THE FIRST THING I NOTICE IS THE SILENCE. But unlike the eerily empty kind this was the sort that brims with life. Waves against stone, wind slipping through reed curtains and the faint chatter of the very few people already awake.
I blink against the thin light filtering through the old roof I've been waking up to every day since walking through the city gates. The air smells faintly of salt and dried herbs. The usual. My body doesn't ache anymore; the heaviness that clung to me since the Temple feels like a dream I've woken from.
For a moment, I just lie there. Listening. Breathing. Waiting for The System's voice to echo in my head again. It doesn't. For now.
Across the room, Foras perches on a stool, one leg swinging lazily as he studies a small shell in his hand. He glances up when he notices me watching.
"Finally alive again?"
"Barely." My voice croaks more than I intend.
He scoots over like a large bee on a summer afternoon and pats my head. "You'll survive."
I push myself upright. The blanket slips from my shoulders. My fingers brush the spot at my wrist where one of the mirror shards fused beneath the skin. It feels cool, almost metallic. There's a faint pulse, a shimmer that dies the moment I focus on it.
The Mirror Veil is still active. I can feel it, faint but constant, like the heartbeat of something not quite human.
From outside, I hear the scrape of pottery and Nia's voice, sharp and impatient, followed by the old lady's quieter, steadier tone. They're arguing about breakfast, apparently. The sound makes me smile without meaning to.
Foras catches it. "Careful. You might start looking like you enjoy being alive."
"Don't push it."
He laughs, hops off the stool, and gestures to the doorway. "Come on, hyung. They've saved you food. You look like you can eat a whole village's share right now."
The kitchen smells of seaweed broth and something roasted. Nia sits cross-legged on the floor, stirring a pot while muttering. Probably mad at the chores like usual. The old lady moves with quiet grace behind her, arranging bowls with the ease of someone who's done this every morning for decades.
Neither of them reacts to Foras walking in first.
Not a glance. Not a whisper. And definitely no ladles thrown at him.
They just see him… and accept him.
It's almost unsettling. I can't tell what their minds are filling in. Normally they'd treat him like a flying piece of cancer. And I'd agree with them. But today they look used to him. Maybe they think he's another patient. Or a neighbour's child. Or something else entirely. I feel the slight pulse on my wrist and understand.
The Mirror Veil works too well, bending their memories until my presence, and his, make sense.
"Good morning," I say.
Nia glances up, scoffing. "Good is generous. You were supposed to be resting."
"I did. And I woke up."
"Typical."
The old lady chuckles softly and sets a bowl before me. "Eat, child. Words don't fill the stomach."
Her tone is the same as always — calm, regal, as if she's quietly above the chaos of the world. For her age, she probably is. Even her eyeliner, that faint electric blue tracing her lashes, seems steady compared to Nia's flickering glow.
Foras sniffs the food. "That smells incredible."
"You've already had three bowls," Nia says flatly.
He grins, unashamed. "And I could still perish from hunger."
"Then perish quietly."
We eat in companionable silence for a while. The broth is rich and comforting, the kind of food that tastes like home. Wonder what amma, appa and my annoying sister are doing. And… Shin Woo. How much time has passed on Earth since the last time?
While I ponder, I find myself studying the two of them: the ease in their movements and the way they talk without really needing to look at each other. It's a rhythm I've had before. Away from here. At home.
And maybe I never will again.
"Your skin looks better," the old lady says after a moment. "You'll be ready to travel soon."
"Travel?" I echo.
Nia sets her spoon down. "You didn't think we'd let you freeload forever, did you?"
I open my mouth to retort, but the old lady's small smile softens the jab. "Don't mind her. She means you've healed well enough to continue your journey. There's a festival soon — the Concordia Faire, in the City of Veyra. You'll find company there, perhaps work, perhaps answers."
"Veyra?" I repeat, tasting the name. So I guess Nia and the old lady are truly NPCs. NPCs with their constant urge to point you towards potential quests. In a way, it makes me sad. They feel too human to be NPCs with a three route dialogue set.
"The city of steel and trade," she says. "The harbour there shines brighter than some kingdoms. The Faire brings merchants from every shore. It hasn't been held in one hundred and eighty-seven moon cycles."
I cock an eyebrow as I put my spoon down. "And how long is that? Really long, I assume?"
The older woman laughs as she scoops more broth and fills my cup even though I still have more left. "Our moons are slower than they used to be," she says, pouring herself tea. "Their patience humbles even the tides now. I surmise you are from the fresh lands where they use their own denomination for time."
I understand absolutely nothing but I nod like I do. More questions for The System when she drops by.
On the side, Foras's eyes light up. "A festival means crowds. And crowds mean food stalls."
"And noise," Nia mutters.
"And profit," the old lady adds mildly. "If one is clever."
I shake my head unimpressed. "Not like we have the money to visit those stalls, Foras."
Foras groans as everyone chuckles. In a way, this is comfortable. But before I can sink into the comfort, something flickers at the edge of my vision. A faint distortion, like heat over metal.
Then the System's voice, crisp and clinical, inside my head.
"New Quest Unlocked – Reach the Commencement of the Concordia Faire in the City of Veyra within two nights. Failure Condition: Unknown."
I stiffen. The bowl in my hand trembles slightly.
Foras notices instantly, of course. "What now?" he whispers.
I shake my head, trying to focus on something that has never appeared before… a game menu. The others continue talking, unaware. Only I can see the new message glowing faintly in my vision of the same words The System had just uttered dissolving like mist.
Then another line appears, smaller and instructional,
[To access your objectives, draw a straight mark upon your palm.]
I glance down. Slowly, carefully, I trace a straight line on my skin with my forefinger.
A faint shimmer blooms in the air before me. A translucent interface unfolds, its text faintly glowing.
Active Quest:Reach the Commencement of the Concordia Faire.
Time Remaining:1 day, 23 hours, 58 minutes.
I swallow hard. The numbers tick down as I swallow my spit. 57, 56, 55. The quest is already in motion.
Foras's voice cuts in again, quieter this time. "It's her, isn't it?"
I don't answer. The System stays silent too, as if pleased with herself.
When I look up again, the old lady is watching me. Not suspicious but merely observant.
"You look as though you've remembered something unpleasant," she says.
"Just… thinking."
She nods once. "Then think on a full stomach. The world will wait for you to decide what to do next."
It's such an ordinary thing to say, but it settles in me like a bitter truth. Here in this world, I had anything but the freedom to decide to do what I wanted to.
After breakfast, the room fills with quiet motion. Nia gathers the dirty dishes and drops them in the stone sink in the corner. Foras tries to help and nearly topples an entire crate of dried fish staked beside the sink. Nia, finally, swats him away.
The old lady packs bread, dried fruit and what looks like a sachet of herbs into a cloth bundle and presses it into my hands. Her touch is cool but steady. Just like the Cove.
"The road to Veyra follows the river east," she says. "If you keep to the currents, you'll find the trade routes easily. But don't linger by the ferrymen too long. They ask questions when they see faces they can't place and plunder you when they realise you are a lone man."
"Got it."
"And Rudra," she adds softly. "You need not rush to remember who you were. The world will make room for who you are becoming."
Foras looks oddly solemn for once. "That was poetic."
Nia elbows him. "Shut up."
When everything's ready, we step outside.
Brumdn Cove glows in the morning light. The water is as clear as glass and the wooden walkways with its weeds gleam like ribbons between homes. For the first time, I realise how melodic the thrum of the distant reeds and the swish of the water are. Heck, it is bittersweet.
No one stares at me as Foras and I cross the city.
No one whispers.
They just move around me as if I've always been here. I even catch the sight of Aunt Ree who held the community supper during my initial days here. She waves at me like I'm her best friend.
The Mirror Veil holds perfectly.
Foras twirls once in the sunlight, grinning. "No screaming, no pointing. I could get used to this."
I glance back at the old lady standing at her doorway. She raises a hand in farewell, regal as ever. And Nia. She looks red and mad, just like my little sister before she bursts down in tears.
I bow slightly. "Thank you," I whisper though they can't hear me.
Then Foras and I walk, never once looking back. The ground beneath us shifts from smooth planks to damp earth, then to the firm stones of the path leading east. The air smells different out here — drier and heavier with the scent of plants, and grass. I realise how delicious it feels after the briny sea air of Brumdn Cove. Yet it doesn't make me miss the quiet water city which had been my first home here any less.
Foras floats beside me, humming some tune he probably made up. The world stretches ahead, wide and waiting. In a way, I quite like it.
I glance at the faint shimmer of the timer only I can see, ticking down in the corner of my vision.
1 day, 20 hours, 17 minutes.
The numbers pulse once, reminding me that peace never lasts long.
Still, as I look back one last time, I can barely see Brumdn Cove but what my eyes do manage to catch gleams like a memory made of light.
And for a heartbeat, I think I understand the way of life of the Covan people. The currents and reeds, the community dinners and the quiet city. With a smile, I look forward, at the tall, warm green trees and the smell of earth.
For the first time, the world didn't look at me like I didn't belong. It looked like it had been waiting.
t o b e c o n t i n u e d