"Miss, have you gotten your share?" a man said.
He was peeking from behind the curtain flap, his hands holding a tray with a bowl of soup, some bread, and a glass of water.
I walked over to him.
"This is your portion, miss. I'm sorry this is all we have."
"It's alright, I'm not hungry. Just give it to someone else."
I refused the tray and its contents. Not because I didn't need it, but simply because I didn't want to make things more difficult for them.
"But miss, you haven't eaten anything for two days."
"Don't worry about it."
I was more worried about my teacher's condition out there. The pillars of light had been shining for two full weeks. The ground tremors had also subsided, although they could still be felt by watching the vibrations in the water on the tray.
"You have to eat that."
A woman's voice was heard, and then a figure emerged, parting the other side of the curtain.
"Yo…"
Chronicler Omega appeared from behind the curtain with her lensless glasses.
"Let me."
She took the tray from the man, then stepped closer. Behind her, another young woman followed.
"Oh, this is my student."
She introduced her student to me; a young woman who I thought was older than me.
"You have to eat."
She pushed the tray of food towards me. But truly, I had no appetite or feeling of hunger right now. I raised a hand and shook my head, refusing it.
She looked at me as if thinking, and then got an idea.
"Open your mouth, ahhh…"
"Tsk…"
She lifted a spoonful of soup, intending to feed me. From the side, I heard her student make a noise. I glanced in her direction, and she turned her face away.
Hmm… what's with her? I wondered.
Although her intentions were good, I was quite annoyed by that kind of treatment; it made me feel embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. So I refused, keeping my mouth tightly shut.
She placed the spoon back in the bowl.
"You know, I am a Chronicler, and even though my rank is low, I am still a teacher."
She said, then lifted the spoon with soup to my mouth again.
"Yes, I know. But I can do it myself."
I took the spoon and the tray from her hands. Now on my lap was a tray with a bowl of soup, bread, and a glass of water.
"Good. Now eat."
She adjusted her glasses..
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine, and they will return safely."
Yes, I was sure everything would be fine. I wasn't worried at all, it's just… two weeks without my teacher had made me lonely.
"BOOM!!!"
I fell over. The tray and its contents were jolted from my lap and scattered on the ground.
"Are you two alright?"
Chronicler Omega immediately got up and checked on me and her student.
"Let's get out of here and gather with the others."
She helped me to my feet, then waited for me in front of the tent with her student.
"You two go ahead. I need to find something first."
I asked them to go on without me, because I needed to find the book.
"Where is that book?"
I searched for it under the pile of clothes, a mix of my things and my teacher's.
"Ah… there it is."
Finally, I saw the edge of a page; the book was open. I flipped it over and pushed aside the clothes covering it until one full page was visible, with the other page still hidden by clothing.
APPELLATION: Kaelan
TITLE / EPITHET: The One Hope, The Last Breath in Winter, A Candle in the Storm
CLASSIFICATION:
Primary: Legendary (Essence source: born from the first historical act of hopeless defiance)
Status: Cyclical (Manifests only when despair is near absolute victory)
Scale: Local / Regional (Its influence is personal, on individuals or small groups)
Level: BOUND (Tied to the concept of resilience and the refusal to surrender)
ORIGIN: He was born not from the promise of victory, but from the beauty of an honorable defeat. When the first sentient being faced an unbeatable foe and, after all allies had fallen and all fortresses had crumbled, chose to rise to their feet one last time—not to win, but simply to not give up. That quiet, hopeless act of defiance created Kaelan. He is the embodiment of resilience, not victory.
FORM / ESSENCE: His essence is Conceptual Resilience. He is the living principle that true hope is not the belief in a good outcome, but the strength to carry on without one. His form is that of an ordinary, weary-looking man. He might appear as an old traveler, a retired soldier, or a farmer with calloused hands. His clothes are worn and he bears the scars of a long journey. His defining feature is his eyes: they do not shine with power, but radiate an unbreakable calm and resolve.
APPEARANCE & PERCEPTION: His arrival is always subtle and personal. There are no heavenly signs. His presence feels like the warmth of a small campfire in the freezing night, or a sip of cool water in the desert. His psychological effect is not a surge of battle-fury, but a quiet strengthening of the will. In his presence, a wounded soldier will find the strength to crawl, a stumped scholar will be able to read one more page, a grieving person will be able to face one more dawn. He doesn't promise that everything will be okay; he only provides the strength to endure it.
DOMAIN & INFLUENCE: His domain is resilience, resolve, and the quietest of hopes.
The Final Ember: His primary influence is to find the last, nearly extinguished ember of hope within a person's soul and shield it from dying out. He cannot create hope, but he is the guardian of its final spark.
Antithesis of The True Hero: Unlike The True Hero, who actively manipulates probability to ensure victory at a certain cost, Kaelan does not alter reality or fate at all. He simply strengthens the individual's soul to face that fate as it is, even if it means failure.
VULNERABILITIES & COUNTERMEASURES:
Voluntary Despair: He is powerless against someone who consciously and sincerely chooses to give up. He cannot give hope to a soul that no longer wants it.
Hollow Hope: The concept of "false hope" or easy promises of victory is poison to him. In the presence of one who promises glory without sacrifice, Kaelan's quiet, honest influence will fade.
Not a Physical Protector: He is a purely conceptual entity. He can give someone the strength to stand before a dragon, but he cannot stop the dragon's fire.
ECHOES IN HISTORY & MYTH: Many legends in various cultures tell of a "Grey Traveler" or a "Silent Stranger" who appears at a hero's darkest moment, offering not a magical weapon, but just a warm bowl of soup or a word of affirmation that allows the hero to continue their journey. There are also artifacts known as Traveler's Stones: ordinary river stones that always feel slightly warm. It is said that whoever carries one will never lose the strength to take one more step.
WHISPERS & FRAGMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE:
"Do not seek him to win the war. Seek him to survive the night after you have lost."
"The True Hero gives you a sword to fight the storm. Kaelan only reminds you how not to freeze."
"The greatest hope is not the belief that you will succeed, but the courage to try again when you know you will fail."
A Scribe's Note: Of all the grand, world-shaking entities, perhaps Kaelan is the most human. He offers no miracles or victories, only a reminder of the strength that already exists within us. The world may need The True Hero for its great crises, but we need Kaelan to get through each difficult day. He is the quietest anomaly, and perhaps the most important.
Without wasting any time, I immediately closed the book and put it in my bag, then ran to catch up with Chronicler Omega and her student.
When I arrived, many people had already gathered.
"What happened?"
"The largest pillar suddenly vanished."
"The largest pillar vanished? Wait, don't tell me…"
Chronicler Omega lowered her head.
I averted my gaze.
"What is this supposed to mean? This is a lie, right?"
Everyone was silent. No one answered me. They all looked down.
My head felt like it was going to explode, flooded with memories. I couldn't catch my breath. My legs trembled, the sounds around me muffled, my vision blurred.
"Teacher…"
An embrace came, and a whimpering sound reached my ears faintly. Tears dripped down, soaking my shoulder and my cheek.
My body started to feel heavy. Everything around me turned black, and silent…