Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Captive Among Shadows

The twilight of the otherworldly plain faded into a thick blanket of night as rough hands gripped Kaito's arms, dragging him through the ancient forest. His breath came in sharp gasps, neck craning through twisting branches as they tore at his clothes and scraped his skin. Every movement was met with the sting of tight ropes digging into his wrists, binding his hands behind his back.His heart hammered against his chest with a fierce rhythm—not only from fear, but from the raw, unfamiliar surge of power thrumming beneath his skin, pulsing with a force he barely understood. He was tethered and vulnerable, yet inside burned the knowledge that no harm could truly reach him. Something within this strange new world found him unkillable, yet not invincible in spirit.Silence hung in the air, broken only by the muted rustle of the forest and the quickened steps of the wild tribe escorting him. Their language was jagged and rough on his ears, unintelligible but menacing. Kaito's mind wrestled to make sense of his surroundings—the distant flickers of torchlight, the primal energy that clung to the primitive encampment ahead.The tribe's camp was a crude collection of firelit huts and animal skins, littered with carved bones and talismans that whispered ancient magic. Flickering shadows warped the menacing faces of Kaito's captors. Their dark eyes glinted with hostility and a strange reverence, as if they had caught something beyond mortal comprehension.Among them, the leader stepped forward. His face was a rugged map of scars and battle marks, eyes sharp and calculating. He spoke in commanding tones Kaito could barely grasp. "The Skywalker…" The word echoed strangely, and Kaito caught it like a thunderclap deep in his chest.Skywalker. Who were they calling by that name? Was it him? A title? An omen of fate? The pulsing energy within stirred again, and Kaito's mind swirled with questions and untamed potential.His captors tethered him near the smoking fire pit, where the spark of the tribe's raw existence glowed fiercely against the creeping darkness. Kaito's gaze drifted upward, tracing the stars unfamiliar to his eyes—this world's sky was both alien and hauntingly beautiful.Yet even amid the wonder, loneliness gripped him harder than the ropes. His thoughts were tethered to memories from a life seemingly distant but achingly close—the gentle embrace of his mother's smile, his father's steady voice calling him home. These memories were threads he clung to against the creeping darkness of despair."I must find a way back," he whispered to the cold night. His voice cracked with the weight of longing. "I have to…"Suddenly, a low growl shattered the quiet. From the shadows, a beast slinked forward—hairless and sinewy, eyes glowing with hunger. The tribe's warriors tensed, weapons drawn, but the creature had already fixed its gaze on Kaito.The primal tension snapped. One warrior lunged, but before the beast could pounce, a flash of brilliant light burst from Kaito's chest. The glow wrapped around him like an invisible shield, striking the creature backward. The air shimmered with raw magic as Kaito's power surged uncontrollably for the first time since arriving.Gasps and murmurs rippled through the tribe. Their fear mingled with awe. Kaito's mind raced—he had to control this power before it consumed him, but he barely understood its depth.Bound yet unbroken, the night stretched on, filled with whispered questions and unspoken threats. The tribe's shaman approached later, a mysterious figure cloaked in feathers and bones. With a voice both haunting and melodic, she spoke in riddles, weaving words of prophecy:"You are not born of this earth, yet you walk between skies. The immortal who bears the mark of the fallen star… You hold the balance, yet swing neither here nor there."Kaito's eyes widened as fragments of truth flickered in his mind like broken stars. This world knew more about him than he had ever imagined—and he was far from a mere stranger.He returned his gaze to the fire, watching embers rise like silent screams into the cold night. His desire to return home burned hotter than flames. But the journey ahead would twist and turn in ways he dared not imagine.As dawn hinted at breaking across the horizon, Kaito felt a shift—a subtle crack in the invisible cage around him. The story was unfolding, and with every heartbeat, the legend of the immortal Skywalker was coming to life.