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Origin: Child’s Vow (Part 1) Signiverse Lore Card
The first time I heard about Virethine, I was just a child, nestled beside my grandmother as she read me stories. One of my favorites was The Tale of Virethine. I can still hear her soothing voice telling the legend, as if it were only yesterday. As a kid, my imagination was incredibly vivid. I could create anything I envisioned and replay memories in my mind like a film.
Even then, as I curled against her side, I sometimes caught a strange shadow pass across her face, like she knew more than her words would allow.
Sometimes, when I was very young, I’d find myself staring out the window for no reason at all, as if something unseen was waiting just beyond the trees.
My grandma Eleanor, my role model, was the one who nurtured this wild imagination. She was a dedicated archaeologist, always returning home with stories from her expeditions, adventures in distant lands, encounters with ancient artifacts, and tales of things that weren’t always what they seemed.
There were trips she never spoke about, relics she mentioned only once before falling silent, as if some discoveries were best left buried.
Sometimes, she’d say that the things that go bump in the night are actually real. Naturally, I soaked up those stories. They were everything a child like me could dream of.
But Virethine was different. That story stood out from all the rest. It was about a magical stone, though Grandma never shared the full tale, only fragments. To hear the complete version, she said, we’d have to find the right book. The original telling.
Over the years, I learned that Grandma had spent much of her career chasing leads about Virethine. She followed maps, journals, and rumors. But despite everything, she and her team never found it. That’s why the story was never finished.
Then one Sunday evening, everything changed.
The sky outside was dark, and snow fell gently against the window. Mount Florence behind our house loomed quiet and still, its peaks vanishing into the clouds.
Even the house felt like it was holding its breath.
Grandma knocked softly on my door, her voice full of something between wonder and fear.
“The book I’ve been telling you about, it’s finally arrived.”
Dad had found it in the attic, despite Grandma always warning that some things up there were best left untouched.
She held it like it might vanish in her hands. It smelled faintly of smoke and rain. The cover was cracked leather, but somehow the gold lettering still shimmered in the dark.
My heart raced.
Tonight, I will finally hear the story of Virethine.
Author: Langley F. Creates & Ladie Rhias
Illustration: Signitunes Studios
Release Date: December 1, 2024
Part of the Roots Beneath Saga · Connected to the album Storytime
Connected Lore
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Winterfest Joy: Memory of Home: Sarah’s earliest Winterfest memory, filled with warmth and wonder.
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Sleepless Mind: A moment of reflection and quiet insomnia years after Origin.