The morning fog lay thick over Ardent Hollow, curling around rooftops and settling between the trees like a living blanket. The festival had ended the night before, but the warmth of celebration lingered in the air — laughter still echoed faintly, and the smell of roasting meat lingered in the market square.
Kael walked along the riverbank, hands in his sleeves, eyes scanning the mist-shrouded forest. Today, he wasn't training formally. But he could feel it — a subtle pulse, almost imperceptible, rippling through the woods. Something had shifted overnight.
"You're quiet," Liora remarked, falling into step beside him. Her tone was teasing, but her eyes were sharp, scanning the fog as if she sensed what Kael felt. "Don't tell me the festival exhausted your legendary powers."
Kael shook his head, offering a small smile. "It's… nothing. Just… instinct."
Liora snorted. "Instinct, huh? That's what the villagers call it when someone freaks out over a twig snapping." She paused, crouching to examine a wet leaf. "Though, in your case, it's probably more than a twig."
Kael glanced at her, expression neutral. "It's… unusual."
"You mean dangerous," she said, standing and brushing off her sleeves. "You always sense things other people don't. You're going to get yourself into trouble one day."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly, though not in anger — curiosity, vigilance. "Maybe," he admitted.
As they approached the edge of the forest, a sudden rustle of branches caused the village dog, a small brown mutt, to bark wildly. Kael froze instinctively, moving closer to Liora without speaking.
"See?" she whispered, eyes wide. "You're already tensing. What is it?"
Kael crouched slightly, scanning the fog. "Something… not normal."
From the mist, a figure emerged — hunched, cloaked, moving unnaturally smoothly. It wasn't threatening yet, but the presence radiated something faintly hostile, as if a fragment of Titan energy lingered around it. The hairs on Kael's arms stood on end.
Liora stiffened beside him. "You're not imagining it," she said quietly.
Kael stepped forward, hand brushing the small knife at his belt — more for instinct than threat. "Who are you?" he called, voice steady.
The figure stopped, just at the edge of visibility. Its hood fell back slightly, revealing nothing but a shadowed face. "A traveler," the voice rasped, soft yet deliberate. "Or perhaps a warning."
Kael's brow furrowed. "A warning of what?"
The figure lifted one hand, pointing vaguely toward the village. "The fragments are stirring. Not all of them are as… dormant as you think. Some have noticed your presence."
Liora stepped beside Kael, hand subtly moving toward her own dagger. "Fragments? Here?" she asked, skeptical but alert.
The figure let out a soft chuckle. "They are everywhere. Even in places you consider safe. The boy will awaken… and some will not like it."
Before Kael could respond, the figure retreated into the fog, vanishing almost instantly. The forest seemed heavier after its departure, the mist thicker, and the air tingling faintly with static energy.
Kael stood silently for a long moment. "It's beginning," he murmured.
Liora placed a hand on his shoulder. "It? Don't tell me you mean trouble."
Kael shook his head, still staring into the mist. "Something… bigger than I imagined. But not yet. Not today."
They walked back to the village, tension lingering but masked by casual conversation. Kael kept glancing over his shoulder, aware that the forest had shifted subtly — a movement here, a shadow there, signs that the fragments were no longer inert.
"I suppose," Liora said, breaking the silence, "that now even our quiet village isn't as boring as it looks." She grinned, though it didn't reach her eyes.
Kael allowed himself a small smile. "I suppose not."
As they neared the main square, they found children playing, chasing each other with sticks. The absurdity of it — the laughter, the running, the innocence — pulled something tight from Kael's chest, a pang of longing he didn't fully understand.
One of the children tripped, falling into a puddle. Liora bent down to help, chuckling. "See? Even small troubles make life interesting."
Kael watched them, a faint warmth spreading through him. Despite the warnings, the fragments, the looming shadows, life continued. Small joys persisted, laughter carried forward. For a moment, the weight of destiny seemed lighter.
That evening, Kael sat by the river again, skipping stones. The red glow of the first stars twinkled faintly, distant and quiet. The figure in the forest, though gone, had left its mark — Kael could feel it in the pull of the mist, the subtle hum in the air. Something ancient was stirring, and he was at the center of it.
Liora appeared silently, sitting beside him. "You're thinking too much," she said softly.
Kael shook his head. "I have to. I can feel the fragments shifting. Something is waking… but I don't understand it yet."
"You always worry about things no one else notices," she said, nudging him playfully. "But you know, the world can surprise you in happy ways too. Don't forget that."
Kael glanced at her, faintly smiling. "I'll try."
The night stretched on, quiet except for the gentle rush of the river and the distant calls of night birds. Somewhere deep in the forest, fragments pulsed subtly, watching, waiting, sensing him. The boy who would awaken the whispers of eternity was still unaware of the full weight of what he carried.
But tomorrow, the fragments would stir a little more. And Kael's life, no longer ordinary, would begin to shift in ways even he could not predict.