The first thing Noen felt when waking up was warmth.
The air in the room was still and heavy, filled with the quiet crackling of a fireplace. A reddish light danced along the walls, casting flickering shadows across the old stonework.
And yet…
Cold metal pressed against his wrists. Chains. They were ice-cold, in stark contrast to the warm air around him. A dull ache pulsed behind his forehead.
His arms were chained above his head to the wall, his wrists tightly enclosed in heavy iron cuffs. His legs lay stretched out on the stone floor. A few meters away, the fire crackled in the fireplace.
He was bound.
In front of him, slightly off to the side, the old man sat in an comfortable, padded chair. His posture was relaxed, almost bored.
"You're finally awake, arent you?"
Noen cleared his throat, his voice rough. "W-What is this—"
"Silence."
He slowly rose from his chair, walked over to a bookshelf on the opposite wall and pulled out a thick, worn volume. Holding it in his hands, he gently blew the dust off the cover, a fine veil swirling in the fireplace's light.
Pages rustled as he searched through it, one by one, without the slightest hurry.
Then he returned to Noen, the book in hand, went down on one knee and opened it to a specific page.
Slowly, he turned the book around so that Noen could see the yellowed illustration.
"Do you see that?"
The image showed people.
But not just any people.
They wore garments that made Noen's breath catch in his throat. Fabrics in light colors, traced with delicate patterns and golden accents, similar to his own. Some stood in the middle of villages, others knelt beside the wounded. One figure lifted a collapsed wooden structure, another placed their hand upon the chest of a feverish child. All across the illustration were people helping, healing, protecting.
"Do you recognize the clothing those people are wearing?"
"So…" Noens voice sounded confused. "Yes... yes i do. That's the same as the one I—"
"Correct. That was sacred clothing. Exclusively for bearers of the power of mini gods!"