The valley behind them slowly faded into mist as Kael, Lira, and Seren continued east.The path curved through fields of tall, golden grass that whispered in the wind like voices calling home.
They walked for three days without rest. The air smelled faintly of rain and old smoke — as if the land still remembered every fire it had ever seen.
Lira broke the silence first. "Where are we going, Kael?"
He pointed ahead. "To the River that Remembers. The monks of Still Waters once said it carries every memory the world ever lost. If the Eye is twisting dreams, maybe it's hiding its roots there."
Seren frowned. "A river that remembers… sounds like a place where ghosts drink."
Kael smiled faintly. "Then let them. Maybe they'll tell us something we forgot."
They reached the river by dusk.
It wasn't like any river they'd ever seen. The water shimmered with colors that changed every moment — silver, gold, blue, and sometimes black. When the wind blew, the surface showed shapes — faces, eyes, whole scenes from forgotten lives.
Lira knelt at the edge. "It's beautiful…" she whispered.
Seren leaned on her bow. "And dangerous. Don't look too long."
Kael nodded. "The monks said memory is like water — it nourishes, but it can also drown."
He removed his gloves and dipped his fingers in.The moment he touched the water, warmth spread through him — soft at first, then heavy.
Images flashed in his mind — a child running through fields of fireflies, a mother's laughter, a blade shining under sunlight, a man's last breath in battle.
He pulled back, gasping.
Lira grabbed his arm. "Kael! What did you see?"
He looked at her, eyes distant. "Everything. Everyone. The river remembers all of it."
That night, they camped near the riverbank. The moon hung low, silver light rippling across the water like a second world.
Kael couldn't sleep. The sound of the current whispered to him — not in words, but in emotions. It called to him with memories that weren't his.
Joy. Grief. Love. Loss.
He felt drawn to it, as though it carried something he'd forgotten — something important.
Slowly, he stood and walked to the river's edge. His reflection rippled — then changed.
He saw a version of himself from before everything — before fire, before war. A simple man, smiling, holding someone's hand.
The reflection spoke softly.
"Do you remember her?"
Kael's heart pounded. "Who?"
"The one you lost before the flame found you."
He froze. A woman's face appeared beside the reflection — gentle eyes, a warm smile. He couldn't recall her name, but the ache in his chest told him she had been real.
Lira's voice broke through the night. "Kael?"
He turned — but when he looked back, the reflection was gone. Only the river flowed, silent and endless.
By morning, the river had changed. The colors had deepened, glowing faintly from beneath the surface.
Seren stood by the bank, watching shapes drift by — memories like fish swimming in light. "It's almost alive," she whispered.
Kael nodded. "Maybe it is. Maybe it's what's left of the world's heart."
Lira frowned. "Then why does it feel sad?"
Kael looked at the water. "Because it remembers everything — even the things we tried to forget."
He crouched beside the river again, tracing the air above it with his hand.The current slowed, as if listening.
"Show me the Eye," he said softly.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the river darkened.The images on its surface blurred into chaos — flames, faces screaming, cities collapsing.
And then… an eye. Vast and bright, watching from beneath the current.
Lira gasped. "Kael, stop!"
But the water surged upward, wrapping around his arm like liquid glass. His eyes went blank.
Seren ran forward, trying to pull him back, but the river's current held him tight.
Voices filled the air — hundreds at once, whispering:
"We remember you, Kael. You lit the first fire. You burned the world to start again."
Kael struggled, his heart pounding. "That's not true!"
The voices grew louder.
"You called it rebirth. But rebirth and destruction are the same flame."
Lira grabbed his shoulders, shouting, "Kael, listen to me! The past isn't who you are — it's what you learned from!"
Her words pierced through the noise.
The river hesitated. Its grip loosened, and Kael fell back onto the ground, coughing. The water shimmered and turned clear again.
He lay still, staring at the sky. "It remembers too much," he whispered. "Even pain becomes sacred here."
Lira touched his hand. "Then don't let it drown you. Take only what you need."
He nodded slowly. "Then let's take this truth — the Eye doesn't just feed on dreams. It feeds on memory. On every regret we've ever carried."
They followed the river for another day. By evening, they reached a narrow bend where the water vanished underground, disappearing into a cave glowing faint blue.
Seren looked uneasy. "It goes deep."
Kael nodded. "Then that's where we go. If the Eye's feeding on memory, it'll hide in the oldest one."
He looked at the river one last time. "It remembers everything, Lira. Even what I've tried to forget."
Lira smiled softly. "Then maybe it remembers the good too."
Kael stared into the glowing current. "I hope so."
"Because when memory becomes a weapon," he said quietly, "the only shield left is forgiveness."
The river whispered one last time before they entered the cave — not words, but a promise.A soft voice like water over stone:
"We remember your kindness too."