The Forgotten Workshop

Chapter 1

The storm had been unlike anything Eli had ever seen. The sky churned in shades of silver and black, and the wind howled as if the very earth were lamenting a loss. Eli, drenched and shivering, pushed through the underbrush at the edge of the forest. He wasn’t even supposed to be there—especially not after dark—but something about the storm had drawn him in, a whisper at the back of his mind, urging him to go further.

Just as he thought he might turn back, his foot caught on a gnarled root, sending him sprawling to the muddy ground. Groaning, he lifted his head—and that’s when he saw it. A faint, golden glow emanating from a crumbling stone building hidden beneath the twisted trees.

Heart pounding, Eli scrambled to his feet. The building looked ancient, with ivy snaking up its walls and shattered windows reflecting the storm’s fury. Yet, that glow pulsed steadily, beckoning him forward.

Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of dust and something faintly metallic. Eli’s gaze swept across the room, taking in the cluttered workbenches, shattered glass jars, and peculiar objects strewn about. But it was the wands that caught his attention.

Dozens of them, each unique, lined the shelves. They seemed to hum softly, as though

ive, their magic tugging at Eli’s very core. One, in particular, rested alone on a pedestal in the center of the room. Unlike the others, it glimmered faintly, its wood blackened and cracked, and a faint, dark aura surrounded it.

Eli reached out, his fingers trembling. As he touched the wand, a voice echoed in his mind—powerful, commanding, and laced with an ominous warning: “You’ve awakened me.”