Arian jolted upright with a sharp gasp, his lungs burning as if he had just surfaced from deep water.
Light blinded him.
A warm, golden sunlight. The sound of flowing water reached his ears, gentle and continuous, completely at odds with the memory seared into his mind.
He froze.
Slowly, carefully, he took in his surroundings.
Stone pavement beneath him. People walking past, chatting casually. The air was calm, almost peaceful. And directly in front of him—
The fountain.
Arian was sitting at its edge, the cool stone pressing against his palms.
His heart began to race.
Arian:"No…"
he whispered.
His hands moved on their own, patting his chest, to see if the wound was gone.
'The wound is gone.'
No blood soaking through his clothes.
No pain tearing him apart from the inside.
Just moments ago—moments—a black limb had pierced straight through his chest. He remembered the pressure, the cold, the way his vision blurred red as blood poured from his mouth and eyes.
'I died.'
His fingers dug into the stone of the fountain as the truth settled heavily in his chest.
'I didn't pass out. I didn't escape. I was killed.'
He lifted his head and stared at the sky.
It was wrong.
The sun's position was wrong.
Arian:"…It was night,"
he muttered hoarsely.
Arian:"It was night just now."
His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
Shadow Woods.
The caravan.
Those things—those tall, black monsters.
He could still see them when he closed his eyes.
'So why am I here?'
A horrifying realization crept into his mind.
'Did time rewind?'
The idea sent a shiver through his entire body.
He stood up abruptly, earning a few confused glances from people nearby, but he didn't care. His legs felt weak, but solid. Real. The world didn't flicker or distort.
This isn't a dream, he thought. It's too consistent. Too cruel.
His gaze dropped to his hands again.
Arian:"Is this my power? Dying… and coming back?"
The thought made his stomach twist violently.
He didn't feel relieved.
He felt terrified.
If this was truly a reset—then everything that happened before could happen again.
And this time, he knew how it ended.
Arian forced himself to move, his steps quick and tense as he headed toward the vegetable stall near the square. His eyes scanned every face, every shadow, half-expecting to see those black forms crawling out from the edges of the world.
The old man was there.
Same stall. Same crates of vegetables. Same tired posture.
But when Arian stopped in front of him, the man looked at him with clear annoyance—and no recognition.
Arian:"Excuse me, do you… remember me?"
The old man raised an eyebrow.
The old man:"Remember you? I've never seen you before."
'So it really had reset.'
He was thinking
He took a slow breath, forcing himself not to panic.
Arian:"There's a forest near here,"
Arian said carefully.
Arian: "Shadow Woods."
The old man glanced up from his stall.
The old man: "Yeah? What about it?"
Arian:"…Are there monsters there?"
For a moment, the old man simply stared at him. Then he laughed.
The old man:"Monsters? In Shadow Woods?" That forest's always been quiet."
Arian felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
Then what were those things?
And why were they there?
He stepped back slowly, his thoughts racing.
If the forest wasn't supposed to have monsters… then something had gone wrong.
***
Arian encountered Elio the same way he had before.
Near the edge of the town square, where the road narrowed and carts were being prepared for departure, Elio stood speaking with several merchants. His presence was calm but firm, like someone used to being obeyed without raising his voice. The pale blue of his hair caught the sunlight, the color fading into white near the tips.
For a moment, Arian stopped a few steps away.
His body remembered this scene.
Last time, he had stood here unsure, ignorant of what waited ahead. Last time, he had followed quietly—and paid for it with his life.
He walked forward before doubt could pull him back.
Arian:"You're heading east to Aetia."
Elio turned to him slowly. His gaze was sharp, immediately assessing.
Elio:"And you are?"
Arian:"Someone who doesn't want to die."
That earned a few confused looks from the merchants. Elio raised an eyebrow slightly.
Elio:"That forest ?"
Arian nodded.
Arian: "There are monsters there."
One of the merchants laughed. "Shadow Woods? Don't be ridiculous."
Elio didn't laugh—but he didn't look convinced either.
Elio: "That forest has no recorded monster activity,"
he said calmly.
Elio: "Caravans pass through it weekly."
Arian:"They didn't survive last time,"
Arian said before he could stop himself.
Elio's eyes flicked to him. "Last time?"
'Please believe me I'm a bad liar.'
Arian clenched his jaw.
Arian:"I saw them. Tall shapes. Black as shadows. Long limbs."
The laughter faded.
Elio crossed his arms, thinking.
Elio:"If creatures like that existed, scouts would have reported them."
Arian:"They wouldn't,"
'He seems to believe me."
Arian: "Not if they killed the scouts."
Silence settled over the group. The merchants exchanged uneasy glances.
Elio studied Arian for several seconds. There was no anger in his expression—only calculation.
Elio:"You're either lying, or you believe this with everything you have."
Arian met his gaze.
Arian:"People will die if you go in like this."
'That did it.'
Elio turned away from him.
Elio:"We wait."
"What?" a merchant snapped. "We're already behind schedule."
Elio:"I'm adding guards, four more."
Arian felt his chest loosen slightly.
Within the hour, four additional guards joined the caravan. Veterans by the look of them—scarred armor, steady eyes. The number now stood at ten guards.
With Elio, eleven.
The caravan finally moved out, wheels creaking as the town faded behind them.
***
The caravan slowed just before the edge of Shadow Woods.
The road ahead darkened as tall trees crowded together, their branches weaving into a canopy that swallowed the light. Guards shifted uneasily in their saddles, and even the merchants seemed to sense the change in the air.
Elio reined in his horse, signaling for a brief halt.
Arian took the chance to move closer to him.
Arian:"…Can I ask you something?"
Elio glanced down at him.
Elio: "Make it quick."
"What kind of magic do you use?"
Elio raised an eyebrow.
Elio:"Fire magic."
Arian froze.
Arian:"Fire? But I saw you—"
He stopped himself, then frowned."
Arian:"I mean… How does it work?"
Elio watched him for a moment, then looked back toward the forest.
Arian waited.
Elio:"Fire magic isn't just flames, It's control over heat."
Arian:"Heat…?"
Elio nodded.
Elio: "Raising it. Lowering it. Compressing it. Releasing it. Flames are just the most obvious result."
Arian's eyes widened slightly as understanding began to form.
Arian:"So you can also make ice…?"
Elio:"Lower the temperature fast enough, and the air itself freezes. Moisture turns sharp. Solid."
Arian felt a chill run through him.
Arian looked at Elio differently now. That power felt far more dangerous than simple fire.
Elio:"You can burn someone, or freeze them. Or boil the blood in their veins without leaving a mark. It all depends on how precisely you control temperature."
Arian:"And you're… that precise?"
Elio's gaze hardened.
Elio:"I am not at that level of mastery yet"
Silence settled between them for a moment. The forest loomed ahead, dark and waiting.
Arian clenched his fists.
So that's how he did it.
' That blue fire… that ice.'
It wasn't two elements.
It was one power, pushed to extremes.
Elio shifted in his saddle.
Elio:"Why do you ask?"
Arian hesitated.
Arian:"Because if things go wrong in there… I need to understand what you can do."
Elio gave him a brief, sharp look. Then he nodded once.
Elio:"Stay close, and don't get in the way."
The caravan began moving again.