THE LOST MAGIC KINGDOM

The journey began the next morning. Kael walked quickly, the weight of the map in his satchel heavier than the bread and water he carried. His boots splashed through the mud as he left Greystone behind. For once, he didn't care about the rain or the cold, or his uncle's angry voice echoing in his mind.

"You're making a mistake, Kael. You're chasing ghosts." His uncle's voice, rough and dismissive, replayed in his thoughts.

Kael gritted his teeth. "Maybe I am, but ghosts are better than the life I've got."

The map seemed to pulse in response, as if it understood. It was calling him forward.

He stopped at a clearing, sweat clinging to his back despite the cool air. The map shimmered again. The lines of rivers shifted and began to form something new, something he hadn't seen before. The trees in the distance seemed to move in rhythm with it.

"Where are you taking me?" Kael whispered. "What are you trying to show me?"

The map hummed with energy, the ink changing before his eyes. He traced a path with his finger, feeling an unfamiliar connection. "You're alive, aren't you?"

He heard a rustle behind him. Kael spun around, his pulse quickening.

A low voice called out, "You shouldn't be here."

Kael's heart raced as a figure emerged from the mist—Erya. She was thin, charming, with sharp eyes that seemed to pierce right through him. Her hands were steady, though Kael could see the tension in her stance.

"Who are you?" Kael demanded, holding the map tightly to his chest.

Erya smiled coldly, not a trace of fear in her eyes. "Someone who's been following you for a while. That map doesn't belong to you, boy. You don't know what you've stumbled into."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "It chose me. I didn't ask for this."

"Chose you?" Erya's voice was laced with disbelief. "You think the map chooses? That's not how it works. It's not a gift—it's a curse. And it's leading you down a path you won't survive."

Kael took a deep breath, clutching the map tighter. "I don't need your warnings. I've come this far, and I'm not turning back."

Erya studied him for a long moment before she let out a long breath. "Then, you're an idiot," she muttered. But she lowered her weapon, a knife with a blade that looked like it had seen more blood than Kael could imagine. "Fine. You want to follow this cursed thing? Then let me help. But don't say I didn't warn you."