The Warlord's Unexpected Affection
chapter 1
Sunlight filters through the swirling dust, casting golden streaks across the excavation site.
Inside a tent, stacks of aged manuscripts, brushes, and tools are neatly arranged on a wooden table.
Ava Harrison, in her mid 20s, kneels before the table, eyes locked onto the relic in her hands
Ava Harrison
*Exhales slowly*
She wears a white tank top, layered under an unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt with sleeves rolled up. Short cargo pants hug her frame.
Her boots rest lightly against the ground as she leans in, carefully brushing away the remnants of earth from the object in her grasp.
A golden dragon-shaped key pendant.
The dragon’s scales, carved with painstaking precision.
Its tail curls protectively around the bow of the key, where a pale stone rests, almost translucent. A large blue gem, nestled in the dragon’s chest.
Ava Harrison
If I didn’t know better, I’d say this belonged in a fantasy novel.
*slowly*
The larger blue gem pulses faintly under her touch
Her breath catches, but she quickly dismisses it as a trick of the light
Ava Harrison
*turns the pendant over in her fingers*
*notices something beneath the dirt*
Ava Harrison
*reaches for her brush*
The engraving begins to reveal itself under careful strokes.
The back of the pendant is engraved, faint inscriptions running along the dragon’s spine.
At the bottom, a single phrase stands out, clearer than the rest, as though meant to be read:
Ava Harrison
For the chosen, time yields; at their touch, fate unravels.
*read slowly*
A sudden gust of wind rushes through the tent.
The lantern flickers violently.
The pendant in her hand begins to hum.
The air feels heavy, thick with unseen energy.
The blue gem pulses, its glow deepening, as if coming to life.
Ava Harrison
*panicked, trying to let go of the relic*
Ava Harrison
No, no, no—what the hell is this?!
But she can’t let go—her fingers are locked around the pendant.
The compass at her belt spins wildly, the needle jerking in random directions.
The air ripples around her like heat waves, and the tent fades into a blinding light.
Ava screams as the world around her disappears.
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