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A couple of ancient swords leaned against the walls, their blades bearing the marks of battles long since fought. They were silent witnesses to the passage of time, their stories waiting to be uncovered.
But it was the locked cabinet that drew my attention, a mysterious enigma amid the wealth of knowledge. It stood in the corner, its intricate carvings hinting at a hidden purpose. The cabinet seemed to beckon me, promising untold revelations if I could unlock its secrets.
Daryn sighed. “Let’s get this packed up. We will need to dothis manually. The walls are too unstable to use magic until the items in this room are removed. We can portal out the rest of the debris afterward. Kaine, call in the newbies. They will be getting their hands dirty.”
Kaine sent off a message to the squad leaders as Lochlan got up and grabbed an empty crate from the corner. He began grabbing documents from the shelves and placing them inside the wooden box. His hands moved with practiced grace, delicate yet purposeful, as he readied the ancient scrolls and texts for transport.
The room itself seemed to pulse with a sense of anticipation, as if it were eager to assist us in finding the answers to the questions that had plagued us since our arrival.
We all grabbed a crate and began packing as Lochlan carefully packed his beloved books. His voice seemed older when he spoke. “We will determine if anything was taken.”
Daryn bundled the ancient swords. “We will have all the debris taken to the base as well. We will have to inspect every remnant and categorize it before authentication. I don’t care if it is a speck of dust. We find out what artifact it came from.”
CHAPTER 4
We worked diligently in the documents room, along with the young hunters, to carefully pack the contents into crates. The room, once a sanctuary of ancient knowledge, was slowly yielding its treasures to us.
The glow of the protection ward bathed our efforts in its warm light, as if granting us its blessing for the task at hand. We had faced countless challenges, and now we were determined to preserve the history and wisdom that had been entrusted to us.
With each scroll and tome carefully placed in the crates, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility weighing on my shoulders. These were not just books; they were the voices of generations, the stories of our hunter ancestors. They held the key to understanding the past and shaping the future.
Outside the destroyed building, my son and the young hunters stood ready, their energy and enthusiasm palpable. They were transporting the crates and shelves through a portal directly to our base, ensuring the safekeeping of this invaluable information.
The room slowly transformed into a sea of wooden boxes, each one filled with the fragile echoes of history. As the first crate was hoisted and carried outside, I watched with a mixture of prideand gratitude. The next generation of hunters, including my own son, was stepping up to carry on the legacy of our shared purpose. It was a heartwarming sight, a testament to the bonds of family and the strength of our community.
With each trip through the portal, the room grew emptier, but the knowledge within it remained as vibrant as ever. Our determination to protect and preserve these treasures burned brighter with every passing moment. The protection ward’s glow continued to watch over us, a silent witness to our efforts.
Daryn tapped my shoulder as I passed one of the final boxes to a young hunter. “They will move all the debris to a staging area at the base. We can sift through it more thoroughly there.”
“Where is that? There is a lot of debris. How will it all fit?”
Daryn took my hand. It was comforting that he always wanted to touch me. “You will see. We have conducted many investigations over the years and, unfortunately, this is not our first magical bomb. It will take at least an hour to move all this, even using magic. I suggest we use this time to stop by Caleb’s house and visit Jeremy. You can check on the store’s construction. Your contractor said that the suite is pretty much complete.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you. That was thoughtful. It looks like we will be busy until we get this sorted and I don’t like to go too long without visiting Jeremy.”
Daryn led me back to the vehicle, and I glanced at the hunters using the portal. “It would be convenient if we could use the portal all the time,” I mused.
Daryn opened my door. “It’s too draining on the breach map. Sustaining it for this long will exhaust us and deplete our base wards. It’s great for emergencies, but we never leave ourselves without a ride home. Portals are only guaranteed one way.”
I knew that but it sure was convenient when you could use it.
As I settled into the passenger’s side of the vehicle, my heart danced with a strange mix of excitement and trepidation. Theroad stretched ahead, leading me to the place where my dreams were about to take root and a soon-to-be-constructed store that held the promise of a new chapter in my life. The realization of a dream.
The engine’s purr provided a comforting backdrop to my racing thoughts. I’d weathered my share of storms over the years, but this venture felt like navigating uncharted territory. The anticipation of what lay ahead mingled with the ache of the destruction that had tempered my enthusiasm. I couldn’t shake the images of the once-vibrant museum now reduced to rubble.
Yet, I had a fire within me, a fierce determination to rise from the ashes of despair. The store wasn’t just about commerce; it was about resilience and renewal. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on my shoulders.
My fingers traced the edge of the seat, the leather cool beneath my touch, a stark contrast to the warmth bubbling within me. The rearview mirror caught my reflection—lines etched with experience, eyes that had witnessed both triumph and heartache. But there was a glimmer, a spark of hope that refused to be extinguished.
As the vehicle glided through the streets, I watched the world pass by, each familiar sight a reminder of the trials I had overcome and the man I had chosen to take this path with. Our bonds were unbreakable, and our spirit unshakable. I didn’t have to do this alone, and that filled me with gratitude.
As we pulled up to the house I once called home, a surge of emotion washed over me. The past had shaped me, but the future was mine to mold. I opened the car door, stepping out into the world of possibilities, looking forward to my conversation with my dead friend.
The exterior of the house looked the same, the two-story Victorian style with large plate-glass windows. The whitemoldings had been painted, though, and the grounds pruned and revitalized.
We made our way to the front door and opened it to the massive open space. The ground floor would be the store and we passed exposed electrical wires between open walls and several sawhorses, before ascending the lone staircase.
We had instructed the contractor to finish the suite upstairs first before starting on the store and he had done as requested. There wasn’t so much as a tile on the main floor, but the stairwell led to a fully constructed new suite for my son.
