Lusei woke to silence.

  His body ached — not with sharp pain, but with a deep, lingering fatigue, like he’d just crossed an invisible threshold and left part of himself behind. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the softened glow of the cave.

  The world around him had changed.

  The once-blinding pool now shimmered faintly, its glow reduced to a dim, pulsing light beneath the surface. The silver tree beside it — once radiant — stood still, its luminous leaves dulled, its bark cracked in places like something ancient had exhaled its last breath. Cracks in the cave walls now glowed faintly, casting thin veins of silver light through the dark stone.

  But what caught his attention wasn’t the cave.

  It was the warmth inside him.

  It pulsed softly beneath his skin — not hot, not painful. Just... present. Like a heartbeat that wasn’t his. He sat up slowly, breath unsteady, his fingers brushing over his chest, then down his right arm.

  And that’s when he saw it.

  From his elbow to his wrist, his forearm was marked — not with letters, but with a design. A tattoo.

  Not something human.

  A crescent moon, carved in flowing silver, cradled in a circle of woven thorns and stars. Around it spiraled arcane shapes: a delicate tree blooming upward from the curve of the moon, and coiling through the tree’s roots, a sleeping figure — faint and ghostlike. The ink shimmered faintly, alive with magic, responding to his movement with subtle shifts of light.

  It was beautiful.

  And terrifying.

  And hers.

  He didn’t know how he knew that — but he did.

  It was Celeste’s mark.

  Not something she gave him.

  Something she left in him.

  He turned his arm slowly in the light. The tattoo looked ancient — like something carved onto temple walls or sealed inside forgotten books. But it felt alive. Like it was watching with him.

  Then came the pressure.

  A throb behind his eyes. Sharp. Sudden.

  His thoughts scattered as a wave of noise flooded his head — not words, not yet — more like a whisper heard underwater. Then, through the static, something cut through.

  “…breathe…”

  “…listen…”

  He froze.

  The voice — faint, feminine — flickered across his senses like a breeze passing over his skin. Familiar. Distant. But real.

  His chest rose and fell in silence. He lowered his arm, slowly.

  He remembered the ritual. The light. Her hand in his.

  “Use this power well.”

  Now, the glow of the pool was fading. The tree was silent. But she was still here. Somewhere.

  And he was still here.

  Lusei closed his eyes for a moment. The questions pushed their way forward.

  Why him?

  Why this world?

  What did Celeste see in him… that made her give everything?

  He opened his eyes.

  And knew he couldn't stay in this cave much longer.

  The stillness didn’t last.

  The cave trembled — a low, guttural sound that rumbled up from the earth itself.

  Lusei snapped to his feet.

  The walls began to groan. Dust trickled down from above. Then the ceiling cracked.

  A chunk of stone the size of a chair slammed into the ground a few feet from where he stood, shattering on impact.

  The cave was collapsing.

  He didn’t hesitate. He scanned his surroundings, instincts sharp — and spotted it: a narrow tunnel branching off the main cavern, lit faintly by daylight flickering through the far end.

  He ran.

  More rocks fell, crashing behind him like thunder. The floor beneath him shook, unstable, breaking apart in chunks. He ducked under a falling beam of stone, twisted past another collapsing section, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.

  The tunnel shook violently.

  Ahead, the light at the end — his exit — started to flicker as more debris fell, clouding the air in dust.

  The ground behind him split.

  He pushed harder, legs burning. The path was crumbling, but he didn’t slow. A massive chunk of rock fell in front of the exit — too late.

  Lusei leapt.

  His fingers grazed the edge of the collapsing stone as he threw himself forward with everything he had. For a breathless second, he was airborne.

  Then he hit the ground.

  A bed of grass cushioned the impact as he tumbled out into the open. Behind him, the roar of falling stone echoed like a closing door — final and loud. He turned just in time to see the last of the entrance vanish behind a wall of boulders and dust.

  Silence.

  He lay there, flat on his back, staring up at the sky — real sky — the blue clear and wide above him. His chest rose and fell in heavy, uneven breaths.

  He was alive.

  He glanced back at the now-sealed cave. No going back.

  “Thanks,” he muttered under his breath — whether to the cave, fate, or Celeste, he wasn’t sure.

  After a moment, he sat up, brushing grass off his uniform. The landscape around him was unfamiliar — distant trees, rolling hills, no signs of civilization. Just more wilderness.

  His mind caught up.

  This world wasn’t safe. That wolf-like monster, the way the cave nearly killed him — whatever this place was, it wasn’t going to cut him any breaks.

  He stood slowly, eyes scanning the horizon.

  Then, he remembered Celeste’s words.

  “I will pass my essence to you… my power…”

  But what kind of power?

  He held out his right arm, studying the tattoo again — the crescent moon, the tree, the sleeping figure. It didn’t glow now. Just ink.

  But he could still feel it.

  That warmth inside. Quiet, pulsing, waiting.

  “I don’t even know what you gave me…” he muttered. “But I guess I’m going to find out.”

  Lusei stared at his arm — the mark still there, unchanged, quiet.

  He tried everything. Focusing. Breathing. Repeating Celeste’s name like a mantra. Nothing happened. No flash of light. No surge of power. Just silence.

  "Useless..." he muttered, dropping his arm with a tired sigh.

  Maybe the bond only worked once. Maybe it had died with her. Or maybe he just wasn’t who she thought he was.

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  Still, he couldn’t sit and wait for answers. If Celeste had lived in this world, there had to be others like her. A city. A village. People.

  Someone.

  He turned toward the forest and started walking.

  The forest stretched endlessly, but Lusei kept going, cutting through the undergrowth, pushing past branches, ignoring the ache in his legs.

  Then he saw it.

  Smoke.

  A single column curling into the sky above the treeline.

  His heart jumped.

  “Fire… someone has to be there.”

  Hope sparked in his chest — warm and sudden. He broke into a run, stumbling through the brush, branches clawing at his sleeves, hope chasing his steps.

  The trees thinned.

  He pushed the last branch aside.

  And everything stopped.

  The breath caught in his throat. His legs locked. He stepped back without realizing it.

  It wasn’t a campfire.

  It wasn’t a village greeting a traveler.

  It was a nightmare.

  The village was burning. Flames devoured rooftops and spread across wooden homes. The sky was black with smoke, the air filled with screaming. Bodies were everywhere — slumped against walls, sprawled in the streets, some unmoving, some still trying to crawl away.

  And the ones causing it—

  Lusei’s stomach turned.

  They looked human at first glance — but they weren’t. Brutish, armored, massive. Skin like cracked stone, weapons made from jagged steel and bone. Their faces were a twisted mockery of human — flat, animalistic, with eyes that gleamed with hunger and cruelty.

  They weren’t wild.

  They were methodical. Strategic. Controlled.

  He stumbled back a step, hand over his mouth, bile rising in his throat.

  What is this... what is this...?

  Then he saw it — a child, lying still in the dirt.

  Another — run through with a spear.

  Lusei’s knees gave out and he dropped to the ground, hands gripping the earth, chest heaving.

  This isn’t real... this can’t be real...

  But the screams didn’t stop. The fire didn’t stop. The creatures didn’t stop.

  He couldn’t look away.

  Then he heard it — a voice.

  Soft. Trembling.

  “P-please…”

  He turned, slowly, his eyes glassy.

  A little girl. Blood on her face. Tears on her cheeks. She clung to his sleeve like he was the last person in the world.

  “Help…”

  Lusei stared at her, frozen. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

  Behind her, the bodies. The smoke. The burning.

  Why? Why did she bring me here?

  He wasn’t a fighter.

  He wasn’t a soldier.

  He was just some kid who liked movies and video games and wanted to be left alone.

  But then—

  Two of the creatures stepped forward, weapons raised.

  One pointed at him. “You. Come with the others.”

  The other gestured to a group of humans, bound and kneeling.

  “Now,” he growled. “Or die with the girl.”

  Lusei looked at the girl again.

  Her eyes — wide, pleading.

  Something broke inside him.

  He slowly stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body.

  His hands trembled. His legs felt like lead.

  But his voice — somehow — came out steady.

  “…And if I don’t?”

  One of the warriors sneered. “Then you die like the rest.”

  The warrior snarled, “Then you die like the rest.”

  Without waiting for another word, both creatures surged forward.

  Lusei’s heart jolted. He turned, scooped the girl into his arms, and ran.

  Branches slapped at his face. Roots clawed at his shoes. The girl clung to him, trembling, still crying softly. Her small hands gripped his shirt like she was afraid he’d vanish if she let go.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered breathlessly, lying through his teeth. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  But inside, he didn’t believe it.

  He was panicking.

  He could hear the warriors crashing through the undergrowth behind them — fast. Too fast. He wasn’t built for this. Not with a child in his arms. Not against creatures that moved like trained killers.

  The voice in his mind screamed at him to run faster, but his legs were burning. His grip on the girl was slipping.

  Then—

  A whooshing snap of air behind him.

  Instinct screamed.

  Lusei jumped sideways — just in time to avoid a massive blade cleaving the air where they’d been seconds ago.

  The ground rushed up to meet them as he tumbled, shielding the girl with his arms. They hit hard — Lusei’s side took the brunt of the fall. He winced, biting back a shout of pain.

  Laughter followed.

  “Should’ve taken the offer,” one of the warriors growled.

  Lusei rolled over, coughing, eyes darting to the girl. She was okay — shaken, but alive.

  “Run!” he shouted to her, desperate.

  But she didn’t.

  Her legs wouldn’t move.

  She stood frozen, tears spilling down her cheeks, eyes locked on the brute stomping toward them.

  A hand seized Lusei by the neck — massive, rough, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing.

  The world blurred. His feet dangled. The air vanished from his lungs.

  The warrior held him up eye-to-eye, lips curled in amusement. In the other hand, the creature raised a jagged blade, the point aimed at Lusei’s gut.

  “You tried to play the hero,” the creature said, voice thick with venom. “But heroes die like everyone else.”

  Lusei clawed at the warrior’s wrist, struggling, desperate — but the grip was unbreakable.

  Is this it?

  After everything?

  After all she gave me?

  He’d expected something. Strength. A spark. Anything.

  But now, at the edge of death, all he felt was the weight of failure.

  Then—

  A whisper.

  “…Feel it…”

  Lusei’s eyes widened. The voice… soft, clear.

  Celeste.

  “…It’s yours now… use it…”

  Time slowed.

  Sound dulled.

  The forest faded.

  Lusei was standing in a void — a vast, silvery emptiness. Like a night sky with no stars. Just silence. Stillness.

  And her.

  Celeste stood before him, calm and glowing faintly, the light of the moon woven through her white hair. Her silver eyes met his with gentle urgency.

  “I don’t have long,” she said. “This only happens because you're close to death. I can’t explain everything now.”

  Lusei opened his mouth — tried to speak — but no voice came. Just breath. Just questions caught in his throat.

  “There will be time later,” she continued. “But for now… I’ll show you what to do.”

  She stepped forward, raising her hand. A small silver orb pulsed at the tip of her finger — no bigger than a marble. It shimmered with energy that felt familiar, like something he’d always carried but never noticed.

  She pressed it gently to his forehead.

  Warmth spread instantly.

  Then—

  Light.

  Lusei’s eyes flew open.

  He was back.

  The blade was coming down — inches away.

  But something had changed.

  His left hand shot up and caught the blade mid-air.

  The warrior's eyes widened.

  The jagged weapon shuddered in Lusei’s grip, held in place — not bending, not moving. The brute snarled and pushed harder, but it didn’t budge.

  Lusei looked up at him.

  His expression was no longer panicked.

  It was cold. Focused. Unflinching.

  His right arm lifted slowly — the tattoo pulsing, glowing white-silver from within.

  The air around his fist began to shimmer. Moonlight condensed around his knuckles, bright and burning.

  Then, with a single motion, he struck.

  His fist crashed into the warrior’s forearm — a sickening crack echoing through the trees as the brute’s arm shattered beneath the force.

  The warrior screamed, stumbling backward, dropping Lusei to the ground.

  The girl screamed too — but not in fear.

  Lusei hit the ground on his feet — and this time, he didn’t feel pain.

  No burning muscles.

  No aching ribs.

  Just… strength.

  A stillness inside him, deep and unshakable. He drew in a breath and straightened up, his spine aligning like it was being guided by something else — something refined.

  He looked down at his hands.

  They weren’t shaking anymore.

  That warmth from before? It wasn’t just warmth now. It was power. Controlled. Calm. Waiting.

  His eyes drifted to the girl — still on the ground, crying softly, frozen in fear.

  Lusei raised a hand and gently gestured her toward him. “Come on,” he said, his voice steadier than he expected. “Behind me. I’ll keep you safe.”

  She hesitated — then slowly crawled toward him and pressed herself behind his back. He didn’t look back again.

  He didn’t need to.

  He turned his gaze forward.

  One of the warriors was still on the ground, writhing and holding his shattered arm, growling in pain.

  The other stood frozen a few meters away — not charging, not speaking, just watching. Processing. Calculating.

  Lusei started walking toward them.

  His posture was loose. Relaxed. Almost casual.

  But his presence had changed. The air around him shimmered with silver aura, his steps heavy but fluid. His right arm still glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with his heart.

  And his eyes — cold, glowing silver — locked onto the warrior still standing.

  “You know…” Lusei said calmly, his voice cutting through the stillness. “Predators usually don’t run into a fight they know they’ve already lost.”

  He took another step.

  “But sometimes, they don’t even have to fight.”

  Another step.

  “Because when a bigger predator steps in, the smart ones bow their heads—”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “—and back the hell off.”

  The injured warrior groaned.

  The standing one tensed, knuckles whitening on his sword and shield.

  Lusei’s arm dropped to his side, open, relaxed — but ready.

  He didn’t know what he was doing. Not really. But his body moved like it remembered something his mind didn’t. Like the magic inside him had been waiting for this moment.

  The warrior snapped forward — a blur of motion, shield up, sword raised.

  Lusei exhaled through his nose.

  As the sword came down in a wide arc, he sidestepped smoothly — not flinching, not panicking — just moving.

  The blade hit the ground with a heavy thunk.

  Too slow.

  Lusei’s right hand glowed again — that same silver-white energy, forming a shimmer that wrapped around his knuckles like a gauntlet of light.

  The warrior saw it coming and reacted — shield up, bracing.

  Lusei smirked.

  Then punched straight through the shield.

  The impact rang like thunder — the force launching the brute backward, smashing through trees and brush like a missile.

  Silence followed.

  Lusei lowered his arm, the glow dimming slightly.

  He exhaled.

  The sound of whimpering pain drew his attention back to the one on the ground — the first warrior, still clutching his broken limb, dragging himself away in slow, desperate movements.

  Lusei approached.

  He stopped just a few steps away, towering over the creature.

  His fist clenched again.

  And hesitated.

  He’s not a monster, right? Just a person. Just a scared kid…

  But the heat in his chest surged again. Not rage — judgment. Finality.

  The power didn’t ask questions.

  It decided.

  Lusei raised his arm one last time — and brought it down.

  The body hit the ground with a wet crack.

  Then, stillness.

  No more footsteps.

  No more screams.

  Only smoke in the distance — and the soft wind brushing through the trees.

  Lusei stood over the fallen warrior, chest rising and falling slowly. The silver glow around his arm faded, the tattoo dimming back into stillness.

  His heart was still pounding, but his expression stayed calm — not cold, just… focused. Controlled.

  He turned.

  The little girl stared at him, her eyes wide and full of fear. She’d seen everything. The glow. The violence. The end.

  Her tiny frame trembled.

  Lusei froze for a second — realizing what he must look like to her now.

  But then he softened.

  He offered her a small, quiet smile — not the kind you force, but the kind that says you’re safe now.

  “It’s okay,” he said gently. “It’s over.”

  She didn’t move at first.

  Then slowly, she nodded.

  Lusei glanced toward the smoke rising from the village. It was still burning. Still screaming for help.

  “I need to go,” he told her. “There might be others I can help.”

  He pointed toward the forest behind her.

  “Find someplace safe. Hide if you have to. Don’t come out unless you're sure it’s clear.”

  She looked up at him, eyes red from crying. Her lip trembled. “W-what’s your name…?”

  Lusei was already turning, already walking toward the chaos.

  He paused mid-step.

  Looked back over his shoulder.

  And smiled again — tired, warm, and real.

  “…You can call me Lusei.”

  Then he turned and walked into the smoke.