Ikai Liu returned to the place where it all began. At first glance, the desert remained the same, lifeless and silent. The sand seemed unchanged.
It remained impersonal, like a gaze devoid of eyes, unable to see or understand. However, something was amiss.
Ikai Liu stopped a dozen paces short of the old depression where he had first opened his eyes in his new body. The slope of sand continued to rise towards the horizon.
The sun, high in the sky, was just as strange, and it was watching the boy again.
The cold heat enveloping his body was reminiscent of something similar. But something had changed in this picture.
He looked down and realized that he was staring at his own footprints. Footprints that he had left recently, when he had first emerged from his dark hiding place. At a time when his life was just beginning.
But now they were surrounded by strange symbols. These marks, etched into the sand, seemed to be alive, as if they were whispering about things he couldn't understand.
There was no doubt: they had not been there before.
"I would have noticed. I always remember places where danger is possible."
He knelt down and gently touched the nearest sign. The sand was cold under his fingers.
"Cold… in this place?"
The symbol was a complex web of lines that spread out in different directions like cracks, jagged and chaotic.
However, the entire mosaic had a distinct center that drew attention and united the elements into a cohesive composition.
In the center was a circle, bright and complete, like a shining star in the night sky.
And in the depths of this circle, in its innermost core, there was a tiny but significant dot, as if it were the very essence of the symbol.
In his field of vision, he saw twelve symbols clearly carved into the ground. These symbols were not random.
They were more than just images. They resembled a protective circle, as if designed to guard something important.
Or perhaps it was a prison, containing something ancient and forgotten.
Ikai Liu stood up, feeling the tension building up in his body. He gradually stepped back, analyzing his situation.
The symbols remained in place, unaffected by time or the elements. Even the wind, which would normally erase the marks on the ground, did not touch them.
"It's not dust, it's like a record. A memory of the world. Or... of my star?"
His heart gave a sudden jolt, as if it had been struck by an unexpected impulse that changed its internal state in an instant.
Suddenly, he felt a click. The click became a kind of catalyst that opened the doors to deep reflection. At that moment, he realized something important.
"I didn't pass through here for the first time"
A thought flashed through my mind. This phrase seemed to contain a whole universe of memories and sensations.
He wasn't just returning to a familiar place; it was as if he was reliving a moment that had once left a deep mark on his soul.
It wasn't just a repetition. It was a return to something meaningful, to an experience that may have become the basis of his current existence.
"I'm going around in circles again"
Ikai Liu repeated the statement to himself, and there was not only sadness in it, but also a strange sense of joy. He understood that such moments were not accidental.
They were signs, guides that pointed to the need for conscious choices.
It had already happened. Or it would happen. Or... it always happened, like a time loop. Time seemed to lose its linearity, becoming something else, more complex and multifaceted.
He began to move, walking around the circle without approaching its center. This circle, in its simplicity, became a symbol of closure and endless repetition.
The star, like a living creature, hummed softly beneath his skin. It wasn't audible in his ears, but it was felt deep within his body, as if it were a part of his very being. This star was more than just a noise; it had left an imprint on his consciousness.
The sand began to shift, as if awakening from a long slumber. The movement was unnatural, almost mystical, as if nature itself was deciding that it was time for a change.
One of the symbols carved into the ancient stones cracked, disrupting the harmony of the world around it.
From the crack, a whisper could be heard, barely discernible from the depths of the earth.
It was not a language in the usual sense. Not sounds that could express emotions or thoughts. It was something deeper, penetrating into the very essence of existence.
A thought that could only be understood by those who were willing to listen.
"You're still here..."
"Why did you choose pain again?"
and he closed his eyes, lost in thought. A picture of the past days, full of suffering and loss, unfolded in his mind. He felt invisible threads binding him to this place, to these symbols.
"I didn't choose anything. I was chosen. I just... didn't die."
He whispered, as if to console himself. These words were not just an answer to the question, but also a confession that his life was not his own choice.
The sand fell silent. It was no longer just an element of the landscape, but a metaphor for lost time.
But one of the symbols had disappeared.
In its place, there was a hollow, an invitation to move on.
Or to fall again.
Ikai Liu did not return to the old path that had once been familiar to him. It was a path filled with memories, but it felt different now.
The sand whispered, creating an atmosphere of mystery and silence. He whispered back, as if urging him to reflect on what had been and what might have been.
Ikai turned to the side, into the depths of the unknown. His movement was determined, but at the same time, it was filled with uncertainty.
The world around him did not object. Or perhaps, it only pretended not to notice his changes. Nature seemed to accept his choice, but it was merely a facade that concealed its true intentions.
He did not want to follow the same path. He realized that this route was filled with old deceptions and illusions. If it's a loop, let it break by mistake. Let it. He wanted to leave behind old fears and doubts.
Ikai Liu walked for what seemed like an eternity, sinking deeper into the relentless sand with each step, his heels becoming rougher and crusty.
The soft grains of sand grew heavier, pressing down on his feet, as if the desert itself was trying to hold him back. Then, suddenly, the sand transformed into sharp edges that dug into his skin, making every step a struggle against the terrain.
In front of him was a passage, dark and ominous. It was narrow, barely wide enough for him to squeeze through, and it seemed to have a life of its own.
The walls were jagged, like the serrated edges of a crack that split the ancient stone. Without hesitation, Ikai Liu squeezed through, and the cramped passage swallowed him whole.
Behind him, the vast sky and the whisper of the wind faded into silence, replaced by the dense darkness and the sound of his own breathing.
[ Unknown Catacombs ]
A dark labyrinth, where the weight of centuries presses down on every inch of space. Here, there are no sparkling jewels, and no inscriptions whisper secrets to the living.
Only the blackened stone of time stands as a silent witness to past eras.
The air is heavy, filled with dust and the stench of decay, and completely still.
"It's as if even the wind is afraid to disturb this sleeping place," Ikai thought to himself.
He stepped inside, and the sound of his footsteps echoed like a gunshot in the deathly silence.
He felt it immediately, a presence crouched in the shadows, ancient and unnatural. Something was breathing, but the air remained still.
There was no sound, not even the slightest rustle of movement, but the sensation was undeniable.
It wasn't a breath; it was a memory of a breath, an echo of a long-dormant life.
Like the imprint of a blow struck centuries ago, it still resonated in the depths of this place.
A barely perceptible shudder ran through the stone beneath his feet, a shudder that spoke of pain and violence long buried but never truly forgotten.
The catacombs were not only filled with the dead; they were filled with the weight of their final moments, preserved in silence and darkness.