Chapter One: Before Words
Light…
A brilliant light piercing the darkness.
A strange hand extends from the heart of that radiance, reaching toward me… slowly… directly before my face.
Then a voice… a voice with no source, no identity, speaks with a calmness that carries ancient wisdom:
"This is the beginning… the beginning of the end.
Who will decide it? Who knows…؟
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On one pitch-black night, a meteor tore through the sky, ripping apart the darkness that blanketed the world. It descended as if it carried something more than just flame.
A boy opened his eyes to the light of day and the gentle breeze brushing against his face.
He was lying on damp grass in a dense forest, where trees towered more than three meters high, their branches interwoven as if guarding the place.
He looked no older than fifteen, with short blond hair reaching his neck, an oval face with sharp yet harmonious features, golden eyes gleaming strangely in the light, and fair, pure skin untouched by the dust of travel.
He wore a long robe in an off-white beige tone, topped with a matching scarf wrapped around his neck and draping over his shoulders. Beneath the robe were gray sleeves, and a dark leather belt circled his waist. Thick brown gloves covered his forearms, giving him the appearance of a young knight with mysterious nobility.
He opened his eyes heavily, his gaze lost, as if he didn't know who he was or where he was.
Suddenly…
A sharp pain stabbed through his head, like a dagger to the skull, breaking his breath.
Then…
Whispers… voices echoed in his scattered mind:
"Your name… Rion.
Your sister… Rasel."
The pain stopped as suddenly as it began.
And with it, those strange memories vanished.
He understood nothing.
It was as if his memory had been completely erased… he didn't know who he was or how he ended up in this place.
He rose from the ground slowly, looking around and feeling out the new environment.
He spotted a small lake nearby and approached it cautiously, stepping past the shrubs. But he stopped abruptly…
At the lake's edge stood a strange creature: a large, flaming gelatinous orb that bounced across the ground, spewing fire and scorching the grass wherever it landed.
Rion panicked, ducking behind thick bushes, silently watching until the creature moved away.
After it left, he stepped closer to the water's edge.
He looked into the lake's clear surface and saw his reflection for the first time…
A face he knew—and didn't.
He turned—and saw the forest's end.
It was much smaller than it had seemed from where he first awoke.
About two hundred meters away, a massive stone wall came into view… city walls.
He headed toward them, following the winding stone path.
As he walked, he heard the clatter of fast-approaching wheels.
Turning, he saw a horse-drawn carriage racing toward the city. He stepped aside to avoid it but stumbled and fell.
A hand reached out to him…
A familiar hand, reminding him of the vision he saw in the light… he looked up.
It was a young woman in her twenties, with long brown hair cascading softly over her shoulders.
Her face was round with gentle features and wide, dark brown eyes. Her skin was fair and fresh.
She wore a white undershirt beneath a light armor of dark gray or pale violet, cinched at the waist with a wide leather belt adorned with a silver or gold piece.
Over it all, she wore a light violet cloak fastened with a golden clasp at the neck, elegantly draped.
On her back was a quiver full of arrows with white feathers, and in her hand, a sturdy wooden bow.
She said something he didn't understand.
She repeated herself, but her words sounded like another language.
She pointed to herself and said: "Chloe."
He understood she was introducing herself.
He pointed to himself and said:
"Rion."
She smiled and motioned for him to follow.
---
The closer they got to the walls, the grander the city appeared.
Towering fifteen-meter walls, built from massive stones, stood as eternal guardians before strangers.
They entered through the gate, and Rion paused to take in the scene…
Stone houses of one or two stories, with wooden roofs, chimneys emitting smoke, large windmills, and windows draped in green plants.
A wide road cut through the city center, dividing it in half, lined with stalls and bustling markets. He didn't linger long. He followed Chloe until they entered a small windowless tavern lit by yellow lanterns.
The place looked more like an inn than a restaurant.
She took a small table, and Rion sat while Chloe went to order food.
She returned shortly and sat opposite him, lost in thought.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and slightly pulled aside her cloak, revealing a circular device attached to her waist. It was ornate, with a flame symbol 🔥 in the center.
She raised her index finger… and lit a small flame at its tip. Rion's eyes widened in awe.
She heated the arrowhead until it glowed red, then began to draw on the scorched tabletop.
She sketched simple symbols and shapes, trying to communicate through images.
She drew unstable lands and placed a large question mark.
With a visual gesture, she asked:
Where are you from?
But he didn't know… didn't understand.
He watched the drawings with contemplative eyes, as if the images were trying to say what he could not.
She pointed to the circular device and said clearly:
Ouroboros.
She then lit another flame to demonstrate its purpose.
He started to grasp it… nodding slowly.
The waiter brought the food.
Chloe began eating, while Rion eyed the meal with hesitation.
Its smell was strange, and its taste unfamiliar.
It felt foreign in his mouth, just as everything felt foreign in his heart.
He took her arrow and began to draw.
He sketched a question mark, beside it two simple figures—faceless humans—interacting. He looked at Chloe with sincere eyes, as if asking:
"Why are you helping me?"
She smiled warmly.
She took another arrow, heated it, and drew the same two figures, adding a small heart between them.
Beside the image, she drew a map and an arrow pointing to a mysterious mark.
Rion understood what she meant…
She enjoys helping others—especially lost strangers.
---
End of Chapter.