Chapter Seven: The Call from the Depths
Nights in the village were usually quiet, but after the fire and the doubts that followed, the night felt heavier than ever.
Lian sat alone on the roof of his house, staring up at the sky. The stars shone like distant jewels, but his eyes didn't see their beauty... Instead, they felt something else: a faint call, as if coming from depths he didn't know.
He closed his eyes, and then a voice echoed within him:
"O bearer of the seed... wake up..."
His body trembled. He quickly opened his eyes, but found himself still where he was, the stars intact, the village silent.
But it wasn't an illusion. The voice was clear, sincere.
The next day, as people were trying to repair the storeroom, a sudden scream echoed from the center of the village.
Everyone ran to find a mother crying:
"My son! My son is gone!"
The young boy, Elan, was known for his curiosity and constant movement.
The search began quickly, but something strange happened… The footprints led to the edge of the forest, then suddenly stopped at a huge boulder.
Eldar, the sharp-tongued man who had previously opposed Lian, was the first to shout:
"This is his work! Only he has those strange powers! Perhaps he dragged the boy somewhere with his strings!"
The crowd froze, and all eyes turned to Lian.
He tried to defend himself:
"I didn't do anything! I haven't left my house since yesterday!"
But the whispers grew louder:
"Isn't it strange that the child suddenly disappears?"
"The footprints stopped, as if a force had pulled the child along!"
"He has silver threads… Isn't that a sign?"
Lian felt his heart burst with anger.
But then he suddenly remembered… the voice he'd heard in the night.
"O bearer of the seed… Wake up…"
Could the child's disappearance be related to the seed?
Mark stood beside him again, shouting at the crowd:
"Enough! If you accuse him without evidence, we'll never find the boy. Let him search with us. If he really does possess a strange power... let's use it to save the child instead of shouting here!"
The crowd fell silent, hesitant.
Then old Vitor agreed in a low voice:
"Mark's right. Let Lian search. If he returns with the boy safely... we'll judge him by his actions, not by our fear."
Lian walked with Mark into the forest.
The wind was cold, the trees were tangled, and the darkness grew with every step.
But inside him... he heard the voice again.
"Forward... deeper... you'll find what you're looking for..."
He hesitated, but the silver threads in his body began to move of their own accord, as if responding to the call.
They stretched out before him like streaks of light, guiding him along an invisible path.
Mark looked up in surprise: "Do you see this?"
Lian muttered, "No... this is something I can't explain. But I have to follow him."
After a long walk, they reached a narrow chasm between the rocks, one that none of the villagers would have discovered.
From inside, a cold air drifted with an ancient scent, as if the place hadn't been opened for centuries.
Lian rushed forward, the threads growing brighter with each step.
Suddenly... he heard a faint cry.
There, deep within the chasm, was the child "Aylan," unconscious but well.
Lian approached cautiously, but as soon as he reached out... the entire wall shook.
A deeper chasm opened in the rocks, and a glowing blue light emerged from it.
From within the light, a strange inscription appeared on the wall, resembling a starry circle surrounded by twelve rays.
The words were immediately embedded in Lian's mind:
"The first star path... has opened."
He felt his body shake, and the silver threads around him multiplied, becoming sharper and brighter.
But most importantly… he felt a tremendous surge of power rushing deep within him, as if a dormant seed had suddenly awakened.
Mark shouted, "Lian! What's happening?!"
But Lian couldn't answer.
He was trapped in a light only he could see, hearing voices only he could hear:
"Chosen One… you have touched the first door. But know… the path is filled with blood and betrayal. Light and darkness are but illusions… only the stars remain."
Then the light suddenly went out, and Lian fell to his knees.
The child was beside him, awake, looking up at him with fear and wonder.
The three of them returned to the village at dawn.
When the mother saw her son, she rushed in weeping and embraced the little one.
But people didn't look at Elan as much as they looked at Lian…
He was different.
The silver threads around him didn't disappear, but continued to shine, as if they were a part of him now.
His eyes held a gleam that hadn't been there before.
Eldar shouted, "See! He's changed! He's not one of us anymore!"
But Vítor raised his hand and said sternly, "He brought the boy back alive. That's all that matters now. But... we must watch him. His power is no longer a secret, and it won't remain locked away in the village for long."
That night, Lian sat alone again.
The seed within him was no longer silent.
He had opened the First Path.
And yet... the voice still whispered:
"Onward... deeper... trust no one... even your closest friends."
His heart trembled, and he looked at the Mark's house.
Was this a warning... or a new trick of the shadows?