Warm light swallowed Rihan as he stepped through the ancient gate.
But when his vision cleared, he found himself standing in a place unlike anything he had ever seen.
A vast hall stretched endlessly, made of shimmering crystal walls.
Every sound he made echoed softly.
but the echoes didn't repeat his words.
They answered them.
When he whispered, Where am I?
The echo responded:
Where you were always meant to be.
Rihan's heart pounded.He walked forward, and the floor beneath him lit up in circles of pale blue flame.
Each step awakened memories he had never lived
children running, battles fought, skies burning red.
Then, at the center of the hall, stood a tall, cloaked figure.
Rihan couldn't see their face, only two faint glowing eyes.
You are late, the figure said.Rihan blinked.Late for what?
For the truth, the figure whispered.
The cloaked figure raised their hand, and a sphere of light appeared between them.floating, spinning, alive.
Images flickered inside it:
Rihan's village, the fading boundary line, Zareen's smile, the broken moon.Rihan stepped back, trembling.
What is this?The figure replied, A reminder.
With a smooth motion, the Keeper pressed the glowing sphere against Rihan's chest.He gasped
pain and warmth fused together as visions struck him like lightning.
He saw himself as a child…but not in his village.In a temple of light.
Surrounded by symbols.Blessed.Marked.
Why are you showing me this!?" Rihan cried.
The Keeper's voice softened.
Because if you do not remember who you truly are,
your world will fall apart.Rihan clenched his fists.
Then tell me…who am I?The Keeper turned away.
That is not my duty.My duty…
is only to open the door.
A massive door materialized out of thin air.
black stone, glowing veins, ancient scripts circling around it.
Rihan's mark on his chest burned in response.
This door, the Keeper said,contains the names of those who shaped the world.Some names saved it.Some destroyed it.
Your name…The figure paused.
was erased.Rihan felt the weight of those words hit him like a hammer.
Erased? Why? By whom?For you to reclaim your true name, the Keeper continued,you must walk through this door.
But be warned.what you find inside may break you…
or rebuild you.
The door slowly opened, releasing a cold wind filled with whispers.
Rihan breathed deeply.
I don't care how painful the truth is, he said.I just want to know.
And with steady steps,
heart shaking yet determined,
Rihan crossed the threshold.
The door slammed shut behind him.Leaving him alone
in the darkness of forgotten names.
The moment the door sealed behind him, silence swallowed everything.
Rihan couldn't see, couldn't hear
only the faint throb of his own heartbeat.
Then a whisper drifted through the darkness:
Welcome back.Rihan spun around.Who's there!?
Soft, shimmering embers appeared in the air, gathering into the shape of a child a small boy with pale eyes and no shadow.
You forgot me, the child said.
Rihan stepped back.I've never seen you before.
The boy tilted his head.Because your memories were taken.
But I remember everything.Suddenly, visions flashed
of Rihan as a child standing beside this mysterious boy,
both surrounded by symbols of light.
Rihan clutched his chest.
Why were these memories erased?The boy only whispered:
Because the world is afraid of your name.
More embers gathered, forming circles of light around the boy and illuminating the chamber.The child stepped closer.
You want the truth, Rihan? Then listen.With a wave of his hand, the darkness turned into a star-filled sky.
Constellations shifted, forming the outline of two figures
one glowing bright, one shadowed.
There were once two children who carried the power of 'Dawn'
the power to begin or end an era. Rihan stared at the starry illusion.
Two…? You mean me and Yes, the boy replied.
You and I.Rihan felt his breath catch.
But why don't I remember? Why would anyone erase something so important?The star-sky flickered.
Because the world feared that the two of us together…
could rewrite fate itself.
Rihan swallowed hard.So they erased my past.The boy nodded gently.And left me behind in the dark.
The stars dissolved, leaving only a beam of light shining down onto a stone altar. On it lay a carved fragment
half of an ancient symbol.The boy looked at Rihan.This is the seal of your true name.Touch it…and you will remember everything.
Rihan hesitated.His entire body trembled.
What if the truth destroys me?The boy smiled softly
the first genuine smile he had seen.
Then you will rise again.Stronger.Whole.
Rihan stepped forward.The closer he came, the more the light burned
not painfully,but like a truth he had waited lifetimes to face.
He placed his hand on the fragment.Light exploded through the chamber.Images rushed into him
temples, battles, promises, betrayals
and a name echoed inside his mind…
A name powerful enough to shake the world.
Rihan gasped as the forgotten name finally awakened.
The light slowly faded, leaving the chamber trembling as if it had just witnessed the birth of a storm.
Rihan fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
Memories—once shattered-now raced through him like a river tearing through a broken dam.
Childhood laughter.Ancient ruins.
The promise made under two moons.
The day everything was taken.
And finally The name.That forbidden, buried name.
He whispered it under his breath, barely audible:
Aurelis.The chamber responded instantly.
The pillars glowed.The floor cracked.
Wind roared from nowhere.
The child-glowing like a candle flame-looked at him with wide, trembling eyes.So you remember, he whispered.
Rihan lifted his head, breath unsteady.
Aurelis… that was my true name?
The boy nodded.You were Aurelis—the Dawnbearer.
The one destined to awaken the new age.
Rihan felt a chill crawl down his spine.
And you… who were you?
The boy stepped forward, his form flickering between a child and something older, wiser, almost celestial.
I was your Echo.Your other half.
Your shadow born from your light.
He placed his small hand on Rihan's chest.
When they erased you, I was sealed here.
Waiting for the day your name returned.
Rihan swallowed.
The people… the world… what did they fear?
The boy's voice softened, almost sorrowful.
They feared what your true name could do.
Because you-Aurelis-could alter the fate of nations
simply by choosing a different path.
Rihan stared at his trembling hands.
To change fate itself? No wonder they erased him.
The chamber began to vibrate again, the ancient seal responding to the return of his true identity.
The boy looked toward the glowing doorway that had appeared behind them.It has begun, he whispered.
You have awakened the first truth.Now the world will feel your return…
He looked at Rihan with both hope and fear.Aurelis.
Rihan rose slowly.I am Rihan.
I am Aurelis.I am both.
The boy's expression softened.
Then your journey to reclaim the lost dawn begins now.
Together, they stepped toward the doorway
as the ancient world finally stirred from its long slumber.