Part 1: The Shadows of the Nemus
The wind rushed through the towering oaks of Nemus Castelionesium, the vast forest that once covered the lands of what is now Lot-et-Garonne. A few winding paths meandered beneath the dark canopy, but one could travel long distances without ever seeing the sky clearly. The tall ferns added to the almost unsettling atmosphere.
No one truly knew whether the little folk who lived among the roots of the trees and beneath the thickets were real or mere legend. So many had seen them, heard them, that it could not be dismissed as mere imagination. Even now, the wind whispered its eerie song—soothing to some, sepulchral to others.
That evening, Branoc, a young Nitiobrigian initiate, moved cautiously among the trees. He was the son of a respected blacksmith, but his heart yearned for a different fate—to become a druid.
Before him, several standing stones barely rose above the ferns. This was a sacred place, a sanctuary where only the initiated could enter without fearing the wrath of the gods. There, beneath the thick canopy, mysterious tumuli stood, silent witnesses to an almost forgotten past.
The old druid Segomaros, master of rituals, had summoned him for a decisive trial. The sun had long disappeared beyond the horizon, yet Branoc could still make out the narrow path before him. As the vegetation thinned, he saw his master waiting, as still as an ancient tree, holding an oak branch in his hand.
— “Branoc, night is falling. Are you ready to walk among the shadows of the ancestors?”
The druid’s voice was as rough as a raven’s call. Branoc nodded as the elder handed him the branch. Segomaros raised his gnarled arm toward the tumulus, bordered by a moat filled with water.
— “This is the Mouttette. It is a place of past and future battles. The souls of warriors wander here, trapped in time. Tonight, you must listen to them.”
A shiver ran down Branoc’s spine. He had heard the legends—those who dared disturb the rest of the dead would have their dreams haunted forever. Many had lost their sanity, condemned to wander the woods, endlessly repeating words in an unknown tongue that all took to be the ramblings of madness. One had to proceed with pure intent, not in a quest for personal power.
But it was no longer time for hesitation.
Branoc grasped the torch, made of reeds and resin, that Segomaros handed him. The druid then took a red clay cup resting on a flat stone, half-covered in moss soaked with water. It contained ashes, which Branoc suspected were human remains. The dead were still burned, and it was not uncommon for druids to collect the ashes of important figures.
Segomaros dipped the fingers of his right hand into the ashes and drew three marks on his own forehead: a central vertical line, and two others on either side, slightly tilted upwards toward the center. He then approached Branoc and traced the same symbol on his forehead.
At the moment the first vertical line was drawn, a strong sensation appeared at the top of Branoc’s head, accompanied by a penetrating warmth that spread down to the base of his neck. The two other marks enveloped him in light, while a heat descended along his spine to the base of his back. A few moments later, the old druid sprinkled some ashes on Branoc’s feet. Immediately, a chilling cold settled in, as though he were standing on a slab of icy stone.
— “Step forward to the tumulus, but remember: do not break the silence of the dead.”
Branoc took a deep breath and moved forward. Night had fallen, and shadows seemed to dance upon the ancient stones, surrounded by ferns swaying in the wind.
He began to climb the tumulus using a kind of stone staircase. Suddenly, as he stepped onto the flattened summit, a sound echoed through the oppressive silence.
A dull crack, as if the earth itself were holding its breath.
Then, a voice— weak, distant, and yet distinct.
— “Who dares disturb the circle of the ancestors?”
Branoc’s heart pounded in his chest.
He was no longer alone.
To be continued…
🔮 In the next episode:
➡ What secrets does the Mouttette hold?
➡ Will Branoc dare answer the call of the spirits?
➡ Does Segomaros know the truth about the tumulus?
✨ Don't miss the next chapter!
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