Dr. Alex Nolan II's Arc

Chapter 3 of 13

Nolan stood on the bank, waiting for his breathing to steady. The water where the artifact had sunk looked normal now — brown and slow-moving, nothing glowing beneath the surface. He could leave. Walk away and make it to the settlement in three days with nothing to show for any of it. The brand on his forearm flared hot without warning. He looked down and watched the scar ignite, edges turning molten red, blood-dark droplets running down his skin like the mark itself was melting. The pain drove him to his knees. The river in front of him erupted in purple light, a swirling portal opening just beneath the surface, luminous rings spinning outward and casting violet reflections across the muddy bank. Something rose through the glow — the artifact, still wrapped in canvas, ascending through the water as if pushed by invisible hands. Nolan tried to stand but the brand yanked him forward. Not a suggestion this time — a physical pull strong enough to drag him off his feet. He clawed at the mud, trying to anchor himself, but the brand burned hotter with every second he resisted. The artifact broke the surface, water streaming off its wrapped form, the purple skull pattern visible through the soaked fabric. The glow intensified and the brand screamed with heat. His boots slid across wet earth as the mark hauled him toward the river's edge. He hit the water hard and the current took him under. The brand stopped burning the instant he went beneath the surface, going cold and quiet against his skin. The artifact floated three feet away, the skull glowing bright through the canvas. Nolan grabbed it before he could think better of it, pulled it against his chest, and kicked for the surface. When he broke through, gasping, the portal was gone. The river looked ordinary again. He dragged himself onto the bank, the artifact clutched in both hands, and understood with absolute clarity: it had never been his to throw away.