CRIMSON COVENENT

Chapter 6: Shadows in the Aftermath

The walk back to campus was quiet, the trio too overwhelmed by what had transpired to speak. The forest’s magic still buzzed faintly around them, but it seemed less oppressive, as if acknowledging their victory. Yet Nelsy couldn’t shake the feeling that their battle had only scratched the surface of a much larger mystery.

When they finally emerged from the woods, Lizzy broke the silence. “We need to figure out what just happened. That…thing, the Crimson Warden—it’s not gone for good, is it?”

“No,” Nelsy admitted, his voice low. “It felt like…a test. Like the forest was seeing if I was ready for something bigger.”

Jace rubbed his temples, exhaustion and frustration evident on his face. “Great. So, we’ve officially moved from magical monsters to cosmic-level exams. Just what I needed during finals week.”

Lizzy shot him a glare. “This isn’t a joke, Jace. That thing almost killed us.”

“I know,” Jace replied, his tone softening. “But we need to be smart about this. Running into the forest with no plan nearly got us killed. If we’re going to help Nelsy—or ourselves—we need more information.”

Nelsy sighed, guilt weighing heavily on him. “You’re right. This is my mess, and I need to figure out how to fix it. I just don’t know where to start.”

Lizzy placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You’re not alone, Nelsy. We’re in this together.”

Jace hesitated before nodding. “For now, yeah. But we need to keep this quiet. If anyone finds out about what happened, especially the faculty…” He trailed off, glancing nervously toward the college buildings looming in the distance.

Nelsy followed his gaze. The university was a place of logic and reason, its old-world charm belying a strict adherence to rules and tradition. If anyone discovered the truth about his powers—or the forest’s secrets—it could bring scrutiny he wasn’t ready for.

“Agreed,” Nelsy said. “We keep this between us.”

Later that night, Nelsy lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as his thoughts spiraled. The golden light he’d summoned in the clearing had felt both exhilarating and terrifying, like holding a storm in the palm of his hand.

The voice of the tree echoed in his mind: Face your fear, Wielder. Only then can you reclaim the light.

“What fear?” he muttered to himself.

He glanced toward his desk, where the journal from the restricted section lay open. Its pages were filled with cryptic descriptions of the Crimson Warden, the convergence point, and a prophecy tied to a figure known as the Wielder of Light.

But none of it explained why he’d been chosen.

The next morning, the tension was palpable. Lizzy met him at the dining hall, her usual cheerful demeanor replaced with quiet determination.

“We need to dig deeper,” she said, sliding a tray of food onto the table.

“Into what?” Nelsy asked.

“Everything,” Lizzy replied. “The Warden, the forest, your magic. There has to be more to this than what we found in the archives.”

Jace joined them, his hair disheveled and dark circles under his eyes. “I pulled an all-nighter reading through old myths and folklore. Most of it is useless, but there’s a recurring theme about the forest protecting something—or someone.”

“What kind of protection?” Nelsy asked, his interest piqued.

“Hard to say,” Jace replied, taking a sip of coffee. “But the Warden wasn’t just attacking randomly. It was guarding the forest, like a sentinel. If it’s tied to you, Nelsy, then you’re either the one it’s protecting—or the one it’s protecting against.”

Nelsy’s stomach churned. “That’s…reassuring.”

Lizzy frowned. “We can’t assume the Warden is our only problem. What if there’s something worse out there, and it’s the real reason the forest is reacting this way?”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Jace said. “Which is why we need more than just guesswork. We need evidence.”

“Where do we even find evidence?” Nelsy asked, exasperated.

Jace tapped the table thoughtfully. “The tree in the clearing—it’s clearly tied to your powers. If the forest holds more answers, we’ll need to spend more time exploring it. But we can’t just keep walking in blind.”

Lizzy nodded. “Maybe we can map it out, track the places where the magic feels strongest.”

“Good idea,” Jace said. “We’ll need supplies—compasses, notebooks, maybe even a GPS tracker if the forest lets it work.”

Nelsy leaned back in his chair, overwhelmed by their planning. “This is starting to feel less like an adventure and more like a survival mission.”

Jace smirked. “Welcome to magic school, Jay.”

As the day wore on, the trio gathered their supplies and prepared for another trip into the forest. But deep down, Nelsy couldn’t shake the feeling that they were running out of time.

The balance was broken, the Warden was stirring, and the forest’s secrets were growing more dangerous by the day.

Whatever lay ahead, it was clear they were only scratching the surface of a much larger mystery.

And Nelsy wasn’t sure if they were ready for what they’d find.