Footsteps crunched softly over the sandy ground. A line of people stretched neatly under the harsh midday sun. No one spoke. Only the shuffle of sandals and weary breaths filled the air.
I stood in the middle of the queue, holding an empty tray. My hand gripped the handle tighter than it needed to. Sunlight filtered through the white tent above, casting faint shadows of waiting bodies.
When it was my turn, an old man ladled warm potato soup into my bowl. I gave a small nod, murmured, "Thank you," and left in silence.
My tent was at the farthest corner. I entered, sat in the corner, and placed the bowl on a shaky foldable table. The book... was still there. I had kept it by my pillow, and now moved it to my side. Its worn cover seemed to pulse—tempting me to open it.
But I didn't.
I stared at it quietly. There was fear, hesitation, something that held my fingers back. I knew... whatever I read next, it would come true. Just like before.
And I wasn't ready.
I leaned my head against the tent pole. Took a deep breath. Tried to accept it all—that I, somehow, had a role in this. That silence was no longer an option. But I didn't want to run, either.
Better to wait, to think, to steady my heart.
Days passed. The sky changed colors. Winds shifted seasons. The moon gave way to new years. And now… it's the third year since the tragedy.
Shionra stands again. Not as strong, not as beautiful. But it stands.
So do I.
I lowered my gaze, eyes fixed on the book.
I took a breath. Then, with steady voice, I whispered:
"It's time."
---
I stood atop a low hill, letting the wind slowly sweep through my hair. The air in Gaelvorn felt unfamiliar—not because I didn't know it, but because it was too clean to believe. No smoke. No engines. No sound demanding motion. Only silence, and a gentle breeze dancing across my weary skin after a long journey from Shionra. A journey I had followed… guided only by this book.
From this point, the world looked like a painting I never thought could still exist. Endless green meadows stretched far, dotted with lakes that shimmered under the sunlight. Long rivers trailed across the land like living silver ribbons. Mountains circled the horizon—tall, majestic—but from where I stood… they all looked small. And far, far in the distance, the ocean framed the world in a deep blue, like the edge of a dream untouched.
But one thing immediately caught my eye.
Three tall structures stood in the distance. They towered, piercing the sky. Not towers. Not mountains either. Their shapes were unclear from this far, but they were far too massive to be called hills. The one in the center—the tallest among them—even pierced through the clouds.
I squinted, trying to make sense of it.
"What is that? A hill… that tall?" I murmured.
The surrounding mountains… none were taller than it.
Whatever it was, it became the center of everything I saw—and yet, it was baffling. Because I knew, there was no path that led to it by foot. No road reached it.
I sat slowly in the soft grass, letting my body rest. My chest felt light, as if the weight of the past three years was slowly being lifted by the wind.
"Is this… the heart of the conflict it meant?" "Why was I brought here?" "What is the book really leading me toward?"
The wind kept blowing. The scent of pure earth filled my lungs. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to take it all in.
I opened my eyes. Then opened the book.
I knew… a new conflict was waiting. Something far bigger than anything I had imagined.
"Is it true… that two titans will meet here?" "Two creatures as massive as disasters… in a place this beautiful?"
The pages I had long postponed were now spread open on my lap. But before I could read further, my eyelids grew heavy.
"Am I really ready to read it?" "If what I read becomes reality… why do I keep going?"
The wind caressed my skin, calming me. The grass cradled my back. This world felt too quiet for catastrophe. But perhaps… that's exactly why it hid something.
My body lay down. The book remained open on my chest.
~Plok.
A single drop of drool fell onto one of the pages. I had fallen asleep.
On a quiet hill. With pages left open. With questions unanswered. And a world I didn't yet know… Waiting to be faced…
With the book that still waited.