Dorin woke early the next morning, the pale light of dawn filtering through the cracks in the wooden shutters. His bed felt cold, the weight of his thoughts pressing harder than any blanket. The soldiers. His powers. The unsettling truth about his past. No matter how he tried to dismiss them, these thoughts clung to him, relentless and consuming.
He could feel something ancient stirring within him—a pull he didn't yet understand, but one that demanded his attention. He had to leave this village. He had to understand why they were searching for him and what had awakened inside him.
As he dressed, Dorin caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His reflection was familiar, yet not. The face he saw was that of a man who had lived two lives without knowing it. His green eyes, usually so calm, now felt heavy with an unspoken burden. He ran a hand through his hair, fingers brushing against the scar on his jaw—a scar he had never asked about.
Turning away, he forced himself not to dwell on things that couldn't be changed. The world outside was still and quiet as he stepped into the morning. He walked briskly toward the village's edge, the weight of urgency pulling him forward.
The forest, just beyond the fields, was a place that had always felt different to Dorin. He had never fully understood why, but it was here that he first sensed something deeper stirring within him. As he ventured into the woods, the air seemed charged with energy, like the very earth beneath him was alive, watching him.
He arrived at a familiar clearing, one he had stumbled upon years ago, and felt an overwhelming surge of power. The air was thicker now, the weight of his past pressing heavily. It was here, in this place, that Dorin felt the first true stirrings of the power inside him.
But he was not alone.
A figure stood at the center of the clearing, cloaked in dark fabric, his features obscured by shadow. Dorin froze. The man's presence was unsettling, but it wasn't just his appearance—it was the fact that Dorin knew, without a doubt, that this man knew him.
"Dorin," the figure's voice came, smooth and unsettling, like the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Dorin's breath caught in his throat. "Who are you?" His hand went instinctively to the blade at his waist, his heart pounding in his chest.
The figure smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "Who I am is not important," he said, his voice still calm. "What matters is why I'm here."
Dorin's grip tightened on the hilt of his blade. "What do you want with me?"
The man's smile faded, and his eyes gleamed with something darker. "I don't want anything from you—not yet. But you are important, Dorin. To the world. More than you can understand."
Dorin felt a chill run through him. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
The figure's gaze softened slightly, but his voice remained cold. "The soldiers, your powers... none of this is coincidence. These are pieces of a much larger puzzle, one that will shape the world in ways you cannot even imagine."
Dorin took a step back, the man's words sinking deep. The weight of his statement hung in the air, suffocating him. Was his life really part of something that grand? He hadn't asked for this, didn't want any part of it, but something inside him told him he had already crossed a line.
"What do you want from me?" he asked again, quieter now, a sense of helplessness creeping into his voice.
The man's eyes glinted with something unreadable. "I don't want anything from you. I am here to offer you a choice. To awaken the power within you, to help you understand your true potential. You have no idea what you are capable of."
A cold shiver ran down Dorin's spine. "I don't want your power. I don't want anything to do with this."
The man's expression hardened, but for a moment, there was a flicker of something like sympathy in his eyes. "You misunderstand. This isn't about want. It's about readiness. Because whether you like it or not, your destiny is already written. The power, the danger—it's all part of you."
With those words, the figure turned, fading into the shadows of the forest without another word. The clearing was silent again, the wind howling through the trees as if nothing had happened at all. Dorin stood frozen, his mind reeling. What had just happened? What had the man meant by destiny, by power?
The weight of it all pressed on him, harder than ever. He couldn't go back, not now. The truth was already unfolding, whether he was ready or not.
---
When Dorin returned to the village, the encounter weighed heavily on him. He wasn't the same man who had left. The figure's words echoed in his mind, gnawing at him, carving themselves into his thoughts. He wasn't sure if he was more afraid of the truth or the unknown that lay ahead.
As he neared the forge, he saw Selene standing by the square, her eyes fixed on him, unblinking. There was no question in her gaze, only a quiet understanding.
"You met him, didn't you?" she asked, her voice calm but unwavering.
Dorin nodded, the lump in his throat making it difficult to speak. The world felt like it was closing in around him, and he couldn't find the words to explain what had just happened.
Selene's eyes softened, the faintest shadow of sadness in them. "I knew it would come to this."
Dorin stood there, his heart heavy. He didn't understand it all—not yet. He had more questions than answers, and part of him feared he might never find the truth. But one thing was clear: the road ahead would be long, and he couldn't walk it alone.