The sanctuary was quieter than I expected. The smoke from the village lingered in my nostrils, but the forest itself felt… alive, protective. Massive roots crisscrossed the ground around the hut, bending slightly as if to shield it. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in shafts, dust motes drifting like tiny spirits.
Aiyana settled against a root, wincing slightly. "You must remain alert," she murmured. "Even here, Noxian scouts move unseen."
I glanced around, noticing subtle signs: broken twigs, faint boot prints, disturbed leaves. My heart thumped, but it wasn't just fear. It was anticipation. This is real. I'm really here. And the land… it's listening to me.
She gestured toward the hut. "Come. Meet those who will help you learn to survive. They are wary… but necessary."
Inside, the space was small but practical. A few blankets, dried herbs hanging from the beams, and stone bowls arranged on a low table. Three figures turned toward us.
The first was a young swordsman, barely older than me, dressed in simple garb. Dark eyes sharp, a scar across one cheek.
"You're the… outsider?" Renji said cautiously.
"I… yeah," I admitted. "I'm… I don't even know how I got here."
The second was a child, maybe ten, sitting cross-legged in the corner. Wide eyes followed me curiously. That was Liora. The third was a monk, older, calm, with a staff resting across his knees. His gaze pierced me. That was Kaelith.
Renji crossed his arms. "You're lucky Aiyana saved you. But luck won't last. Not here."
I swallowed. "I… I want to help. I want to survive."
Kaelith tilted his head. "You will, if you listen. The land speaks, and it responds to some more than others. We've seen many come and go, but… you are different."
Different. I'd been called that before back on Earth, but here, it felt weighty.
Aiyana motioned toward me. "Feel the Flow. Close your eyes. Do not force it. Listen."
I hesitated, mind screaming with chaos: memories of the burning village, screaming villagers, Noxian soldiers. But her calm voice urged me to obey.
I sat cross-legged, mimicking Kaelith, and focused. Breath in. Breath out. The hum of the sanctuary beneath me. The whisper of the river nearby.
Slowly, tentatively, I felt it: a thin, shivering current, cold and liquid, threading through the soil into my feet. Almost like the water itself was alive, nudging me, testing me, asking if I would obey.
Instinctively, I shifted my hands. The small puddle in the hut's floor quivered. Ripples spread outward. My heart raced.
Aiyana's eyes lit. "Good. You feel it."
"Just… ripples," I said nervously.
"And yet, a ripple can redirect a stream," she said. "Flow is not about force. It is about guidance."
I concentrated harder. The puddle lifted slightly, moving as if it had purpose. My pulse synced with the rhythm of the liquid. Petals drifted around me as the Flow reached beyond the puddle, brushing the floorboards and the roots beneath the walls.
Renji's eyes widened. "That… that's impossible."
"Not impossible," Aiyana corrected. "Untethered. The land will teach him if he listens."
Kaelith spoke quietly. "Control will come. But your emotions… they will guide the Flow as much as your will."
I frowned. "Emotions?"
"Fear, anger, hope, sorrow—they are currents, just like water. You must learn to ride them, or they will drown you."
I shivered. That hit too close to home. All the fear, guilt, and terror surged.
Suddenly, the puddle jerked violently. Water splashed toward the hut's entrance. My hands flew up, trying to contain it. The Flow recoiled like it had a mind of its own.
"Control," Aiyana warned calmly. "Do not fight it. Guide it."
I took a deep breath, forcing panic down, and slowly, the water calmed, settling into a perfect circle at my feet. My muscles trembled, sweat beading my forehead.
"You see," she said softly, "the Flow answers your intent. Not your panic, not your fear—your intent."
The hairs on my arms stood on end. Outside, rustling drew our attention. Liora clutched my sleeve, eyes wide.
"They're here," Kaelith whispered.
Aiyana's eyes narrowed. "Good. Let us see how well you listen to the Flow when danger arrives."
My first real test wasn't survival anymore—it was wielding something I barely understood. Something alive. Something that could kill… or protect.
The forest pulsed around us, whispering: It is time.