Percival Arrives From Thornhaven
Deep within the castle of Thornhaven, nestled within the comforting confines of his workspace, a lone scholar worked tirelessly. Percival's study was a cluttered sanctuary of parchment scrolls, leather-bound tomes, and alchemical instruments. The room was dimly lit by flickering candles, casting dancing shadows on the walls. Percival himself was a figure of scholarly dishevelment, his white hair perpetually tousled, round spectacles perched on his nose, and ink-stained fingers betraying his ceaseless work.
His latest obsession had appeared suddenly without explanation, an artifact shrouded in mystery and potential. Unlike some of his previous fascinations, the Time Portal was no mere curiosity. It was an intricately crafted device, composed of swirling, ethereal energies contained within a frame of ancient stone. It hummed with a latent power that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who dared to approach and had drawn the curiosity of all the residents of Thornhaven.
On this fateful evening, Percival had finally succeeded in duplicating the entrance of the Time Portal within an alcove of his study. The amount of power that had been required to link the two points to one another had been nothing short of tremendous, requiring the scholar to harness the ferocity of a passing Chaos Storm. His heart raced with a mix of excitement and trepidation. He knew the risks; tampering with a portal of unknown origin was a perilous endeavor, but the allure of unraveling the mysteries behind its creation was too great to resist.
Taking a deep breath, Percival began the incantation that his research suggested would empower the portal to seek its terminus, his voice steady despite the nervous energy fluttering within the pit of his stomach. The runes on the Time Portal glowed with an eerie light, the hum of its power growing louder. As the final words left his lips, the portal sprang to life, a swirling vortex of light and shadow forming within the stone frame.
Mesmerized, Percival stepped closer, his eyes reflecting the swirling energies. He reached out tentatively, his fingers brushing the edge of the vortex. In an instant, a powerful force seized him, pulling him off his feet and into the portal. The world around him blurred into a kaleidoscope of colors and sensations as he was hurtled through the fabric of time and space.
When the disorienting journey ended, Percival found himself sprawled on the ground in a place that bore some resemblance to his own realm, though he knew within an instant of looking around it was not. The sky held a single stone circle rather than three rings floating aloft. Curious gemstones littered the ground and spikes of chaotic energy danced across the dirt. Such things had not existed the last time he’d visited the origin point of the portal, further supporting his growing understanding that he had traveled far beyond the reaches of Thornhaven.
Percival rose to his feet, his mind racing to make sense of his surroundings. Taking a steadying breath, he began dusting himself off and looking around the area. His scholarly instincts kicked in as dreamers began appearing through the nearby portals. He began documenting everything he saw, his mind ablaze with the potential knowledge he could bring back to his King and Queen. However, as his eyes fell upon the dormant portal he had come through, one nagging thought gnawed at the edges of his consciousness: how would he return?
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