The Lens Of The Unseen

Chapter 04: The blue lamp

I walked toward the place where the witch had been waiting for me. The snow whispered beneath my steps, and the blue lamp behind me flickered softly, as if even the light itself was nervous. She stood motionless in the falling snow, Then she smiled.

“Finally!  you are here, Soufiane,” she said, her voice calm and elegant. “I believe we do not have much time to tell the entire story.”

With a graceful movement of her hand, two strange creatures emerged from the shadows beside her. Small servants dressed in dark velvet robes, their glowing eyes fixed on me with silent curiosity.

“Here are my two lovely servants,” she continued. “And this ” From beneath her cloak, she revealed a wand.

It was unlike anything I had ever seen. Silver veins twisted around black wood, while a pale blue crystal rested at its tip, pulsing faintly like a living heart.

“I give you this wand of magic,” she said. “It will help you face the dark wizards and witches that wander through the forgotten realms.”

I hesitated before taking it, the moment my fingers touched the wand, a strange warmth rushed through my body.

“Who are you?” I asked quietly.

The witch tilted her head, almost amused. “Oh,” she whispered, “you do not recognize the beautiful Queen of Magic?”

And then I realized, My breath caught in my throat, Centinella! the legendary witch from the ancient tales. The guardian of forbidden magic. The woman whose name had survived centuries like a shadow inside every story.

She stepped closer to me, Before I could speak again, she lifted her hand and placed it gently against my face. A powerful surge exploded inside me, Energy flowed through my veins like liquid fire, ancient and alive. My vision blurred as strange symbols flashed before my eyes, and for a moment, I felt as though an entire universe had awakened within my soul.

Then The little hamster appeared again, the same mysterious creature I had seen before, standing near my feet with bright, knowing eyes, and beside me emerged a ghostly figure, silent and pale, floating slightly above the snowy ground.

“They will accompany you during your long journey through the world of magic,” Centinella said.

The snow continued to fall around her, covering the darkness in silver.

Then she looked directly into my eyes.

“Welcome, Soufiane,” she whispered softly. “The writer and the creator of this world.” I could not look away from her, her voice was enchanting. Her face almost unreal beautiful in a way that felt dangerous, like an angel made from light and secrets, and deep inside me, for the first time, I began to understand, This world had been waiting for me long before I arrived.

And so, I followed Centinella. The snow continued to fall around us as we walked through the silent forest. The little hamster hurried beside my feet while the ghost drifted quietly behind me, its pale form moving like smoke through the cold air.

Ahead of us, beyond the frozen trees, I finally saw it.

Centinella’s castle.

It stood high upon a dark hill, enormous and ancient, its towers piercing the silver sky. Blue lights glowed through the tall windows, and strange symbols shimmered faintly across the black stone walls, as though the castle itself was alive with magic.

“This is where I live,” Centinella said softly, and her long cloak moved behind her like shadows flowing in the wind, “I want to show you what is truly happening in the world of magic.” she said.

I followed her silently, the deeper we walked into the snowy path leading to the castle, the more I felt that strange sensation beneath my throat warm, powerful, almost alive. It frightened me, yet at the same time, it felt extraordinary, like destiny awakening inside me. Then Centinella suddenly glanced at me.

“Do not be afraid, Soufiane,” she whispered gently. “Everything will be okay.”The way she said it calmed something inside me.

For the first time since entering this strange world, I felt that perhaps I was not alone.

The giant gates of the castle slowly opened before us with a deep echo, and then We entered.

The interior of the castle was stunning. Endless halls of black marble stretched beneath floating crystal chandeliers with blue flames. The walls were covered in moving paintings, ancient volumes floated in the air, and silver candles burned without melting, it's just that magic existed in every nook.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the great hall.

“Hello! how are you today, Centinella?” I turned toward the sound. At first, I could barely see the figure standing at the far end of the hall because of the intense light surrounding him.

The light radiated everywhere, golden, pure and blinding. It did not shine on him, It came from him, and his presence filled the entire room with warmth and power, and for a moment, even the shadows seemed to retreat from him.

I stood frozen, unable to look away. Whoever he was

"Who is he ? And why he is shining like that " i asked and i'm so impressed and  astonished by the beautfy of magic

"This is the old wizard i believe you know him" centinella replied

The chamber fell into a heavy silence after the last words left the old wizard’s mouth.

The glow of the Erborus spell was still fading from the stone floor, its last traces crawling like dying embers across the runes. My body felt distant, as if it no longer fully belonged to me every breath carried a strange weight, like something had been added inside my veins that was not meant to be there.

centinella’s hand remained on my shoulder. it was cold and certain.

“You’re not empty anymore,” she said softly, as if speaking to a truth I had not yet learned to fear.

I looked down at my hands. Nothing visible had changed and yet everything had.

“I don’t know,”  I whispered.  “Is it power  or something else?”

The old wizard did not answer immediately. Instead, he struck his staff against the stone.

A sharp sound echoed through the hall, And then the world shifted.

From nowhere, a heavy wooden table rose from the ground as if summoned by memory itself. Scrolls unrolled on their own. Inked maps spread across its surface, revealing broken territories, sealed names, and circles of blackened ink that pulsed faintly like wounds that refused to heal.

“We have to speak tonight,” the old wizard said at last, his voice deeper now, burdened by something older than time. “War is about to begin.”

Centinella stepped away from me, her eyes never leaving the map.“Not a war between kings,” she added. “Between forces that should never have been allowed to wake.”

My chest tightened. “And the five black wizards?” At that name, the air itself seemed to darken.

The old wizard slowly raised his gaze to me, “They are not coming to conquer,” he said. “They are coming to erase.”

A silence followed so deep it felt like the world itself was listening.

Then centinella spoke again, quieter this time, almost close to my ear, “And you, Soufiane are now part of the triangle that can either stop them or complete them."