Vex Thornwright's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

The tower held more than grimoires and journals. Vex discovered a workshop on the second floor, its tables cluttered with glass vials and copper instruments. Dried herbs hung from hooks along one wall, their labels faded but still readable. A stone mortar sat beside bundles of root vegetables, preservation spells keeping them fresh despite the dust everywhere else. The wizard had lived here, worked here, perfected the techniques that Vex had fumbled. This place was everything they needed—books to study, tools to practice with, supplies to last weeks. The review board had stripped Vex of their position and resources, but here in this forgotten tower, they could rebuild. They could finish what the apprentice's death had interrupted. Vex set their pack down and touched the nearest table. The wood was solid, scarred with burn marks and chemical stains. Yes. This would do perfectly. A narrow window on the far wall drew Vex's attention. They crossed the workshop and peered through the grimy glass. Beyond the tree line, ancient stone ruins jutted from the forest floor. Broken pillars stood in a rough circle, their surfaces carved with glowing runes that pulsed with faint blue light. Vex's chest tightened. This was where the wizard had tested subjects—where battles had been fought to prove the techniques worked. The runes still held power after all this time. The review board had called Vex reckless, but the wizard had been bold enough to create a testing ground. To mark the place where theory became reality. Vex grabbed one of the grimoires from their pack and flipped through until they found a sketch of the same ruins. Notes filled the margins: "Subject seven survived transformation. Containment successful." The wizard had done it here, in that circle of stones. Vex would too. They closed the book and looked back through the window. The ruins glowed softly in the dusk. Soon, Vex would walk that ground and claim what the wizard had proven possible—mastery over flesh and death itself. The trees thinned as Vex followed a dirt path away from the tower. Knight's Landing had more to offer than just the wizard's abandoned workspace. A circular building appeared through the branches, its thatched roof rising to a point. Wooden beams curved around stone walls, and warm light spilled from windows cut into the structure. Voices drifted out—locals sharing stories. Vex pushed through the door. Inside, benches lined the walls where townspeople sat talking. An old woman gestured as she spoke about a healer who'd worked miracles decades ago. Another man described strange lights seen near the forest's edge. Vex listened from the shadows. These people knew the history of this place, the legends that might hold truth. The wizard's notes mentioned local sources, oral records passed down through generations. Information the review board would have dismissed as superstition. But Vex knew better. Every rumor about flesh magic or death rituals could lead somewhere useful. They leaned against the doorframe and absorbed every word. This building held knowledge too—just a different kind. Between the tower's records and the town's memories, Vex would piece together what the wizard had known. The scar on their chest burned as someone mentioned experiments in the woods. Yes. This place would give them everything they needed. Dawn came cold and gray. Vex returned to the tower through wet grass, their boots leaving dark prints. Outside the entrance stood a tall wooden pole they'd missed in yesterday's search. Purple and black banners hung from its top, snapping in the morning wind. Vex stopped. The colors matched symbols in the grimoires—markers for those who understood what they meant. The wizard had planted this pole as a signal, a way to draw others who sought the same forbidden knowledge. The review board would have torn it down and burned it. But here it stood, waiting for seekers like Vex to find it. They touched the wood and felt carved grooves beneath their fingers—more runes, smaller ones that spelled out promises of power. The wizard had built more than a workspace. This tower, the testing ground, the pole with its dark banners—all of it was a place designed for pushing past limits. For achieving what others called impossible. Vex looked up at the banners whipping overhead. The wizard's secrets were here, waiting to be claimed. And Vex would take them all.