The First Keeper's shadow moved closer,
and the air in the chamber thickened
as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.
You carry thousands of stories, he said,
but one remains missing.
His eyes golden, ancient fixed on mine.Your own.
I shook my head slowly.I don't remember losing anything.
He raised a hand.That is because you did not lose it.
You hid it.Before I could speak,
the chamber flickered
and the floor beneath me dissolved into light.
I fell.Not physically.but into something deeper.
A place made of echoes.A memory realm.
When I opened my eyes,
I found myself standing in a small village.
The air smelled of rain-soaked earth.
Children's laughter drifted through the streets.
Lanterns hung from wooden houses.
A strange familiarity tightened my chest.
I… know this place, I whispered.
A voice behind me replied gently:
You lived here once.
I turned.The First Keeper's shadow stood beside me,
glowing faintly.This, he said,is the childhood you locked away.
My heart trembled.Something inside me was about to break open.
The shadow guided me through the village,
and everything felt painfully familiar
the narrow lanes,the small market,
the river that cut through the edge of the town.
And then…I saw him.A boy.Sitting alone at the riverbank,
hugging his knees,staring at the water with empty eyes.
I froze.Because the boy was me.My breath caught in my throat.
He looked so small.
So lost.So silent.What happened to him? I whispered.
The First Keeper's shadow answered:
He witnessed something that shattered his voice.
And instead of healing…
he buried the memory.My hands shook.
What did he see?The shadow turned to me,
his expression unreadable.A story that broke him
and shaped you.The lantern in my hand flickered wildly,
reacting to the truth that was about to surface.
I felt tears rising,
though I still didn't know why.The boy
my younger self.slowly turned his head.
He looked directly at me.And in his eyes,
I saw pain I had never allowed myself to feel.
Not until now.
The world shifted into a storm of memories
rain pouring,voices shouting,
the river swelling with violent waves.
The shadow's voice cut through the chaos:
That day marked the beginning of your silence.
I saw it unfold.A child
my closest friend
slipping on the wet stones near the river.
I reached for him.I screamed.
But my hand missed.He fell.
Into the rushing water.
The boy I watched the younger me
ran along the riverbank,crying, screaming, begging for help.
But no one came in time.
The river swallowed his friend
without mercy.And the boy fell to his knees,
shaking,broken.
My heart tore as the memory hit meraw, unstoppable.
That moment, the shadow said softly,
you blamed yourself.The rain stopped.
The echo of the river faded.
The younger version of me sat silently,
eyes empty,soul fractured.
That is why you listen to others' stories.
the First Keeper continued.
That is why you carry their pain.
Because once,when you needed someone to hear your story…
no one did.My throat tightened.
So I became a Keeper…
because I didn't want anyone to feel that loneliness again.
The shadow nodded.
Now you understand.He placed a hand on my shoulder
warm despite being made of light.
You have carried worlds within you.
But to carry them fully…
you must forgive yourself.
The memory broke like glass
and I was pulled back into the chamber.
The lantern burned brighter than ever,
its flame steady and strong.
The First Keeper's shadow stepped back.
Your story has returned to you.
Now you may continue the path.
The chamber's far wall began to open,
revealing a new passage
lined with golden light.A new arc.
A new journey.And for the first time,
I walked forward
without running from myself.
Rihan lay awake under the dim light of the lantern.
The shadows on the wall trembled softly, like they were alive.
He kept replaying Zareen's last words in his mind:
Every life has a truth. Yours is awakening.
But Rihan didn't feel awakened.
He felt lost.Outside, the wind moved through the trees, carrying a strange hum.When he stepped out of the cottage, he saw something terrifying.The boundary line between the village and the forest was dimming.The glowing markings that once protected them were fading fast.Rihan whispered, Not now… please, not now.
As he reached out to touch the line, a sudden force pulsed through his hand.Blue sparks danced around his fingers.
The same energy he awakened earlier.
He wasn't sure if this was a blessing… or a curse.
That night, the moon hung in the sky—broken, as if cracked down the middle.The villagers murmured anxiously.
Some prayed.Some ran inside.
Some stared in horror.Only Rihan walked toward the edge of the forest, drawn by a faint voice.
A whisper…soft and trembling…calling his name.
Rihan…He froze.The voice was warm. Familiar.
Zareen.But she wasn't supposed to be here.
She wasn't supposed to be alive.
He took a step deeper into the forest.
Where are you? he called.The whisper replied:
Follow the light that is not a light…Follow the shadow that protects…
Rihan clenched his fists.None of it made sense.
Yet, every word felt true.
He walked forward.and the forest opened a path that didn't exist before.
Leaves floated upward instead of falling.
The air shimmered like broken glass.
And the trees leaned away from Rihan as if bowing.
The path was choosing him.
He felt a strange pull inside his chest, guiding him deeper.
His heartbeat synced with a distant rhythm…
thump… thump… thump…He followed it.
At the end of the glowing path stood an ancient stone gate covered in runes.A symbol shined in the center:
A circle divided by a silent line.
The same symbol on Rihan's chest.
He placed his hand on the stone.
Instantly.the gate shook,
light shot upward,and a hidden realm awakened.
A voice echoed from deep within:
You have crossed the first threshold, Rihan.
Now choose.fear your destiny…or claim it.
Rihan swallowed hard.He stepped through the gate.
And the world behind him vanished.