Karl donned his long cloak — one he hadn't worn in decades. The fabric was old, yet still carried the scent of dried herbs and the dust of time.
He wasn't in a hurry. Anyone bold enough to step into his territory was no ordinary wanderer. Everything about this intrusion pointed to intention.
The golden morning light filtered through the misty trees as Karl moved silently down the narrow path that led to the mountain's edge — where the barrier had fractured.
And then, he saw them.
Three figures. Standing at the forest's edge. One looked like a scholar, holding a thick tome. Another was clad in armor, a strange sword slung across his back. The last… was a young woman with cold violet eyes, staring at Karl as though she had known him for years.
No one spoke.
Karl broke the silence.
"If you're lost travelers… I suggest you leave. This land welcomes no one."
The woman stepped forward.
"We are not lost, Karl the Nameless."
Karl's eyes narrowed.
"Then who are you?"
"Messengers," she replied, "carrying a warning."
The air thickened. Beneath Karl's feet, the grass trembled. He felt it — not just power, but truth waiting to unfold.
Karl didn't move forward — nor did he step back. His gaze was sharp, scrutinizing every breath the strangers took.
"What warning?" His voice was flat, emotionless."If it's about the Demon King, you're a few centuries too late."
The armored man raised an eyebrow but remained silent. It was the violet-eyed woman who answered again.
"Not a warning of the past… but of the future. A future where all of Enel bows once more.""And you, Karl, are part of it."
A breeze rustled through the trees, sweeping a thin veil of dust across the forest floor. Karl narrowed his eyes.
"I don't care for prophecies. I've lived through one apocalypse. I chose to walk away from it all."
"Then why did you wake in the night from a dream?" the woman asked softly, her voice free of mockery."Why seek out the old library? Why chase the meaning behind symbols born of your own mind?"
Karl remained silent. Her question struck deeper than he liked to admit.
"Your name?" he asked at last, voice low."Arin. I come from the Tower of Solar Souls."
Karl's breath caught — only briefly. That name… he'd read it in the old documents hidden in his cellar.
"What do you want from me?"
"We need you to remember," Arin whispered, "and to choose."
Before Karl could speak again, the alarm horn sounded a second time — longer and more urgent than before. A signal of danger.
Arin turned, leaving him with one last sentence:
"If peace is what you seek… you don't have much time left, Karl the Nameless."
As the horn blared across the forest, Karl sensed a shift in the air — a subtle hint of killing intent. He tilted his head slightly — just in time to avoid an arrow that embedded itself in the tree behind him.
"Tsk…"
Before he could react further, more than ten armored knights burst out from the trees, swords drawn, eyes wild with fury.
"Stay away from her, freak!""What were you planning to do to Arin?!"
Karl sighed. Arin? She hadn't even drawn her blade, and yet these fools were already throwing themselves at him.
One knight charged straight ahead, aiming for Karl's chest. But in the blink of an eye—
Boom!
He was slammed into the ground, pinned as if a mountain had dropped on his back. The others attacked in unison, but met the same fate. With a mere flick of Karl's fingers, gravity twisted around them, pulling weapons to the earth and turning their heavy armor into anchors.
Only three remained standing, barely.
Karl's eyes swept across them — and they froze.
"Step back," he said coldly. "Your will is too weak to face the truth."
With those words, all three knights collapsed, trembling, clutching their heads as if they'd seen something too terrible to name.
It had taken less than ten seconds.
Arin stood motionless, eyes wide. She looked at Karl with a mix of intrigue and wariness.
"I see now… You truly bear the blood of the Nameless."
Karl turned to her, frowning.
"I don't like killing. But if this happens again… I won't hold back."
The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the faint echoes of the brief clash. The knights lay scattered, unconscious on the damp forest floor.
Arin sheathed her sword and stepped toward Karl, her gaze still sharp but no longer hostile.
"You're strong," she said simply."Perhaps… I was wrong to let them act on their own."
Karl said nothing. He calmly brushed the dust off his sleeve, his eyes still watchful, though the tension in his shoulders had eased.
Stopping just a few steps away, Arin met his gaze squarely.
"If you don't mind... I'd like to invite you aboard my ship. There are some things we need to discuss.""Not about them... but about the dream. And something I think you've seen too."
Karl narrowed his eyes. For a moment, the air grew heavy again — but then, he gave a slight nod.
"Go on ahead. I'll follow."
Arin offered a faint smile before turning away, leaving Karl alone with a tangle of thoughts still unraveling in his mind.
Karl stepped onto the deck of the ship. It was larger than he had expected — the hull dark and sturdy, made from a kind of thick, unusual wood inlaid with ancient runes that shimmered faintly blue.
A faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air. As he passed through the main corridor, he came to a sudden halt. Along the walls were warriors being treated — some missing limbs, others with shattered bones, a few unconscious with bodies wrapped in heavy bandages.
One of them — a young woman, her face still smudged with blood — opened her eyes for a moment to meet Karl's gaze, then drifted back into unconsciousness. He said nothing, just watched in silence.
Arin's footsteps were quiet as she approached from behind. Her voice was barely above a whisper:
"These are the remnants from our battle with an ancient sea creature.""It rose from the depths off the western coast, destroyed three shoreline villages, and nearly sank our entire scouting fleet."
She paused, her eyes distant as if reliving the memory.
"We call it Leviant — the Gatekeeper of the Abyss. That time... we barely made it out."
Karl ran a hand along the etched symbols on the ship's wall. He murmured to himself, almost inaudibly:
"The battlefield grows wider by the day…"
They entered a sealed room deep within the ship. The door was inscribed with ancient runes, and a soft golden light filtered down from crystals hovering silently above.
At the center of the chamber stood a round table made of black stone. Resting atop it was a cloudy crystal orb, swirling gently with layers of mist inside.
Arin gestured for Karl to sit. She didn't speak right away, instead pouring two cups of hot tea from a silver kettle resting on the corner of the table. The steam rose slowly, carrying the scent of soothing herbs.
After a moment of silence, Arin finally spoke:
"You've seen her in your dreams, haven't you? The Priestess."
Karl nodded faintly. There was no need to ask who she meant. His eyes were fixed on the orb.
Arin continued, her tone quieter:
"I am her closest guardian — have been for years. I've followed her across all lands, wherever disturbances arise.""She has spoken of you. More than once. Said... you're a thread in the great wheel of fate."
She paused, then placed a hand gently on the orb.
"Now, she wishes to meet you. Not in dreams this time… but directly."
The orb's light stirred. The mist within twisted violently, forming a small vortex. And then, from the haze, a face began to emerge — eyes deep and calm like the ocean at night.
Karl sat frozen.
"Karl."The voice didn't come from Arin, but from within the orb itself."We have... much to discuss."