Chapter 28 — Chains of Fate
Year X771 —
Location: Rosemary Village
Age: Ren (6) | Erza (6)
---
The attack began with bells.
Not alarm bells—Rosemary Village didn't have those.
It was the soft chime tied to Mrs. Halwen's door, ringing once… twice… then falling silent.
Ren felt it in his breath before he heard the scream.
In.
Out—
The rhythm broke.
He was on his feet instantly.
> Too fast. They didn't wait.
"Erza," he whispered.
She was already awake.
"…I know."
The night air felt thick as they stepped outside, moonlight washed pale and wrong. Shadows pooled where they shouldn't—between houses, beneath carts, along the edges of fences.
Then figures stepped out of them.
Five.
No—seven.
Robes dark, faces hidden, movements synchronized like parts of a single will.
> [Great Sage: Emergency — Hostile engagement confirmed. Enemy magic classification: Restraint, suppression, sacrificial capture.]
Ren's heart slammed.
> They're not here to scare. They're here to take.
A villager ran—tripped—and chains burst from the ground, spectral iron snapping shut around his ankle. He screamed as he was dragged back, magic biting into flesh without drawing blood.
"STAY BACK!" someone shouted.
Too late.
The cultists moved.
---
Ren grabbed Erza's hand.
"…Don't chase," he said quickly. "…Guard."
Her jaw clenched. "…They're hurting people."
"I know," he said. "That's why we don't split."
They moved together, breath syncing automatically.
In.
Out.
Ren threw a stone—not to hit, but to distract. One cultist turned, annoyed.
That was enough.
Erza charged.
Her wooden sword cracked against a wrist. A cultist hissed, chains recoiling instinctively. Another responded instantly—symbols flaring beneath Erza's feet.
"ERZA!"
Chains erupted upward.
Ren slammed into her from the side.
They hit the dirt hard.
Iron snapped shut where she had been standing.
Pain flared through Ren's shoulder.
> Still too slow.
A cultist loomed over them, voice calm, almost kind.
"…Impressive," he said. "At your age."
Ren stared up at the hooded face.
"…Leave," Ren said, forcing his breath steady. "…Now."
The cultist tilted his head. "…You already know we won't."
Chains snapped forward.
Ren reacted without thinking.
He stepped between them.
The chains wrapped around him.
Cold.
Heavy.
They didn't bind his body—
They bound his magic.
The world dimmed.
> [Great Sage: Warning — Magic suppression critical.]
Ren gasped.
"…REN!" Erza screamed.
She swung wildly, striking chain after chain, but every hit spawned more. One wrapped around her arm, another her waist.
They were pulled apart.
"Stop!" she shouted. "LET HIM GO!"
The cultist's voice remained gentle.
"…You'll come too," he said. "In time."
Ren's vision blurred.
> Not like this. Not them. Not her.
He forced his breathing.
In—
Out—
The chains tightened.
They weren't just restraining.
They were claiming.
---
Villagers fought back with tools, stones, desperation. It didn't matter. Chains caught wrists, legs, throats—never killing, always dragging.
Selection.
Ren understood then.
> This isn't a raid. It's harvesting.
A villager lunged at the cultist holding Ren's chains.
The cultist flicked a finger.
Chains pierced the ground between them.
The villager slammed back, unconscious.
Ren roared—not in anger—
In refusal.
Something inside him pushed.
The chains rattled.
The cultist froze.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
For a fraction of a second—
The chains loosened.
Ren fell to his knees, gasping.
"RUN!" he shouted to Erza. "GET THEM OUT!"
"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" she screamed back, tears streaking her face as she fought against the restraints.
The cultist raised his hand.
"…Enough."
The chains surged.
Pain exploded through Ren's chest—not physical, but deeper, like something vital being crushed.
> [Great Sage: Core overload imminent. Survival priority—]
"NO!" Ren screamed internally.
> Not yet. I refuse.
Ren recognized it with horrifying clarity.
> Tower of Heaven doctrine. Bind the chosen. Break the rest.
Then—
A horn sounded.
Long. Loud.
Not magical.
Human.
Guards from the neighboring road patrol—late, but coming.
The cultists paused.
"…Withdraw," one voice ordered.
Reluctantly, the chains retracted.
Erza collapsed as hers vanished, crawling to Ren's side instantly.
"…Ren—Ren—look at me—"
He was still conscious.
Barely.
"…I'm here," he whispered. "…I'm still here."
The cultist who had bound him looked down once more.
"…You'll grow," he said softly. "…And when you do—we'll finish this."
Then they were gone.
Like smoke.
Like a bad dream that left bruises behind.
---
Dawn found Rosemary Village broken.
Not destroyed.
Broken.
Homes damaged. People injured. Children clinging to parents. Some villagers—gone.
Taken.
Ren sat against the well, wrapped in blankets, hands shaking uncontrollably.
> Crushing loss. Not defeat— but failure.
Erza sat beside him, gripping his sleeve like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
"…They took them," she whispered. "…We couldn't—"
Ren closed his eyes.
"…I know."
"…You said we'd protect everyone."
"I said we'd try," he replied hoarsely.
The difference hurt.
Mrs. Halwen knelt in front of them, face pale but determined.
"…You two saved lives," she said. "If not for you—"
Ren shook his head.
"…They still took people."
She didn't argue.
She just hugged them both.
Later, as healers tended wounds and the sun climbed, Ren stared at the chain marks burned faintly into the ground.
> This is the weight of choice. This is consequence.
Erza spoke quietly.
"…They'll come back."
Ren nodded.
"…Yes."
"…We're not strong enough."
"…No."
She wiped her eyes fiercely.
"…Then we get stronger."
Ren looked at her—really looked.
Her fear hadn't broken her.
It had sharpened her.
"…Yes," he agreed softly.
But inside—
Something else had broken.
The illusion that kindness alone could protect them.
> Chains of fate exist. And now— they know our names.
Ren clenched his fist.
This loss would not be wasted.
Not ever.
---
End of Chapter 28 ⛓️🌑