Bastion

Prologue.

Rain hammered against the stained glass windows of the library, echoing through the vast space. Dr Adrian Ellsworth descended the narrow stone steps into the depths of St. Bastion's College, his lantern casting a flickering, feeble light. He knew he should not be there—not at this hour. Not where even the bravest scholars feared to tread.

The steel keys in his trouser pocket felt like lead, a consistent reminder of the risk posed. Adrien's curiosity, that insatiable drive, pushed him forward. He was a man haunted by questions, and tonight, he was on verge of discovering answers.

He paused as he reached the bottom of the staircase. Before him was a heavy, detailed oak door, its surface weathered with age. The door bore no handle, no visible lock—rather a faint impression of symbols, their meanings lost to time. With some mild effort (more than the man would ever care to admit), it creaked open. Beyond was a dimly lit room, untouched for decades. Perhaps centuries.

A cathedral? No. A library? Possibly. Adrian's lantern light swept across rows of towering bookshelves, each one lined with dusty tomes and archives that whispered of secrets long-forgotten. Within the centre of the room, on a solitary pedestal, lay the object of his obsession: a manuscript bound in maroon cracked leather, its cover embossed with the very symbol which captivated and terrified him—a golden outline of the sun with an eye at the centre.

"The Codex of the Heliotrics", he whispered, hardly daring to believe it. The manuscript said to contain the forbidden knowledge of an ancient sect believed to posses the secret of transmutation. To create something from nothing. Many had sought it, and many had passed trying. But now, it was within Adrian's grasp!

Cautiously, Adrian approached the pedestal, his hands trembling as he delicately lifted up the glass case. The air was crisp, as though the room itself had preserved the chill of its secrets. As he opened the cover, a faint breath of dust escaped. The book had exhaled after centuries of silence. However, it was tainted with runes, symbols even? It was unbeknownst to Adrian. Their meanings only to be deciphered by a select few—like Felix. The pages were filled with rituals and rites, arcane formulas that promised power beyond comprehension! It was begging to be understood, to be delivered into the light.

The surrounding windows rattled, his lantern flame flickering, plunging the room into near darkness. Adrian's heart leapt as he heard a sound— a soft whisper, so faint it could have been his imagination, but unmistakeable nonetheless. Adrian held his lantern high as he pivoted, only to gauge shadows dancing along the white stone wall.

"Who's there?" he called out, his voice echoing off the walls. The room remained silent, save for the persistent patter of rain.

He clutched the manual closer to his chest. Adrian was not a man given to superstition, but the atmosphere was undeniably charged, alive with an energy he could never hope to explain.

Adrian's instincts screamed at him to flee. But the man had come too far, risked too much. The room seemed to grow colder, the shadows deeper. Panic surged through him - it was unmissable. The clear sense of claustrophobia dawning upon him, it was terror beyond what the man had ever known. Something was there. Albeit imperceptible to the human eye.

Adrian ran. Bolted through the oak door, lantern swinging wildly, casting frantic shadows below him. The whispers followed him, growing louder, more insistent until they became a cacophony of voices:

"No."

But he would not stop. He couldn't. He emerged into the rain-sodden courtyard of St. Bastion's cathedral, the grey stone stairs behind him hidden from sight by the hedge. Adrian knew he had crossed a line, he had awakened something that should have remained asleep. He wouldn't turn back. Not now. Not ever.

He had the manuscript. Adrian had the secrets of the Heliotrics.

Dr. Adrian Ellsworth had defied the darkness.

Now, he would have to face its consequences.