Episode 10:
The morning sun was warm, but Alok barely noticed.
Classes passed in a blur math, literature, even science none of it could compete with the thought pounding in his head: the hill beyond the school.
He kept catching himself glancing at the clock, tapping his foot.
When the final bell rang, he didn't linger like usual. No joking around with his friends, no wandering to the bus stop. Instead, he slipped out the side gate, taking the narrow dirt path that led past the sports ground and toward the old hill everyone avoided.
The hill wasn't big, but it had a strange presence. Trees clung to its sides, their branches twisting like they were reaching for something. The grass was wild, the air quieter than it should be.
Halfway up, Alok felt it again the faint hum from his pendant.
It was warmer now, almost guiding him.
When he reached the top, he found… nothing. Just the wind, the swaying grass, and the distant rooftops of the town below.
He frowned. "Great. I'm talking to jewelry now."
"You came."
The voice wasn't in his head this time it was in the air, behind him.
He turned sharply.
Standing near the edge was a figure cloaked in black, the hood shadowing their face. They didn't move, but the air around them shimmered like heat on a summer road.
"Who are you?" Alok demanded, taking a step back.
The figure raised their head slightly.
"You've forgotten everything… but your soul hasn't. And the one who hunts you is getting closer."
A sharp gust of wind hit, carrying the scent of ash. For an instant, Alok saw the world around him flicker his school replaced by ruins, the sky burning red, monstrous shapes moving in the distance.
Then it was gone.
Alok's breath quickened. "What's happening to me?"
The figure stepped closer.
"This life of yours… is only the surface. You are more than you think. But if you want to live to see it, you must awaken."
Before Alok could reply, the figure pressed something into his palm a small, metallic shard etched with strange symbols.
"Keep it close. It will call to you when the time comes."
And then, as if the wind itself swallowed them, the figure was gone.
Alok stood alone on the hill, the shard cold in his hand, the pendant against his chest pulsing once like a heartbeat.