SIGILBORNE: The World Beyond

The First Encounter

Several days had passed since they left the forest, yet Eiran still found himself thinking about what had happened inside it.

The unfamiliar mark on his palm remained unchanged. It looked like a Sigil, but none of the five elements he knew resembled it. He had spent hours examining it, comparing it with the symbols he had copied from the cave, and searching through his books for anything that might explain its nature.

So far, he had found nothing useful.

The old scholar's words, however, continued to linger in his mind.

A symbol could be a word, an idea, or a command. Understanding a word did not necessarily mean understanding what it was meant to accomplish.

Eiran had written those words in his notebook, hoping that reading them often enough might help him discover their meaning.

It hadn't worked.

"How much food do we have left?" Arthur asked from the driver's seat.

Eiran closed his notebook and looked at the bags secured behind them. He counted what remained before answering.

"Enough for today. Perhaps tomorrow if we ration it carefully."

Arthur sighed. "I was hoping you'd say a week."

"Would you prefer I lie?"

"Occasionally. It might improve my mood."

Seren, sitting beside Eiran, smiled faintly. She had become more comfortable teasing Arthur over the past few days, though she still sometimes hesitated before speaking, as if she needed to remind herself that she was allowed to.

Eiran unfolded the map resting beside him.

Their journey had taken them through stretches of woodland, open fields, and quiet roads. They had passed a few small settlements along the way, but most were little more than clusters of houses and farmland. Some weren't marked on their map at all.

Only the larger towns and cities appeared on it, which made planning their stops a little difficult. They couldn't always tell whether a settlement lay somewhere beyond the next bend or whether they would have to travel another day before finding one.

Fortunately, a large town lay ahead.

Eiran traced their route with one finger. "According to the map, we should reach it before nightfall if the road remains clear."

Arthur glanced at the map before returning his attention to the road. "Good. I'm getting tired of dried meat."

"You were the one who said it was convenient."

"I said it was convenient, not delicious."

"You ate most of it yesterday."

"That was a matter of survival."

Seren covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

The exchange eased the monotony of the journey, but Eiran knew they couldn't afford to be careless. Their supplies were running low, and they still had a considerable distance to travel. They needed more food, fresh water containers, lamp oil, and a few other necessities.

They couldn't keep relying on whatever they found along the road.

"We should buy enough to last several days," Eiran continued. "There's no point wasting time stopping at every settlement we come across."

"Agreed." Arthur shifted in his seat. "I'll go into town and handle the shopping. You two can stay with the carriage. It'll be faster if only one of us has to deal with the market."

Eiran considered the suggestion before nodding. "Buy dried meat, bread, grain, and vegetables that will keep. We also need lamp oil. Check the rope, too. The one securing our supplies is beginning to fray."

"Anything else?"

"Try not to spend our money on something you don't need."

Arthur looked over his shoulder. "You say that as if I'm the one who keeps buying things without thinking."

"You're the one who wanted to buy a second knife because you liked the handle."

"It was a good handle."

"It was a knife handle."

"Exactly."

Seren laughed, and even Eiran found himself smiling.

For a few moments, the road seemed peaceful enough that their biggest concern was the price of food.

Then the horse's ears suddenly flattened.

The animal slowed, its head turning toward the trees lining the road.

Arthur tightened his hold on the reins. "What's wrong?"

The horse took a nervous step, then another. Its breathing quickened, and it began pulling against the harness.

Seren's smile faded. "Is something there?"

Eiran looked toward the trees.

At first, he saw nothing unusual. The afternoon breeze stirred the leaves, and the distant sound of birds came from somewhere deeper in the woods. Then a heavy branch snapped.

Something moved between the trunks.

It was too large to be an ordinary animal.

Eiran straightened.

A massive creature emerged from the trees and stepped onto the road.

The horse immediately panicked.

Arthur pulled hard on the reins, struggling to keep it from bolting, while Seren instinctively moved closer to Eiran.

The creature stopped several paces away.

It stood on four enormous limbs, its broad shoulders rising far above the height of a grown man. Its body was so large that their horse looked small beside it, scarcely a quarter of its size. Dark, uneven growths covered sections of its hide, and its forelegs ended in thick paws equipped with long, hooked claws.

Its head resembled that of a massive predator, but several ridges protruded from its skull, giving its silhouette an unnatural appearance. Its mouth opened slightly, revealing rows of teeth as it breathed through its nostrils.

Eiran had never seen anything like it at such close range.

"That looks like a Corrupted beast," he said quietly.

Arthur swallowed. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"It wasn't meant to."

Eiran forced himself to examine the creature instead of staring at its size.

He had encountered beasts before, though never under circumstances like these. During his childhood, his family had occasionally traveled to visit other nobles or attend gatherings at their estates. Dangerous creatures sometimes appeared along the roads, but guards or hired mercenaries always dealt with them.

Eiran remembered watching those encounters from the safety of a carriage. The professionals had moved with confidence, identifying threats and eliminating them before the travelers needed to intervene.

Back then, he had never needed to understand how dangerous a beast truly was.

Now, there was nobody else to handle it.

"Can we tell its threat grade?" Arthur asked.

Eiran shook his head. "Not reliably. I've read about the classifications, but I've never assessed a beast myself."

He knew the basic principles. A creature's threat grade depended on more than its size. Its strength, speed, intelligence, abilities, and the difficulty of escaping from it all mattered.

Unfortunately, none of that helped much when the creature in question was standing directly in front of them.

It was enormous, but that alone didn't tell him whether it belonged among the lower grades or the more dangerous classifications. Guessing would accomplish nothing.

Eiran glanced at the road ahead. The town was still some distance away, and the creature stood between them and the clearest route forward. Turning the carriage around might be possible, but the frightened horse was already difficult to control.

"Arthur, don't approach it," Eiran said. "Keep the horse steady if you can. Seren, stay close to the carriage."

"And what about you?" Arthur asked.

"I'm trying to figure out how we're getting out of this."

Eiran kept his eyes on the creature, searching for signs of its intentions.

It hadn't attacked yet. Perhaps it was curious. Perhaps it was protecting its territory. Perhaps it had simply noticed an easy target.

He couldn't know.

The beast lowered its head. Its massive forelimbs shifted against the ground, and its shoulders tightened.

Eiran's eyes widened. "Arthur, move!"

The beast lunged.

Its enormous body surged forward with startling speed, claws tearing into the road. Arthur wrenched the reins sideways, forcing the horse away from the charge. The carriage lurched violently, nearly tipping as one wheel struck the uneven ground.

Seren stumbled, and Eiran caught her arm before she fell.

The beast's claws struck the earth where the horse had stood moments earlier, tearing deep grooves into the road.

The impact sent dirt scattering across the ground.

The horse screamed and tried to bolt.

Arthur fought to keep hold of the reins, but the animal's panic threatened to drag the carriage sideways.

"Get the horse under control!" Eiran shouted.

"I'm trying!"

The beast turned toward them.

Arthur released one hand from the reins and thrust his palm toward the ground.

"Terran!"

The earth beneath the creature's forelegs collapsed.

A deep hole opened beneath its weight, swallowing one leg and throwing its enormous body off balance. The beast crashed against the ground with a furious growl, sending a cloud of dust across the road.

Arthur stared for half a second. "That worked!"

"Arthur!" Sirang shouted! 

"I know!"

The creature tore its trapped leg free.

Arthur immediately raised a wall of earth between them. The barrier surged from the road, thick and uneven, but it was tall enough to obstruct the beast's path.

The creature slammed into it.

Cracks spread across the wall.

Arthur's face tightened as he struggled to reinforce it. He had practiced shaping earth countless times, but he had never attempted to hold back something this powerful. The ground beneath his feet trembled as the beast struck the barrier again.

"Seren, now!" Eiran shouted.

She raised both hands.

Water gathered before her, flowing from a container beside the carriage. With a sharp movement, she sent it toward the creature's head. At the same time, Aeris stirred around the stream, twisting its direction and forcing it across the beast's eyes.

The creature recoiled, shaking its head violently.

Arthur used the opening to raise another ridge of earth beneath its hind legs.

The beast stumbled.

For an instant, it seemed as though their combined efforts might be enough to keep it at bay.

Then it struck the wall again.

The barrier shattered.

Chunks of earth flew across the road, and Arthur staggered backward as the sudden loss of resistance broke his concentration. Seren's water splashed harmlessly across the ground, and the creature emerged through the collapsing barrier with barely a visible injury.

Their attacks hadn't damaged it.

Not meaningfully.

"How is it still standing?!" Arthur shouted.

"Because we're not hurting it!" Eiran answered.

The words sounded painfully obvious, but he had no better explanation.

Arthur could disrupt the beast's footing and obstruct its movements, while Seren could distract it and interfere with its balance. Their abilities were useful, but neither had learned how to turn those advantages into a decisive attack.

They had practiced using their Sigils, they hadn't practiced fighting and the difference was becoming terrifyingly clear.

The beast circled the broken barrier, its gaze following their movements. Its claws scraped against the road as it approached, and its thick tail swung behind it.

Eiran searched desperately for an opening.

Could they target its eyes? Its joints? Perhaps the softer areas beneath its body?

They didn't have the opportunity to try. The creature was too fast, and every failed attempt left them with less room to move.

Arthur raised another wall, but Eiran could see the strain in his friend's expression.

He wouldn't be able to keep doing this forever.

Seren was breathing hard as well. Her control was improving, but directing two Sigils under this kind of pressure was far beyond anything she had attempted before.

And Eiran?

He had nothing.

His unfamiliar mark had given him no explanation, no instructions, and no clear indication of what it could do. He had spent days trying to understand it, yet he still couldn't even name the power it represented.

The beast crouched again.

Arthur shifted his stance, ready to raise another barrier.

"Eiran," Seren whispered, "what do we do?"

He opened his mouth, but no answer came. Then he remembered the cave, the altar, the purple symbol and the moment it had entered his palm.

And the old scholar's words.

One symbol meant restrict. Another meant reduce, or lessen, depending on the context.

Eiran glanced at his hand.

The mark remained dark and still.

He had wondered whether the inscriptions were connected to his unfamiliar Sigil, but he had found no proof. Perhaps he had been searching for the wrong kind of answer. He had assumed he needed to identify the symbol before he could understand the power.

What if he could begin with the meaning instead?

Restrict.

Reduce.

He looked back at the beast.

He didn't know whether the mark could do what he imagined. He didn't know how to activate it, or whether his interpretation was even correct.

But he understood the concept behind the word.

To restrict something was to limit its ability to act.

That was all he needed right now.

Eiran had always learned quickly. When he encountered an unfamiliar subject, he could often grasp its underlying principles after studying it for a while. That ability had served him well in his lessons, and it had helped him understand the basics of Sigil use despite never receiving one himself.

Understanding was what allowed a Sigil user to make better use of their power.

If that principle applied to his unfamiliar mark, then perhaps he didn't need years of practice to attempt something simple.

He only needed to understand what he wanted it to accomplish.

The beast's muscles tightened.

"Get back!" Eiran shouted.

Arthur pulled Seren behind him and raised another wall, but the creature was already moving.

It crashed through the barrier before the earth could fully form, scattering stones in every direction. Its enormous body surged toward them, jaws opening and claws spread wide.

There was no time left.

Eiran stepped forward and raised his hand.

The mark in his palm began to glow.

Dark purple light spread across his skin, its edges flickering like shadows beneath the surface of the world. He felt something answer his intent, not as a voice or a thought, but as a force that seemed to recognize what he was trying to accomplish.

Restrict.

The beast stopped.

Its claws hung inches above the ground. Its jaws remained open, and its muscles strained beneath its enormous hide, yet its body refused to move.

The sudden stillness was almost more frightening than the attack itself.

Arthur stared at the frozen creature.

Then his face broke into a disbelieving grin.

"YES! EIRAN, YOU DID IT!"

Seren stood motionless, her eyes wide as she looked from the beast to Eiran's glowing palm.

Eiran barely heard them.

He was too focused on maintaining whatever he had just done.

The beast's eyes burned with fury. It struggled against the invisible force holding it in place, its muscles twitching as it tried to complete the interrupted lunge.

But it couldn't move.

For the first time since the encounter began, they had stopped it completely.

A wave of relief threatened to overwhelm Eiran, but he forced himself to concentrate. The moment his attention wavered, he felt the restraint weaken.

Maintaining the effect was far more difficult than he had expected.

His breathing grew uneven, and a tremor spread through his raised arm. He could feel the effort pressing against his mind, demanding that he hold on to the command.

Restrict.

Don't let it move.

"Eiran?" Seren called.

"I'm fine," he answered through clenched teeth.

He wasn't sure how long he could keep it up.

A sharp twitch ran through the beast's shoulder.

Eiran's eyes widened.

The creature was still trapped, but its muscles were beginning to move. Its claws scraped against the ground, and its jaws strained as a low growl rumbled through its chest.

Arthur's grin disappeared.

"Uh, Eiran?"

"I can see it!"

The dark purple light flickered.

Eiran tightened his fingers and forced his attention back onto the command. He tried to hold the creature in place, but the pressure inside his mind was growing heavier with every passing second.

Another tremor passed through the beast's body.

The invisible restraint shuddered.

And the creature began to break free.