"Where am I?"
I woke up in the middle of an empty grey desert.
The sky was gloomy.
I tried to remember how I got here.
Nothing.
"You are finally awake. Chosen one."
A deep voice. Coming from nowhere.
I looked around. No one.
"'Chosen one?' Who are you?"
"You shall know soon enough. Follow the winds."
I couldn't locate the source of the voice. However, I did what it said and walked in the direction the wind was blowing.
Not much time passed before I heard a shout from afar.
"You there!"
A figure in the distance, waving, moving toward me.
"A man who can be trusted," the voice said.
It was an old man, dressed in nomadic clothes not unlike my own.
"Greetings, stranger. Are you lost?"
"I think so."
"What's your name?"
"My name... I can't remember."
He studied me for a moment.
"Come with me. The storms are coming."
I followed.
The winds picked up fast. Dust filled the air.
Caelum's steps slowed.
"We're here."
A small clay hut, barely visible through the haze, as if it had been placed there after we arrived.
"Come in."
After we settled inside, he spoke first.
"Not many people pass through here."
"Where did you come from?"
"I don't know. All I remember is waking up in the desert. And a voice."
"A voice?"
"Yes. It told me to go with the wind."
"A gut feeling?"
"No. I heard it clearly. And it called me 'chosen one.'"
His expression settled into something between worry and pity.
"Look, son, it's easy to lose your mind when you're lost in a place like this alone for so long. Just get some rest, and hopefully, with time, you'll regain your memories, and never hear voices again."
He went quiet for a moment.
"Though, it is strange. The prevailing winds have been blowing west for a while now. That leads to the south of Abirun. Why would it ask you to go there specifically? Nothing out there but mountains and an ancient temple."
"It's probably nothing. You should get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
"The name's Caelum. Call me if you need anything."
He prepared a small bundle of cloth, spreading it carefully on the floor. "This will do for the night."
"Thank you. I'm in your debt."
I lay down, thinking about what he said. It made the most sense. But that voice was clear. I was almost sure it was a person talking to me.
I let it go and closed my eyes.
—
I opened them, and there I was in a dark place that looked like a cave. Ruins were scattered around me. A beam of light fell from somewhere above.
The voice could be heard again.
"Come to me, chosen one. And your questions shall be answered."
—
I woke up in the hut again.
"A dream?"
I stepped outside. Purple twilight on the horizon, dawn pulling it across the sky like a bruise.
Caelum stood by the side of his hut, packing scraps and metals into a worn sack.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, without turning.
"I had a dream. Ruins, a cave, a beam of light from above. The voice. It called me 'chosen one' yet again. Said my questions would be answered if I come to visit it."
He turned. His expression shifted, disturbed.
"You should ignore it. Brush it off!"
"Why? The place I saw in the dream could be the temple you mentioned!"
He picked up his sack.
"Come with me to Apirun. Long walk. I'll explain on the way. Once we reach the village, you can head south to the temple if you still want to. It'll take longer than going direct, but there's no road from here, so it'll be dangerous."
I agreed to accompany Caelum with no hesitation.
"Let me carry that. I insist."
He handed it over.
"What are all these for?"
"I find things out here in the desert and sell them in Apirun Every once in a while."
"What kind of place is that?"
"A half-abandoned village, controlled by thieves and criminals.
Its residents are low-trust, not people you'd want to deal with."
"But they still need items. And I still need to eat."
"I see."
"So, about the dream..."
"Look around as we walk. Tell me what you think is worth noticing."
"The air is dusty."
He remained silent, not satisfied with my answer.
I looked around again.
"The sand is grey. No color to it. The sun's light fell in unnatural tones. Neither warm nor cold."
"We've been walking for a while. There's no one else out here."
"True."
He kept his eyes forward.
"Everything around us feels wrong, and yet none of us can remember anything before it."
"We were not meant to live in a place like this. All the uncertainty and emptiness drive us to insanity."
"There are almost no people left out here. The remaining few have either lost their minds, turned into criminals, or both. Anyone who is still holding on is forced to sit alone with themselves."
"And the self is a scary companion. It knows every doubt and fear. At first, it questions the choice of path. Then it questions whether stepping out was a good idea in the first place. Then it questions the ability to decide itself, and from there, it only goes downhill."
"Do you see now? This is why I ask you to ignore the voice and forget about 'chosen one' nonsense."
"Your mind is trying to lead you astray. Again."
...
"You're right."
"But still, I'll have to go there.
There have been many signs. It doesn't sit right with me to label them all as madness."
"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it is all in my mind."
"But things keep... lining up."
"Us being alive. Still not having lost our minds. Meeting in this empty space."
"I don't think that's nothing."
He looked at me, unconvinced, yet didn't intend to argue further.
"You have until we reach the village to decide. Think wisely."
And so the road to Apirun continues.