Chapter 59 Waste
ZORA
Whether it was from shock or fear, I didn't know.
My body hit the floor and darkness welcomed me once more.
I woke up from sleep suddenly, and my body was completely drenched in my sweat. The dream had been so vivid. It felt like it had been so real, like I was actually inside the dream.
I saw a very small wooden box that was carved with intricate and beautiful patterns, it floated in the air right in front of me and on its lid was a Crest, a breathtaking symbol that seemed to glow even in the dim light of my dream.
I wanted to touch it and know what the carvings would feel under my fingers. It felt like I could almost feel the energy that was coming off from it.
When I looked at it well enough, I noticed the Sigil that was beneath the crest, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before, twisting and curling in very elegant and colorful patterns, something about it felt very familiar to me, it felt like a memory that wasn’t exactly mine but yet it somehow belonged to me.
I sat up, my heart beating really fast, beside me on the nightstand was a jar that had water, I took a glass of water from it, then I noticed the small key my family gave me when they disowned me on it, I don't even know if they should even be called family anymore, but they found it on me when I was picked up from the streets, I’d never understood why they kept it all these years and why they had handed it to me, well maybe they thought holding on to it was bad luck.
I picked it up, turning it over, feeling the grooves that had stood the test if time because it was obvious that the key was really old, and in that instant, a thought struck me, what if this key and the box in my dream were connected ?
I quickly grabbed my notebook and started sketching the Sigil so that I didn't forget what it looked like. My pencil moved almost of its own accord, tracing the intricate patterns perfectly. It was just like I had seen in the dream.
I couldn’t explain it, but something inside me whispered that these were the memories Marissa mentioned, pieces of a past I had never known, fragments of a life that had been waiting for me to find it.
I needed answers, so I called the first person who came to my mind.
“Marisa! You need to see this!” I yelled.
She enters almost immediately, her brow furrowed in concern. “Zora, what’s wrong?”
I held out the notebook, shaking slightly. “Look at this, I saw this in my dream. Do you think it looks familiar ?”
Her eyes widened as she leaned closer. “Wait… I’ve… I’ve seen this before, my grandma used to draw something very similar to this, I think that it’s… connected to the old clans, mountain dwellers or was it forest dwellers, well places near the pack, though I don't think anyone really talks about them anymore.”
My stomach tightened. “Then we need to find her! We need to know everything that she knows about this, then”
Marisa shook her head with a frown on her face “I… I can’t go back to her, Zora, you know how things are between us, and I don't think she wants to be found, but I’ll help you find what we can, we can actually make some research, check old records and see if we can learn more without having to go to her.”
I bit my lip, frustrated, but nodded. “Okay, then let's start with the library. That is basically where history is hidden.”
The library being massive was an understatement. It was a maze of shelves stacked with ancient texts, old maps, and records of settlements that are long gone.
It felt different from the one I visited when I was making findings about the bond
I ran my fingers along the books, excitement building up in me in anticipation of what we would find.
Am I about to meet the family I've never met?
Marisa and I spent hours checking every single text, map, and diagram.
And then, I saw it, the Sigil was repeated on an old banner, and it was sketched in faded ink on several parchment.
My pulse quickened in excitement.
It wasn’t just a symbol. It was more like a map hidden in plain sight. Beneath one of the Sigils, there was a location stated. It was a forest clearing at the edge of the mountains, somewhere close to the old pack lands.
“This… this has to be it,” I said, my voice trembling with anticipation.
Marisa nodded. “Then we go and check the place out but we have to be very careful, it’s not far, but it’s not exactly a place people visit either so we have to be cautious."
The next morning, we left as early as possible because we had no idea what we were going to see when we got there or what we were going to find there.
My senses were on high alert, every sound rustle made me pause,
But it seemed as though the dream was guiding me with every step that I took, I could see the clearing in my dream at the back of my mind.
Finally, we got to somewhere that looked exactly like what I saw in my dream, sunlight filtered through the canopy created by the branches of the trees.
“This is the place that we are meant to be," I told Marisa, but she looked confused.
“But this place is empty, and there's nothing here but an empty space and trees surrounding it." She replied.
I just ignored her as a strange energy hummed through me, and in that instant, I knew what I had to do.
Immediately, I knelt down and began digging where I'd seen in the dream. My fingers clawed at the earth, damp and cool, until they struck something hard.
I cleared away the dirt, and right in front of me was the box from my dream. It was exactly the same size and shape, and it had the exact same designs on it.
My hands trembled as I picked it up, feeling its weight and the cold smoothness of its surface. I pulled the key from my pocket and put it into the lock, hoping it works.
It fits perfectly.
I turned the key, and the lock clicked. My heart pounded as I lifted the lid.
I was curious to know what I'd see in there. I'll finally have answers.
When I looked inside, I saw absolutely nothing in it.
I stared, completely in shock.
How was it empty?! Did I just waste my time and energy on this?
I peered in again,
The box was empty, no treasures, papers, or even anything that could link me to my origin.