I never thought my life would change on a quiet, empty road.

I wasn't anyone special. No grand destiny. No family legacy. Just a wanderer, walking because standing still felt worse.

But that night, everything changed.

I found him—an old traveler slumped against a tree, his cloak dark with blood. At first, I thought he was already gone, but then his fingers twitched, his breath rattling in his chest. He wasn't holding a weapon or food or even gold.

Just a small, strange-looking compass.

And when he saw me, his eyes sharpened, as if he'd been waiting.

"You…" he rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're just in time…"

I knelt beside him, unsure if he was delirious. "What happened to you?"

He coughed, a weak chuckle escaping his lips. "Fate. Luck. Maybe both." His shaking hand lifted the compass toward me. "Take it."

I hesitated. "Why?"

His grip suddenly tightened on my wrist, his eyes burning with something fierce. "Because it chooses. And now, it's choosing you."

I swallowed hard. Something about this didn't feel right. But still… I took the compass from his palm.

And the moment I did, I felt something shift.

The metal was warm, as if alive. The needle twitched, spun, then settled—not pointing north, but at me.

The old man exhaled, his body sagging. "Good… I can rest now."

A final breath. A final sigh.

Then he was gone.

And I was alone.

Holding something I didn't understand.

The road stretched ahead, empty and silent.

I should have buried the man, at least given him a moment of respect. But my hands were frozen around the compass.

It wasn't a normal one.

The needle moved—not randomly, but like it was thinking. It spun slowly, then stopped, pointing down the road.

Not north. Not south.

Just forward.

I swallowed hard.

I should have ignored it. Tossed it away. Kept walking in whatever direction I wanted.

But something about the way the old man spoke, the way the compass felt warm in my palm, made me hesitate.

Maybe… maybe it really was choosing me.

Maybe it was pointing me somewhere I needed to go.

I exhaled, tightening my grip.

And then I walked.

Because for the first time in my life…

…I had a direction.