FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST, AND THE CALL OF DESTINY (Part 2)
The silence in the camp was overwhelming. Only the sound of the night wind whispering through the trees broke the stillness.
Zyrion was breathing heavily, still on his knees, the white mask covering his face. Caelithra refused to let go of him, as if afraid that if she did, he would disappear into the darkness again.
Quindarion and Velkran approached cautiously, ready to act if anything else went wrong.
"Is he… alright?" Karion asked quietly, an unusual seriousness in his tone.
Caelithra felt Zyrion's body trembling.
"I don't know," she replied without moving away from him.
Kyrahna watched the scene with a deep frown.
"We need to take that mask off," she finally said.
Zyrion shuddered the moment he heard those words.
"No…" he murmured weakly.
Caelithra pulled back slightly to get a better look at him.
"Zyrion?"
He slowly lifted his head. Through the thin slits of the mask, his eyes glowed with a faint light.
"You… can't."
Velkran crossed his arms.
"Why not? If that thing is controlling you, the logical thing is to get rid of it."
Zyrion shook his head with effort.
"It's not that simple… The mask isn't just a prison… it's also a seal."
Quindarion narrowed his eyes, his mind analyzing the information.
"A seal? What do you mean?"
Zyrion lowered his gaze.
"I don't know… I can't remember."
Caelithra felt a chill crawl down her spine.
"Then we need to do something before it consumes you completely," she insisted.
"You don't understand!"
His voice echoed with more strength than he expected. Everyone tensed.
Zyrion took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"You can't just take it off. Something… something inside me will awaken if you do. And I don't know what it is."
The group fell silent, processing his words.
Velkran clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Great. So we basically have a teammate with a bomb glued to his face."
"Velkran," Kyrahna warned with a frown.
"What? It's true! If we can't take that thing off and we also can't let it consume him, then what the hell are we supposed to do?"
Quindarion sighed.
"We keep a close eye on him. If the mask starts affecting his mind again, we intervene."
Karion looked at Zyrion with a serious expression.
"What do you think?"
Zyrion clenched his fists.
"I think… I need to find out what this means. If there's something inside me, if this mask is a seal, then I need answers."
Caelithra nodded slowly.
"Then we'll help you."
Zyrion lifted his head, surprised.
Caelithra looked directly into his eyes.
"I'm not going to leave you alone in this."
Kyrahna stepped forward, crossing her arms.
"Neither will I."
Karion smirked.
"Well, if you die, I'd lose the only person who understands my jokes. So I guess I'll help too."
Taliena, who had been silent until then, sighed.
"Same here. If there's something dark lurking inside you, it's better we discover it before it's too late."
Velkran grunted but didn't argue.
Quindarion nodded with determination.
"Then it's settled. We'll make sure you uncover the truth before that mask decides to swallow you whole."
Zyrion felt something strange in his chest. Something warm.
Despite everything… he wasn't alone.
That night, when the camp grew silent, Zyrion fell into a deep sleep.
And in that sleep, he saw something.
A shadow.
At first, distant and blurry. But as it approached, its silhouette became clear.
It was him.
Or something that looked like him.
The reflection turned, and its eyes glowed with a crimson light.
"Who… are you?" Zyrion asked, feeling a chill down his back.
The figure smiled.
"I am what is to come."
Zyrion woke with a jolt, breathing heavily.
Caelithra, who had been sleeping near him, stirred but didn't wake.
Zyrion touched the mask with a trembling hand.
"What's happening to me…?" he whispered to himself.
Deep inside, he knew the answer would come soon.
But he wasn't sure he wanted to know it.
The night wind kept blowing, carrying with it dry leaves and the distant echo of nocturnal creatures. The campfire crackled softly, casting dancing shadows on the trees and nearby rocks.
Zyrion remained seated, knees bent, elbows resting on them. His breathing was steady, but his mind was chaos.
"I am what is to come…"
Those words echoed in his head.
What did they mean?
Caelithra, who had been pretending to sleep, cracked her eyes open and watched him quietly.
Zyrion hadn't moved for hours.
The firelight reflected on the contours of the white mask, giving him an even more mysterious appearance.
Finally, Caelithra sighed and sat up.
"Are you not going to sleep?"
Zyrion turned his head toward her slowly.
"I can't."
She crossed her arms.
"Because of the mask or the dream you had?"
Zyrion stared at her, surprised.
"How…?"
Caelithra rolled her eyes.
"I know you. When something bothers you, you go silent like this, lost in your head like an idiot."
Zyrion lowered his gaze.
"…I saw something. Someone. It looked like me… but it wasn't."
Caelithra frowned.
"A double?"
"I don't know. It only said it was 'what is to come.'"
Caelithra clicked her tongue and sat beside him.
"How comforting…" she said sarcastically. "I don't understand why weird things always happen to you."
Zyrion let out a soft laugh.
"Neither do I."
Caelithra glanced at him and after a moment of silence, spoke quietly.
"You know… I had a strange dream too."
Zyrion looked up.
Caelithra seemed uneasy, unsure whether to continue.
"It was a ruined place… and you were there, standing in the center. The mask was broken, but you couldn't speak. I tried to reach you, but something… something kept me from doing so."
Zyrion felt a shiver.
"And then?"
Caelithra swallowed.
"Everything turned white. And then I woke up."
Both remained silent, letting the information sink in.
"This is insane," Zyrion murmured.
Caelithra nodded.
"Yes… but at least you're not alone in it."
The next morning, Velkran and Quindarion took charge of organizing training for the group.
"If we're going to stay together, we better improve," Velkran said, cracking his knuckles.
"Everyone has unique skills, but we need coordination," Quindarion added.
Kyrahna drew her sword and smirked.
"Good. I don't want anyone being dead weight in the next battle."
Karion stretched with a groan.
"Morning training? Seriously? I'd rather be dead."
Taliena, watching quietly, smiled slightly.
"If you keep that attitude, maybe you will be."
Karion raised a brow.
"That sounded like a threat."
"Maybe it was."
Velkran snapped his fingers.
"Enough talk! Let's begin."
Caelithra and Zyrion exchanged glances.
"Are you going to train?" she asked.
Zyrion hesitated.
The mask was still on his face. He wasn't sure how his body would react under stress.
But then he remembered the voice in his dream.
"I am what is to come."
Zyrion stood.
"Yes."
Caelithra looked concerned, but said nothing.
Velkran and Quindarion organized sparring matches.
Kyrahna fought Taliena. Their swords clashed powerfully, sparks flying each time they met.
Karion and Caelithra trained together.
"Don't hold back!" Caelithra exclaimed, blocking one of his strikes.
Karion smirked.
"Who are you and what did you do to the Caelithra who enjoyed hitting me?"
She rolled her eyes and attacked harder.
Meanwhile, Velkran watched Zyrion intently.
"If you don't mind, I want to test something with you."
Zyrion tilted his head.
"What?"
Velkran took a stance.
"I want to see how fast you are with that mask on."
Zyrion felt a chill down his spine.
"…Alright."
Velkran smirked.
"Get ready."
In an instant, he vanished from Zyrion's sight.
"What the—?!"
Before he could react, a blow struck his side.
Zyrion was flung backward, but he twisted midair and landed on his feet.
Velkran reappeared in front of him, grinning.
"Interesting. You're not as slow as I thought."
Zyrion clenched his teeth.
He felt his body reacting instinctively.
It was as if the mask whispered instructions to him.
"Again," Zyrion said.
Velkran's grin widened.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
Training lasted several hours. Everyone was exhausted but satisfied.
That night, as everyone was preparing to sleep, Caelithra quietly approached Zyrion.
He was sitting alone, staring into the fire.
She hesitated… then gently wrapped her arms around him from behind.
Zyrion stiffened immediately.
"Caelithra?"
She didn't speak at first.
Then, softly, she whispered:
"Don't go."
Zyrion felt his heart pound heavily.
He didn't know what to say.
He simply closed his eyes and let the moment settle in his memory.
Yet deep inside… something told him he wouldn't be able to keep that promise.
TO BE CONTINUED…