The boy jolted awake, his chest heaving and his eyes wide with shock. His mind raced to piece together the fragments of his memory. The last thing he could recall was the mysterious young man stepping outside the temple gates.
Then, it hit him—he had felt a sudden, sharp impact from behind. His knees had buckled, and darkness had rushed in as his body gave out. In those fleeting moments, he had managed to whisper a single name before everything went black: "Pea...ce... Xan..."
The memory lingered, vivid and unsettling, as the boy sat there, trembling.
The boy blinked against the dim light, his breaths shallow as the cold, heavy chains binding him clinked with his every movement. He glanced around, panic rising as he realized he was in a dark, unfamiliar room. The walls were plastered with countless pieces of paper, each scrawled with words and symbols in various languages—some familiar, others entirely unrecognizable.
As his senses sharpened, he started shouting, his voice trembling with fear and confusion. "Why am I wrapped in chains? What is this place?"
But as his own words echoed back at him, he froze. His voice—deep, resonant, and unrecognizable—sent a chill down his spine. It wasn't his voice.
Just as he began to process this unsettling change, the door creaked open slowly. His eyes darted toward the widening gap, his body tensing despite the chains holding him in place.
In the doorway stood a girl, her silhouette illuminated faintly by the light spilling in from behind her. She stepped forward, her expression unreadable, her presence carrying an eerie calm. The boy's heart raced as he stared at her, questions and fear swirling in his mind.
The boy thrashed against the chains, his voice rising with desperation. "Who are you? Why did you bring me here? Let me go to my mother!"
Before he could say more, the girl stepped forward, her expression hardening. "SHUT UP!" she yelled, her voice cutting through the room like a blade. "We're trying to save you—from them."
The boy opened his mouth to protest, but her words struck him silent for a moment. "Save me?" he finally managed, his voice trembling, though the confusion and anger in his eyes remained.
The boy's voice broke as he cried out, "Save me from whom? Please, just let me go to my mother. I'm begging you!" Tears streamed down his face, his sobs echoing in the dim room.
The girl's stern expression softened, guilt flickering in her eyes. She knelt down slightly, her voice quieter now. "I'm sorry," she began, her tone tinged with regret. "Okay, I promise I'll take you back to your mother. But before that, you have to follow some rules. Do you understand?"
The boy's tears slowed as hope began to replace his fear. His face lit up with a smile, a pure, childlike joy spreading across his features. "Really? I can go back to her?" he asked eagerly.
The girl's lips curved into a faint smile in response. She hesitated for a moment, then added softly, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you... You've finally woken up—after a long, long time."
The boy stood frozen, confusion clouding his mind as he tried to comprehend the girl's words. But before he could ask more, she raised her hands towards him, speaking the same unrecognizable language. The air around him seemed to hum with power, and suddenly, the chains that bound him shattered, disintegrating into nothingness.
The girl then raised her other hand and held out a small mirror. Hesitant, the boy took it, his fingers trembling. When he looked into the reflection, his heart skipped a beat. The face staring back at him was not his own. It was the face of a completely different person—someone older, unfamiliar.
He quickly touched his face, his fingers tracing the features, the unfamiliar lines and angles of his new appearance. In a frantic, desperate motion, he pinched his skin, even tried to scratch, as if trying to prove to himself that this wasn't real. But no matter how much he hurt himself, the reflection remained unchanged.
The girl watched quietly as the boy's shock deepened. Finally, she spoke, her voice gentle yet firm. "You woke up after 13 years. You're 18 years old now."
The boy staggered back, his mind reeling with the impossible reality of her words. "How? How can I be 18 years old? This was just a day ago... What did you all do to me?" His voice rose in panic, his hands shaking as he tried to make sense of the absurdity. Then, a realization hit him—why he couldn't recognize his own voice.
His eyes widened in horror as he connected the dots, the truth crashing down on him.
The girl's voice was calm, almost apologetic, as she spoke. "Sorry, I was the one who hit you from behind."
The boy's memory snapped back, and with a surge of rage, he shot forward, aiming to punch her. But before his fist could even reach her, an invisible force stopped him mid-air, freezing him in place. He struggled, his body tensing as he tried to move, but the more he fought, the tighter the invisible grip on him became.
With a flick of the girl's wrist, bandages materialized from the air, wrapping around him like vines, restricting his movements as she cast another spell.
The boy's efforts to break free were futile. No matter how much he strained, the bandages held firm, and the force keeping him still was unyielding. He let out a frustrated cry. "Let me go!"
The girl's voice remained calm, but her words held a certain finality. "It's useless to even try."
He stopped struggling for a moment, his confusion growing. "What do you mean?"
She looked at him, a flicker of something almost regretful crossing her face. "You have been sealed... by your own fault."
The boy's mind raced, trying to piece together the meaning of her words. "By my own fault?" he repeated, his voice shaky. "And who are you all? How are you doing this... magic?"
The girl's gaze softened slightly, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "You'll understand soon enough. But for now, you need to rest. The truth will come, whether you're ready or not."
The boy's voice trembled with frustration, but his determination was clear. "I'm asking you again—why are you all after me? What's your purpose in doing all of this? And why did you separate me from my mother? What is this seal?"
The girl sighed, her patience wearing thin. "You talk too much," she muttered under her breath, then met his gaze with a resigned look. "Fine. I'll tell you everything."
As she spoke, her mind raced, questioning why she was the one chosen to explain all of this. But she knew there was no turning back now. If she didn't tell him, the truth would remain a weight between them. And yet, the boy's intense, unrelenting gaze—eyes burning with pure hatred—made it difficult to find the right words.
She swallowed hard, her thoughts momentarily faltering as she saw the raw emotion in his eyes. Hatred. Fear. Confusion. It was all tangled up in those eyes. But she knew she couldn't avoid it any longer.
She took a breath, her voice steady but heavy with the gravity of what was to come. "Everything you've been through, everything that's happening now—it's because you're more than just a boy. You were chosen for something , something you can't even begin to understand yet. And separating you from your mother was the first step to protect her—and to protect you."
The boy's expression hardened, his fists clenching as his rage built. "Protect me? From what?"