic to fill in the gaps instead of letting the earth reveal its secrets to you.”
Vloren clenched his fists at his sides, the desire to defend himself rising in his chest. “Master Lea, magic can help us. It can make the process faster, more efficient. I’ve learned so much—”
“Yes,” Lea interrupted, her tone firmer now. “But at what cost?” She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his. “You let magic become your only tool. You’ve lost the balance. The slow, methodical work you once prided yourself on is fading. And it’s dangerous, Vloren.”
He looked away, his heart pounding in his chest. She wasn’t scolding him, but her words struck deep. The boy who had once knelt before her, eager to learn the ways of archaeology, had indeed begun to change. He had let magic cloud his vision, and now, standing before her, he felt the weight of that realization.
“Master Lea, I...” he began, but his words faltered. He didn’t know how to explain, didn’t know how to justify the path he had taken.
Lea’s expression softened, but the disappointment remained. “You are more than a mage, Vloren. You are an archaeologist. A seeker of knowledge. A protector of history. Magic can be a tool, yes, but it should never become the sole utility you rely on most.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder, the touch gentle but grounding. “I will always be here, young one. I will watch you, and lend a guiding hand when necessary. But remember this: You learned the foundations and principles that make up archaeology. You know the way forward. Magic is not the path that will lead you to true understanding. Only patience and knowledge will.”
Vloren swallowed, his chest tight as her words sank in. He could feel the truth of them, the weight of the expectations she had always placed on him. “I understand, Master Lea,” he said quietly, his voice steady but subdued. “I won’t forget.”
Lea watched him for a moment longer, her sharp gaze softening as she saw the resolve flicker back to life in his eyes. She nodded, satisfied but not entirely reassured. “Good. Let us see what you do with the knowledge you’ve been given, young one. I will be watching.”
With that, she stepped away, leaving him standing among the ruins, the echoes of her words settling like dust in the air. Vloren stood still, the weight of the moment heavy on his shoulders. He had strayed from the path she had shown him, but now—now he knew the way back. The past was still waiting for him to uncover it, but this time, he would do it with the patience and discipline his master had taught him.
As Lea walked away, she couldn’t help but glance back one last time. The boy, though changed, still held the potential she had seen in him from the start. And she would be there, watching from the shadows, to see if he would fulfill it.
⊰✧⊱