A cold wind swept through the ruins, carrying the scent of damp earth and the faint, acrid tang of ash. The remains of a forgotten city lay in silence, its crumbling walls and shattered statues casting long shadows under a sun that struggled to pierce the heavy, gray clouds. Amid the desolation, a man lay still, half-buried under the rubble, his face pale and dust-covered. His right hand glowed faintly, marked by a strange, pulsating symbol that seemed alive.
Kael woke with a gasp, his lungs burning as though he'd been holding his breath for hours. The world around him swam in a haze of dull grays and browns, and a sharp pain shot through his body as he tried to sit up. Every inch of him ached, as if he'd been broken and pieced back together. His thoughts were a fragmented mess, each one slipping from his grasp before he could make sense of it.
Where was he? What had happened? His head throbbed with the weight of unspoken questions. But the most terrifying realization struck him like a blow: he didn't know who he was.
---
The Mark
Kael's hands trembled as he pushed himself upright, the rough ground scraping against his palms. His gaze fell on his right hand, where a glowing mark pulsed faintly with a rhythm that matched his heartbeat. The symbol was intricate, almost hypnotic, with lines and curves that formed a design he couldn't comprehend. It seemed to shift subtly when he moved, as if alive.
"What... what is this?" he muttered hoarsely. His voice cracked, dry and unfamiliar to his own ears. No answer came, only the whisper of the wind weaving through the ruins.
Struggling to his feet, Kael caught a glimpse of himself reflected in a shard of shattered glass. Dark hair hung messily over a face streaked with dirt, pale as though drained of life. His gray eyes, shadowed with confusion and fatigue, stared back at him, unrecognizable. He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart, but the reflection did nothing to ease his unease. He didn't recognize himself—not his surroundings, and not the man in the reflection.
---
An Uneasy Presence
The faint rustle of rubble shifting behind him snapped Kael out of his thoughts. He froze, his muscles tensing instinctively. The sound came again—a low, dragging noise, followed by the crunch of heavy footsteps. Slowly, Kael turned toward the source, his breath catching in his throat.
A creature emerged from the shadows of a collapsed archway. Its form was humanoid, but grotesque, its body composed of dark, swirling shadows that seemed to suck in the light around it. Crimson eyes glowed from its featureless face, piercing and unrelenting. The air grew colder, and the oppressive silence deepened, broken only by the creature's guttural growl.
Kael's pulse quickened. His body moved before his mind could catch up, stepping back cautiously, his gaze locked on the creature. He didn't know what it was, but every instinct in his body screamed one thing: run.
The creature lunged with startling speed, its claws raking through the air where Kael had stood a moment before. He dodged, his body reacting instinctively, his movements fluid and precise. "How...?" The thought flitted through his mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. The creature attacked again, and Kael ducked, narrowly avoiding its strike.
His right hand flared suddenly, the mark on his skin blazing with golden light. A shockwave burst from his palm, slamming into the creature and sending it hurtling into a crumbling wall. Kael staggered back, his heart pounding as he stared at his hand. The light faded, leaving only the faint glow of the mark.
"What... was that?" he whispered. But the creature wasn't done. It rose from the rubble, its body flickering and reforming, the crimson eyes burning brighter than before.
Kael turned and ran.
---
The Chase
The ruins were a labyrinth of broken structures and uneven pathways, each step treacherous as Kael fled deeper into the desolation. The sound of the creature's pursuit echoed behind him—heavy, deliberate, relentless. The cold air bit at his skin, and the metallic taste of fear lingered on his tongue. He had no plan, no destination, only the desperate urge to survive.
He rounded a corner, his breath hitching when he saw the path ahead. It ended abruptly at a sheer cliff, its jagged edge dropping into an abyss shrouded in mist. Kael skidded to a halt, his chest heaving as he looked over his shoulder. The creature emerged from the shadows, its growl rumbling like distant thunder.
Trapped.
Kael clenched his fists, his gaze flickering to the glowing mark on his hand. The memory of the light bursting forth filled him with equal parts hope and dread. Could he use it again? Would it even work? Before he could decide, the creature tensed, ready to pounce.
"Duck!" The shout came from nowhere, sharp and commanding. Kael didn't think—he dropped to the ground just as a streak of shimmering light shot past him, striking the creature square in the chest. It let out an unearthly shriek, its body convulsing before exploding into a cloud of dark mist. The remnants drifted away, leaving nothing behind.
Kael turned toward the source of the voice, his heart still racing.
---
Hazel
She stepped out from the shadows with the confidence of someone who had faced such horrors countless times. Her black hair, streaked with faint silver strands, was tied loosely behind her, and her piercing amber eyes glinted in the dim light. She held a bow of dark wood, its string still vibrating from the shot she'd just fired. Her leather armor bore scratches and marks of age, but it clung to her form with a practicality that spoke of countless battles fought and survived.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, his voice rasping.
Hazel's eyes narrowed, scanning him as though she could read every secret hidden in his mind. "Wrong question," she said, lowering her bow but not relaxing. "The real question is, what are you doing here with that mark on your hand?"
Kael glanced at his palm, the mark still glowing faintly, and his mind raced for an answer. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't even know who I am."
Her expression shifted slightly, though Kael couldn't tell if it was pity or annoyance. "Figures," she muttered, more to herself than to him. "Just my luck."
Kael frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," she said, stepping closer, "that you're carrying something dangerous. And if you don't start moving, you'll be dead before you figure out why."
---
Kael hesitated, his mind swirling with questions. Who was this woman? How did she know about the mark? And why did she care? But the memory of the creature's glowing eyes and its unrelenting pursuit was enough to silence his doubts. For now.
"Fine," he said, his voice steadying. "Lead the way."
Hazel nodded, slinging her bow across her back. "Stay close," she said. "And try not to die. I don't have time to babysit."
As they disappeared into the shadows of the ruins, Kael's gaze drifted back to the mark on his hand. It pulsed faintly, its light almost comforting despite the danger it seemed to bring. He didn't know what it meant or why he had it, but one thing was clear: it was the key to everything. And it had already begun to change his life forever.