The next day after the strange event, Ryuu sat on a boulder overlooking Feren's Hollow, the village a misty outline in the dawn sun.
His chest ached, his thoughts whirling in a vortex of confusion. His abilities were real, but what did they mean? Why had they emerged now? He knew that his world had altered, but what was he to do with this newfound strength?
The village was unnervingly quiet, as if the very earth itself was exhaling after the cataclysm of the previous day.
Ryuu sensed the depth of the villagers' stares, the unspoken words that lingered in the air. They were afraid of him, and Ryuu could hardly blame them. It was not every day, after all, that a young man had unleashed a storm of energy powerful enough to split the sky.
Ryuu stood up and left the village, staying now impossible. He couldn't stay. Not after what had happened.
Elder Kaelen's words replayed in his mind.
"There are forces in this world that will stop at nothing to control your power." Ryuu knew that he couldn't hide.
Taking a last glance back at Feren's Hollow, Ryuu walked down the well-trodden road that ran through the dense forest. The road was familiar, but for the first time, it felt like the edge of the world, and what was unknown lay beyond.
As Ryuu ventured further into the forest, he started leaving the village noises far behind. The creaking of leaves and the intermittent snapping of twigs under his feet were the only sounds that followed him on his journey.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, and the darker he descended, the more ominous the woods became. It felt like the trees were closing around him, like the woods themselves were observing him.
He had been walking for several hours when he first heard the movement. Quick, deliberate footsteps that didn't quite have the rhythm of the forest.
Ryuu tensed up, instinctively going for the dagger he had hidden in his belt. His hand brushed against the hilt, but he didn't remove it. Instinct cautioned him that violence was unnecessary in this forest.
Suddenly, from the thick copse of trees, a figure emerged.
At first glance, Ryuu guessed that it might be a bandit or outlaw, but the man was too unruffled. He was a woman with a traveler's cloak of black leather and the hood up over most of her face.
Her eyes, however, shone with unnatural sharpness—a vivid green that pierced Ryuu. She wasn't a common traveler, that was certain.
"You're far from home, aren't you?" the woman said, her voice even but firm, as if she had been expecting him.
Ryuu hesitated. "Who are you?"
She edged closer, her presence oddly calming in contrast to her mystifying demeanor.
"My name is Aeris. I've been following you for quite a while now, Ryuu." She tilted her head to the side, eyes looking at him. "I knew you were coming."
Ryuu's heart raced, but his instincts told him she was not an enemy. Yet.
"How did you know my name?" He took a step back, trying to make sense of this strange encounter. "Are you working with them?"
Aeris gave a curious look, but no hostility showed in her eyes. "No. I'm not working with anyone. I've been. observing. Waiting for you."
"Why?" Ryuu asked, his voice growing more possessive. "What do you need from me?"
Aeris laughed with a low sound, the music of it being like a breeze through the leaves. "You're special, Ryuu. Your power is unlike any that I've ever seen before. The world has been waiting for someone like you."
She stepped forward again, lowering her hood to reveal striking features—smooth pale skin, sharp cheekbones, and silver hair that seemed to flow like liquid moonlight. Her eyes glittered with knowledge, and something more—something ancient.
Ryuu's mind reeled. How did she learn so much about him? "What do you mean? How do you know about my powers?"
Aeris' expression turned gentle. "I know because I've been reading the old books, Ryuu. Your lineage is older than you know. What occurred to you yesterday wasn't accidental. It was fate, reminding you."
"Back? From where?" Ryuu's confusion deepened. His mind was a whirlwind of questions.
Aeris sighed, a trace of pity in her expression. "You don't remember, do you?" she said. "That's to be expected. But I will help you. There is much you have to learn. And you can't learn it alone."
Ryuu looked at the mysterious woman. She appeared so sure, like she knew exactly what was happening, like she had been waiting for this. Her words were positive, but only managed to confuse Ryuu further.
"Why are you helping me?" Ryuu demanded, the suspicion in his voice rising. "You want me to just believe in you?"
Aeris smiled faintly. "No. I don't expect you to trust me right away. But you'll be needing me if you're going to survive. There are others who will be coming for you, Ryuu. And they won't be as pleasant as I am."
The voice of others sent Ryuu's vertebrae shivering. "Who are they?"
Aeris' smile vanished, and she scowled. "It's a long story. But one you're going to have to listen to sooner or later. Until then, I'll take you somewhere safe—somewhere you can begin to understand what's happening to you."
Ryuu hesitated. The weight of his decision pressed down upon him. On the one hand, he felt an attraction to chase after this woman, discover more about the powers he had awakened and the mysteries of his lineage. On the other hand, his instincts screamed in revolt to flee, to escape from the unknown.
But deep inside, Ryuu knew that he could not turn back. He could not merely return to living in denial, that nothing had transpired.
"I'll go with you," Ryuu decided at last. "But if I'm going to believe you, I'd like to know more."
Aeris nodded. "I should have considered that. The journey we are going to take will clarify a lot of things to you. But you have to be prepared. The journey won't be easy."
With that, she returned and began down the narrow forest road, her steps nearly fluid and efficient, as if she were a part of the forest itself.
Ryuu followed behind, unsure where the path would lead but feeling, for the first time, that he was moving toward something greater.