The next morning, as the first light of day filtered through the thick canopy of trees above, Jay, Leno, and Victor made their way toward the site. The journey was tense, the air thick with unspoken questions.
The worn path beneath their feet seemed endless, as though it led to some forgotten part of the world. The air grew heavy with each step they took, and Jay couldn't shake the feeling that this place held a significance he had yet to fully understand. Every fiber of his being told him they had arrived at something monumental—the place where it all began.
Victor led the group in silence, his expression unreadable. Leno walked with an uncharacteristic focus, while Andrei and Leon kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. The air in this place felt ancient—thick with secrets—and Jay couldn't help but feel a mix of dread and anticipation.
The group arrived at a stone archway, weathered and cracked with age, and paused before stepping through. The darkness beyond seemed endless, but it felt like something was calling Jay—something buried deep in the place.
"This is where we found you," Victor said quietly, turning to Jay.
Jay's heart pounded in his chest. This place, though unfamiliar, felt strangely like home. He stepped forward, compelled by a force he couldn't explain, and crossed into the space beyond.
They entered a vast underground chamber, filled with the kind of silence that made Jay feel as if he were intruding upon something ancient. Stone walls lined the space, covered in vines, moss, and mysterious markings that seemed to pulse with an energy that hadn't seen the light of day in centuries.
"This is it," Leno muttered. "The place where we found you."
Jay's eyes scanned the room, taking in the remnants of long-forgotten relics and strange carvings etched into the walls. He could feel the weight of it all—the history of this place pressing down on him. But there was something else too. A strange sense of being watched.
As Jay stepped forward, the ground underfoot seemed to shift slightly. He halted, his eyes falling upon a small, weathered stone pedestal at the center of the room. His instincts screamed at him to move closer.
"I don't understand," Jay whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "Why was I left here?"
Leno moved beside him. His face was grim, and his voice was low as he spoke. "It's not just about where they left you, Jay. This place is tied to you. It's where everything started, but it's also where they tried to protect you."
Jay turned to him, confusion in his eyes. "Who tried to protect me?"
"Those who left you here," Leno explained. "But there's more. There's something you don't remember. Something we couldn't understand until now."
Jay was about to ask more, but before he could, a powerful force seemed to pull him forward. He stumbled, his hand reaching instinctively toward the pedestal. As his fingers brushed against the cold stone, his vision blurred, and he was hit with a sudden, overwhelming surge of images—faces, places, and flashes of people who seemed strangely familiar.
His heart raced as the images flooded his mind—fragments of memories he couldn't place. And then, in the chaos of it all, one image became clear.
He saw two figures, their bodies horribly burned and covered in soot. They were holding him—protecting him—clutching him tightly in their arms as if their very lives depended on keeping him safe.
The vision faded as quickly as it came, but the impact was enough to make Jay gasp in shock.
"No… no, that can't be real…" Jay muttered, his hand trembling as he clutched his chest.
Victor stepped forward, his voice grave. "What did you see?"
Jay's breath was shallow, and his mind reeled. "Two people… they were holding me. They were burned… they were protecting me. They…"
He paused, trying to grasp at the fragments of the vision that still felt so real. "They were protecting me from something… But I don't know what. Why would they… why would they leave me here?"
Leno's expression darkened. He placed a hand on Jay's shoulder, his tone serious. "We don't have all the answers, Jay. But we know this—when we found you, you were in the arms of two severely burned figures, as if they were shielding you from something. They didn't make it. But they did everything they could to protect you."
Jay's mind raced, the images of the burned figures still vivid in his mind. "Who were they? And why me? Why was I left here? Why not…"
Before he could finish, a sharp pain erupted in his head. His vision flickered, and a sudden image forced its way into his mind.
A woman, her face blurred but her hands distinct, was clutching something in her grip.
It was his necklace—the one he is wearing. She crushed it in her hands, and Jay felt an agonizing wave of pain wash over him. His entire body trembled as the vision intensified, the pressure in his skull almost unbearable.
He gasped, trying to fight against the overwhelming sensation.
Leno and the others gathered around him, concern etched on their faces. "Jay! What's happening?" Leno asked urgently.
Jay's vision swam as the woman's grip on the necklace tightened, her hands glowing with an ethereal light. His entire body felt as if it were being ripped apart from the inside.
The agony was unbearable, but as quickly as it had started, it began to fade.
He collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged. "What… what was that?" he muttered, shaking his head to clear the remnants of the vision.
Leno knelt beside him, placing a steady hand on his back. "That wasn't just a vision, Jay. That was a memory. A key to understanding who you are—and why you were left here."
Jay's eyes widened. "That woman… she crushed my necklace. Why? What does it mean?"
Leno hesitated for a moment, his eyes glinting with something Jay couldn't quite read. "It's a piece of the puzzle, Jay. But we're not sure what it means yet."
"We need to get you back to the base," Victor interjected. "Rest. You've seen enough for now."
Jay nodded weakly, too drained to argue. The weight of everything he had just learned—everything he had just felt—was too much to bear.
As the group turned to leave, Jay couldn't shake the feeling that the answers were just beyond his reach—that he was on the brink of uncovering something monumental about himself, his parents, and the forces that had shaped his life.
As the group began their walk back, the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken thoughts. Jay remained quiet, his mind spinning from the vision he had just experienced. Alina and Andrei flanked him, offering silent support as Victor led the way.
But as the team moved further along the winding path, Leno lingered behind. He stood still, his gaze locked on the exact spot where Jay had been found all those years ago. The charred remains of the past seemed to whisper something only he could hear.
"Leno?" Alina called back, her voice laced with concern. She stopped and turned to him, her brow furrowed. "Why aren't you coming?"
Leno didn't move, his posture rigid. For a moment, he didn't respond, as if he hadn't heard her. Then, slowly, he turned his head just enough for her to see the faintest curve of a smile on his lips.
"You go on ahead," he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight Alina couldn't quite place.
She hesitated, her instincts warning her to push for more, but something in his tone stopped her. "Alright," she said softly, before rejoining the others.
Leno remained where he was, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. He watched as the team disappeared into the shadows of the winding trail, their figures growing smaller with each step.
Once they were out of sight, his smile grew slightly wider. His right eye, once its usual dark hue, suddenly shifted to a piercing scarlet red, glowing faintly in the dim light of the chamber.
He muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. "So, it begins…"
The scarlet light from his eye flickered before vanishing, leaving Leno standing alone in the silence of the place where it all began.