Coker sat in silence on the edge of the cliff. The field behind him had returned to normal—quiet, still, untouched. But nothing inside him felt normal.
The mark on his chest pulsed softly beneath his tunic. It wasn't just a scar. It was alive. Like it was watching.
His thoughts were messy. Too many things had happened too fast. The girl with the white hair. The sword. The power. The voice. The Hunger. The dreams.
And now… silence. Like the storm had passed.
But deep down, he knew.
This was the eye of it.
---
Back in Vaelgard Village, Mina tossed in her sleep.
She dreamed of red skies and broken mountains. Of her brother standing at the center, holding back a wave of shadows. His eyes glowed like twin suns.
She reached for him, but he was too far.
"Coker…"
She woke with a gasp. Her blanket was soaked in sweat. Outside, the wind had stopped. Even the night birds were silent.
Something had shifted.
Again.
She sat up and held her knees to her chest. Her heart pounded.
Downstairs, their old dog barked once, then whimpered. Strange things were stirring. Even without magic, Mina could feel it. Like the air had changed.
She whispered a small prayer. "Please protect him. Please bring him home."
---
Far away, in a forest of whispering trees, the girl with white hair sat by a stream. Her eyes were blank. Her hands trembled.
She had failed.
But she was alive.
Why?
She stared at her reflection. "He gave me a choice," she said softly.
She clenched her fists.
No one had ever done that before.
Behind her, someone stepped from the shadows.
"You saw it, didn't you?"
She didn't turn. "Yes."
"The Hunger?"
She nodded.
"And the boy?"
She finally looked back. "He's not a boy anymore."
The figure in the dark didn't speak for a while. Then he whispered:
"Then the world is in more danger than we feared."
The wind carried their voices no further. The trees listened but did not speak.
---
Coker returned to the village at dawn.
His cloak was torn. His boots were soaked in blood and ash. People looked at him, but no one spoke. Some stepped aside. Others shut their doors.
He was used to being ignored.
This felt different.
Now, they were afraid.
Mina ran to him. Her eyes were red from crying.
"You're okay!" she cried.
He knelt and hugged her tightly. "I'm here."
She pulled back. "What happened?"
He hesitated. "Something… found me."
Drell stepped out from behind a house. His arms crossed, his expression hard to read.
"You look like you've seen war."
Coker didn't answer.
Drell stepped closer. "And you smell like you survived it."
Coker met his eyes. "I didn't win. But I didn't lose either."
Drell nodded. "Then maybe you're finally worth fighting."
He walked away without another word.
Mina looked up. "He's weird."
Coker smiled. "Yeah. But maybe he's not the worst anymore."
---
That night, Coker sat by the fire.
The mark on his chest glowed faintly.
He closed his eyes.
"What are you?" he whispered.
The voice inside didn't answer.
But it showed him.
Visions. Memories. Cities burning. A king crying in the dirt. A beast with wings of stone. A blade that cut open the sky.
And a name.
Not Coker's.
Someone else's.
Or maybe… a version of him from long ago.
He gripped the side of his chair. The images were too much. But they came faster.
A throne of bone. A field of dead gods. A woman crying his name. A promise broken.
And always… the hunger. Never stopping. Always calling.
Coker fell forward. He hit the floor with a thud, panting. "What… is all this?"
A whisper came. Not in his ears, but in his blood.
"Remember."
---
In the deepest chamber of the Forgotten Mountain, a giant statue cracked open. Dust flew. Light poured from the cracks.
The eyes of the statue glowed gold.
A whisper echoed through the ancient halls:
"He remembers."
The chains around the room twitched. Old wards flickered and died. A beast hidden in stone began to stir.
---
At the border of the Empire, a general looked out at the horizon. Smoke rose from the east.
He turned to his messenger. "Send word to the capital."
"What should I say?"
The general's eyes narrowed.
"Tell them the boy has returned. The one they buried in time."
"Sir… do you mean—?"
"Don't say his name," the general snapped. "Just warn them."
---
Coker woke before the sun.
He packed a bag. Bread. Water. A cloth-wrapped stone.
Mina stood at the door.
"You're leaving."
He nodded. "I have to."
"Will you come back?"
He smiled sadly. "I hope so."
She hugged him tightly. "Don't die."
"I'll try not to."
He stepped into the morning.
Toward the mountains.
Toward the truth.
Toward the parts of himself he hadn't met yet.
Whatever was waiting… he would face it.
Not as a boy.
Not as a victim.
But as something new.
The blade that remembers.
The shadow that walks in light.
The one fate could not kill.
And far, far behind him, the winds of the world began to turn.