The amulet's glow deepened until the entire hall was swallowed in a blinding crimson haze. Every guard shielded their eyes, but two figures-Lorin and Seraphina-stood motionless at its center. Their eyes were open, their bodies still, yet it was clear their spirits were elsewhere.
The air trembled. Then, as though the palace itself had exhaled, the light pulled them away.
---
The Vision
Lorin blinked, and the world around him had changed. He and Seraphina stood in the same hall-but older, dustier, and heavy with the weight of forgotten years. The marble pillars were cracked, the windows shattered. The air smelled of smoke and salt.
Before them stood a man draped in tattered robes of dark velvet. His hair was streaked with silver, his eyes consumed by hunger. In his hand hung the crimson amulet-it still glowed a little, it was still alive, but not fully.
The name came to Lorin like a whisper that wasn't his own.
Varion.
The man placed the jewel upon an altar, his voice trembling as he chanted. The words were ancient and strange, but their meaning pulsed through the air-he sought power, not peace.
At first, the amulet responded with warmth. Its light shimmered faintly, and Varion smiled as strength coursed through him. But the more he chanted, the weaker he became. But he was not willing to give up until he got what he seeked his knees faltered. The jewel brightened.
"Power is never given," a voice murmured through the air. "It is taken."
Varion gasped, clutching his chest. The amulet's glow turned harsh, bloodlike, until his body fell lifeless before the altar.
The amulet pulsed once more-softly, like a heartbeat-and came fully alive.
Years later people found Varion's dead body and the mysterious amulet next to him. A man tried to obtain the amulet, but he didn't know anything about the amulet choosing it's bearer. It's light became very bright and it took the man's strength and his lifeless body came crashing down. After witnessing that, the people became very frightened of the relic.
Days later, a woman in travel-worn robe found it and it glowed really bright as if giving her an approval then she carried it away. The people whispered that she had taken a cursed relic, for the man who once bore it had died without reason. And another man who touched it also died
Years passed, and the amulet was cast away again-forgotten, abandoned, feared-until it reached a small island where a young princess named Miranda discovered it. She wore it daily, speaking to it as if it were alive it was, but she didn't know.
When danger came for her, the amulet shone brightly and saved her life. From that day, legends spread-one of light and protection, the other of fire and destruction.
Two destinies bound to one amulet: one to guard, one to destroy.
Then the light folded upon itself, and the vision shattered.
---
Return to the Hall
Lorin gasped, stumbling backward. Seraphina clutched her chest, breathing hard as the amulet dimmed against her chest. The crimson glow faded, leaving only candlelight and the echo of thunder outside.
Kael rushed forward. "Seraphina!"
She blinked, dazed, her gaze finding Lorin's. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. The same memory burned behind both their eyes.
---
Meanwhile, Beyond the Palace Walls
Far away, the guard from the kingdom of Altheris groaned awake in the wet grass. His armor was gone, his tunic missing, his head ached as he touched his forehead he discovered a little blood.
He sat up with a grunt, glancing around in confusion. The last thing he remembered was a commoner seeking his help... and then he couldn't remember anything.
"Saints preserve me," he muttered under his breath.
He gathered leaves and branches, fashioning a crude covering. In the distance, he saw smoke rising from a small hut. Desperate and shivering, he made his way toward it.
He knocked gently on the wooden door. A startled old woman opened it, holding a lantern close.
"Forgive me," he said hoarsely, lowering his gaze. "I mean no harm. I'm a palace guard from Altheris. Someone robbed me and left me in the woods. I only seek shelter, my lady-just for the night."
The woman seemed to think for a while, then sighed softly. "You may come in. Sit by the fire before you freeze to death."
The guard bowed deeply. "You have my gratitude, fair lady. May the heavens bless you." But he couldn't shake the strangeness he felt in her presence, he waved it off.
---
Back in the Palace
King Alaric who had been pacing back and forth anxiously while his crown glinted faintly in the dim light now rushed to his daughter's side and hugged her tightly as though he almost lost her. His face was pale, his voice sharp with worry.
"What happened to my daughter, Kael?" the King demanded.
Kael bowed low. "Your Majesty, the light consumed both of them. I feared the worst, but they live."
The King turned his gaze toward Seraphina, who stood near Lorin, still trembling. "And the amulet?"
Kael's tone grew grave. "According to the ancient texts, sire... their destinies are tied to the amulet. What we have witnessed tonight was not mere magic-it was memory."
The King's brow furrowed. "I do not understand."
Kael looked from the King to Seraphina, then to Lorin, and his voice dropped to a whisper that carried across the hall.
"The amulet remembers, Your Majesty. And it has chosen to show them it's ancient memory."
Silence fell. Only the faint hum of the Crimson Amulet filled the space, steady as a heartbeat.
Outside, thunder roared again. But this time, it sounded like a warning.