"He found himself in a vast, desolate wasteland—dark and shrouded in fog. The soil was yellowish and damp, with patches of greenish plants growing unevenly from the ground. He rolled his eyes upward, but saw nothing but blackness. Not a single star pierced the void above.
All around, the landscape was wrapped in a swirling, purple mist that bubbled and churned. Then came a sudden, powerful gust of wind—it caught his attention. His instincts flared. Alert, he looked up.
A monstrous creature soared through the fog, its wings slicing the air as it swept past jagged rock formations that jutted from the ground like claws."
He paused his story for a moment and let out a relaxed sigh. His eyelids grew even heavier.
"Grandpa? Are you falling asleep?" asked a child lying in bed.
"Hm? No, no, Cesar… I was just trying to remember the rest of the story," he replied with a chuckle.
The weight of sixty-five years was beginning to show on the old man's body—Oldgure was not as strong as he once had been.
"You don't remember the rest? But you always tell me this story when I go to bed…" said Cesar, an eight-year-old boy, frowning.
He smiled at those words. Pulling his chair a little closer to the bed, he let out a soft sigh as he searched his memories for the rest of the story.
"You're not sleepy yet?" he asked, curious.
"But you're not even halfway through yet…" Cesar said.
He sighed again. After taking a sip of water, he picked up the tale.
"Well… that brave warrior had finally realized he had reached the long-sought Vèiger—a land where the truth behind his origins was buried. At last, he was ready to uncover the roots of his past.
An evil scoundrel had tried many times to keep him from setting foot in that cursed land… but now, all of that was behind him."
An unusual silence settled over the room.Cesar, for his part, had heard that story dozens—if not hundreds—of times. But it had never bored him.
Oldgure, on the other hand, was struggling against the drowsiness and the nagging pain in his ankle, which had been bothering him for months.
"Well, Cesar… your dear old grandpa isn't as young as he used to be, hahah," he said, breaking into a soft chuckle—followed by a few coughs.
Cesar said nothing. Like every night, his mind had already wandered to that fantastic and mysterious land his grandfather always spoke of.
He imagined the noble hero, whose willpower had carried him all the way to that legendary place. He pictured the hideous face of the wicked scoundrel who tried to stand in his way.
"Come now, Cesar… try to sleep. Dream about this story—fill it with your own details and wonders. That way, one day, you'll be able to tell it to your own grandchildren."
Cesar nodded and nestled under the covers. He let out a soft sigh and slowly closed his eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.
"Goodnight, Cesar…"
Once he was sure the boy was fast asleep, Oldgure whispered a few more words under his breath.
"Dream this story…"
[•••]
Morning came, and Oldgure was awakened by the harsh glare of the sun.
"I forgot again…" he muttered, suddenly sitting up in bed.
He had forgotten to close the "shutters," as he called them—wooden boards he used to block the sunlight from the windows.
Still squinting, he headed toward Cesar's tiny room to check if the boy was already awake.
Their house was indeed very small. Aside from Oldgure's and Cesar's rooms, there was only a modest living room that doubled as the entryway.
"Cesar?" he called, surprised to find the bed empty.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a tuft of black hair—with a hint of red—peeking out behind the window glass.
"What the…" he thought, rushing outside.
"Cesar? What are you doing out here?" he asked, stopping in front of the boy, who was staring intently at a point deep within the forest.
Cesar turned abruptly toward his grandfather and looked down.
"I… I was just… nothing…" he murmured, clearly confused.
Oldgure didn't understand—but maybe, deep down, he didn't want to.
"Come inside, Cesar… you know it's dangerous to be out in the open."
Cesar knew it all too well.His grandfather had been a wanted man for years, ever since they went into hiding in that house eight years ago.
Silently, the boy obeyed and followed his grandfather back inside.
That small, unexpected incident hadn't strained their bond in the slightest.They had lived in that tiny house for eight long years now, never once moving.
Cesar, in fact, had never set foot beyond its walls. He didn't fully understand why, but he knew that going outside and venturing into the world would somehow cause trouble for his grandfather—and that was enough to quiet any curiosity he had about life beyond their home.
Only a few months had passed since that small act of disobedience.
As he did every weekend, Oldgure was preparing for one of his supply runs.
"Cesar, I'm heading to the nearby village to get the usual supplies. You remember—stay inside the house."
"Yes, Grandpa!!" Cesar shouted back, full of energy.
"We're doing training after, right??" he added quickly.
"Of course, Cesar," Oldgure replied with a smile, before setting off toward the village.
The village wasn't far. At its center stood a modest castle, tall enough to be seen from a great distance.
That's where Oldgure went to buy basic necessities with the little money he had.He didn't have a job—his only support came from a villager named Yuusaba. Over time, the two had become close, and Oldgure had come to trust him deeply.
Still, in that village's narrow streets, Oldgure wasn't exactly welcomed.
He didn't just tell stories to Cesar—he had a habit of climbing onto a small stage in the village square to share his strange tales with anyone who would listen.
But most people had grown tired of him. Some mocked him. Others insulted him outright. Many simply turned away.
And yet, he never stopped. He kept telling his stories anyway.
Not today, though.Today was the usual day of the week when Yuusaba would give him a small amount of money—just enough to buy food and water.
"So, how much did you waste last week, huh? Haha…" Yuusaba joked as they met.
"I didn't waste a thing. I used it all week," Oldgure replied with a grin.
They met, as always, in Yuusaba's house—one of the many buildings in the village's wealthier district.
The architecture was reminiscent of the nineteenth century: narrow cobbled streets, tall stone facades, and villagers dressed in elegant clothes.
Though the village itself was fairly prosperous, Yuusaba wasn't in a great financial situation.Still, he continued to lend a hand to Oldgure.
He knew about Cesar. And even if he didn't say much, he felt a quiet responsibility to help them.
[•••]
As promised, upon his return, Oldgure went through the usual effort of coaching Cesar.There was a small clearing beside the house—hidden from the view of the village. Their training sessions always took place there.
"Come on, Cesar…" Oldgure called out, visibly frustrated.
"Your power still shows no sign of emerging… You've got to push harder! I know you're tired, but it's been two years now, and it feels like all this training is doing nothing."
He stopped, bent forward with his palms resting on his knees, gasping for breath.
This had become Cesar's routine. He kept trying to awaken the mysterious power his grandfather always spoke of—but his small, young body just wouldn't cooperate.
"Cesar…" Oldgure said after a pause, "In a few days, I'll have to leave for a while… and I fear all this might have been for nothing."
"But why? Why?" Cesar shot back. "I don't even understand why you're so obsessed with this power you say I have! I think it's all just... nonsense!"
Oldgure's face twisted into a mix of shock and disbelief.
"What? You were the one who wanted this training! And watch your tone."
"Yeah, it's true… but I've been wondering for days what the point of all this is. You won't even explain what this supposed power is!"
Oldgure let out a long, weary sigh.
"That's enough for today. While I'm gone, you'll rest. Yuusaba will come by to check on you—you are not to leave the house under any circumstances. He'll come here."
With that, he turned and walked back inside, refusing to say another word.
Cesar stood there, stunned.
"…Come on. Go back inside," Oldgure called from the doorway, without turning around.
Those few days passed inexorably.The bond between the two began to show small cracks—but the immense respect Cesar felt for his grandfather wasn't something so easily shaken.
Then came that day.The day when Cesar's fate—and that of the entire world—was set on an entirely new course.
"Cesar…" Oldgure called.
Small footsteps echoed through the house as Cesar peeked out from behind the door of his little room.He still felt ashamed about what had happened the other day.
"As I told you, I'm leaving today for a short trip," Oldgure said. "I can't tell you anything about it, but I shouldn't be gone too long.Let me say it again: don't leave the house for any reason—not even to go to the training area. Yuusaba will stop by from time to time to bring you what you need and to check on things, alright?"
Cesar gave a small nod, trying to hide the concern in his eyes.
From that moment until Oldgure's silhouette disappeared from the window, Cesar didn't say a word.His throat was tight. His breath, strangled by a vague sense of danger he couldn't explain.
He wanted to stop his grandfather—some deep instinct screamed at him to do it—but his obedience, and the deep respect he held for him, kept him frozen.
That helplessness, that feeling of being held back, grew heavier each day.
Cesar began to spend more and more time staring out the window of his small room—his eyes fixed on the castle in the distance.
That looming fortress, surrounded by high stone walls, stood at the heart of the village like a silent sentinel. He couldn't explain it, but just the sight of that castle unsettled him—drowning him in a sea of terrible, wicked sensations.
Oldgure rarely spoke of that castle—almost as if he were avoiding a subject too delicate to share with the then-young and innocent Cesar.
"Please… don't go near it…"Cesar's voice barely rose above a whisper, as if hoping his words might still reach his grandfather before he disappeared.
A week passed. No sign of Oldgure.What had once been simple worry soon twisted into pure panic.Not even Yuusaba knew what had happened to him.
Another three weeks dragged by in silence and agony. Still, nothing.
One morning, Yuusaba stopped by Cesar's house to express his concern. He found the boy sitting at the threshold, just outside the front door, waiting.
His expression was hollow—eyes distant, a silent cry caught in his throat.
Who knew how many days he had been there, sitting in that same spot, clinging to the hope that his grandfather might suddenly reappear——as if that hope was the last thread holding his heart together.
Yuusaba looked him in the eyes.He didn't need to ask anything. Cesar's gaze said it all.And Yuusaba couldn't bring himself to speak—not right away.
"…Cesar… I'm so sorry," he finally said."Oldgure told me he'd be gone for three days. It's been almost a month."
Time seemed to stop.Cesar hadn't even realized how many days had passed.He looked down, silent.Resigned.He didn't say a word.
And so he waited, day after day—until waiting was no longer enough.That door never opened again.And with it, the boy he once was began to fade.What he didn't know was that his story hadn't ended that day—it had only just begun.