Chapter 46: Roots of Darkness
Decades before Edward's first cry, and before the Ferguson estate was built on that isolated hill, the great-grandfather, Arthur Ferguson, was a man whose veins pulsed with the spirit of adventure. He was no ordinary merchant chasing gold; he was a seeker of secrets in the farthest reaches of the earth, driven by an unquenchable curiosity to know what lay behind the veils.
During one of his journeys through the barren Moravian desert, where sands meet the sky in an endless horizon, Arthur stumbled upon a body collapsed over the dunes. It was a man of awe-inspiring appearance despite his frailty; he wore a cloak woven from threads unlike any of human make, and his skin was pale as if the sun had never touched it. The man was on the brink of death, his veins parched from thirst, nearly surrendering his soul.
Arthur did not hesitate. He gave the stranger his own water, fed him from his provisions, and stayed awake tending to him for days until the man regained his strength. There, under the starlight, the stranger revealed his identity; he was no mere traveler, but an ancient sorcerer named "Malakar the Sinister."
Malakar wished to repay Arthur in a manner befitting one who had saved a sorcerer's life. He began smelting rare metals Arthur had never seen before—metals said to have fallen from the stars thousands of years ago. With supernatural skill, he forged the "Ring of Reflection"—a band of black silver and dark ruby, engraved with symbols and ciphers that glowed faintly whenever danger drew near.
While Malakar worked on the ring, Arthur did not waste time. He sat by the sorcerer reading his ancient books, bound in strange leathers. Arthur was vastly well-read, absorbing forbidden knowledge like thirsty land drinks rain. He read of blood pacts, of entities living in the shadows, and of "Toula," who at that time was nothing more than a legend in a book.
Once Malakar finished the ring, he looked at Arthur and said in a cryptic voice: "You saved my life, and I have given you a key to power. But remember, Ferguson, the knowledge you drank from my books has a price, and the ring on your finger does not just open doors—it summons those who dwell behind them."
Arthur did not realize then that his curiosity and love for adventure had laid the foundation for a curse that would span generations, and that that desert journey was the actual beginning of Toula's appearance in the family history—as a guardian... and a creditor