Session 1 - Day 2 - Midmorning, Edge of the Tomb

I’m hurt.
 
Not just bruised or winded—truly hurt. The kind that makes your limbs feel heavy and your breath come shallow. The kind that makes you wonder if you were ever strong to begin with.
 
I tried to rest in the chamber, but there’s nothing there to shield me. No rubble to stack, no sarcophagus to hide behind. Just stone and silence. The statue watches, but she offers no comfort.
 
So I climbed back up the stairs—slowly, each step a reminder of the halberds that found me. The woods are still misted, the coals of last night’s fire cold but intact. I leaned against a tree and let myself breathe.
 
I used the time to check my wounds. The cuts are deep, but not fatal. I took a long, sobering rest. My strength is returning, slowly.
 
I didn’t want to use the scroll.
 
It felt like giving up a piece of something sacred—like spending a wish. But I couldn’t go back to the village with nothing but bruises and silence. I needed to earn the story.
 
So I whispered the words, ancient and lilting, and the wind answered.
 
It came soft and swirling, like the breath of the forest itself. Leaves lifted around me, dancing in the breeze, and the pain began to fade. The scroll dissolved in my hands, its magic spent, its purpose fulfilled. I felt it leave me—not just the pain, but the doubt too. Not all of it, but enough.
 
I’m stronger now. Not whole, but steadier. The kind of strength that comes from choosing to stay when it would be easier to leave.
 
I still wonder if I was ready. But I think… maybe readiness isn’t a feeling. Maybe it’s a decision.
 
While I sat there, I asked myself if I was ready. If I’d come here too soon. I thought I was prepared. I thought I could handle whatever the tomb held. But now… I’m not sure.
 
It’s a strange feeling—doubt. I’m not used to it. I’ve always been the one who pressed forward, who believed that courage was just another kind of curiosity. But today, I felt small.
 
I’ll go back down soon. But for now, I’ll let the wind speak, and I’ll listen.
—E