The Broken Spire stood like a jagged tooth in the middle of the forest.
Its stone was dark and covered in moss. Vines curled up its sides like veins. Most of the tower had crumbled, but part of it still stood—just one floor, tilted slightly, with its roof broken open to the sky.
I stared at it from the trees.
In the book, this place had barely been mentioned. A line in the background, something like: "Kael once studied forbidden magic at the ruins of the old spire." No one had come here. Not the hero party.
Not the villagers.
It was forgotten.
That made it the perfect place to hide.
I stepped out of the woods and walked slowly toward it.
The ground around the tower was black and dry. No plants grew. No birds sang. My boots crunched over dead leaves and cracked roots.
The door had rotted away. I pushed what was left aside and stepped in.
Inside, it was dark. The floor was made of rough stone, covered in dust and bones. A spiral staircase led up—but half of it was missing. The walls were scratched with runes I couldn't read.
But I could feel it.
Magic. Old magic. Heavy. Dangerous.
I sat near the wall and pulled the Grimoire from my bag. It pulsed like a living heart.
"You bring me home."
I didn't answer.
I flipped it open, slowly, careful not to touch the pages too long. My eyes scanned the script. Most of it was still unreadable—twisting letters, ink that moved on its own.
But one page was clear now.
Spell: Veil of Silence
Mask the sound of your steps. Muffle your breath. For one hour, you are a shadow.
Cost: Blood and sleep.
I blinked.
The Grimoire was unlocking spells on its own. As if it could feel my need.
I should've been afraid. But I wasn't.
Instead, I copied the rune for the spell on a scrap of cloth, just in case. Then I closed the book.
My hands were shaking.
Not from fear—but from excitement.
What was happening to me?
That night, I built a small fire in the center of the tower room. I used dry twigs and broken furniture pieces. The heat felt good. Safe.
I sat and thought about what I had become.
Kael Thorne was a villain in the story. Hated. Feared. Killed.
But now… I was him.
Not by choice, but by fate.
And the longer I stayed in this world, the more it felt real. The more I wanted to survive.
Even if I had to become the villain to do it.
I didn't want to kill anyone. But if the hero party came again, I knew I might have to fight.
And this time, the Warding Circle wouldn't be enough.
I needed more.
More power. More knowledge. More control.
I pulled out the map from Mother Gwill. She had marked other places. Small symbols. One looked like a flame. Another, a skull. Another, a feather.
I didn't know what they meant.
But one mark was closer than the rest. South of the spire. A few hours' walk. Next to a river bend.
I decided to go at dawn.
The forest was quiet as I walked.
The Blood Moon was gone now, but its glow still hung in the trees. Everything felt sharper. The birds didn't sing. The shadows moved slower.
After two hours, I reached the river bend.
And found ruins.
A stone platform, half sunken into the earth. Four statues surrounded it—headless angels, wings broken. The river curved nearby, its water dark and slow.
In the center of the platform was a black stone altar.
Just like the one from the clearing where I used the Warding Circle.
I stepped closer.
The Grimoire pulsed.
"This is where blood was spilled. This is where I was born."
I reached out and touched the stone.
A shock ran through me.
Suddenly, I saw flashes—memories that weren't mine.
A young Kael standing at this altar. Chanting in a strange tongue. A woman screaming. Light exploding.
Then darkness.
I stumbled back, breathing hard.
The Grimoire laughed.
"Your soul is softer. But it will harden. It must."
I ignored it.
I looked at the altar again.
Someone had scratched a symbol into the stone. A circle with three eyes. Below it, a word in the old tongue:
"Vatharim."
I had no idea what it meant.
But the Grimoire did.
It opened on its own.
Pages flipped.
Then stopped.
Spell: Gaze of Vatharim
Reveal hidden truth. See beyond lies. For a moment, open the third eye.
Cost: A memory. A real one.
A memory?
I frowned.
Then I remembered—this world had rules. Magic had prices. And this spell asked for something personal.
Something real.
From me.
Not from Kael.
I sat on the edge of the altar and thought.
What could I give?
Then it came.
My mother's voice.
Not Kael's. Mine.
From before.
I let it go.
A whisper. A sound. The way she used to say my name.
It faded from my mind like smoke.
The spell burned into my skin.
My head spun.
And for a moment—I saw everything.
The trees around me weren't trees. They were watchers. Spirits in disguise. Sleeping, mostly.
But not all.
The river was not a river. It was a path. Something deep swam under it, watching the land above.
And the altar…
The altar was alive.
I backed away.
Then the vision faded.
And I was alone again.
But changed.
I had seen the truth of this place.
And I could never unsee it.
I returned to the Broken Spire by sunset.
Inside, the air felt heavier. The fire was still warm from before.
I sat and stared at the Grimoire.
"You learn fast," it said. "You will not die easy."
I didn't reply.
I knew something now.
Something I hadn't fully understood before.
The Grimoire wasn't just cursed.
It was alive.
And the more I used it, the more it knew me.
But I needed it.
I needed to survive.
Even if it meant giving up memories. Even if it meant losing myself piece by piece.
Because if I died… there was no coming back.
And the hero party was still out there.
Later that night, I heard something.
Voices.
I climbed what was left of the stairs and peeked out through the broken wall.
Torches.
Five figures in the trees.
Armor. Cloaks. Swords.
The hero party.
They had found the spire.
And they were coming.
I backed away from the edge and slid down to the floor. My heart was pounding.
No more hiding.
No more running.
Tomorrow, I would face them.
I didn't know if I would win.
But I would not die easily.
Not like Kael had.
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And so, chapter 4 is done.
So here I am thanking you for taking yout precious time to read this and your patience.
See you in the next one!