Chapter 15
Whispers Beneath the Ancient Sky
The night stretched wide over the vast, endless fields. The stars glowed strangely here — different from how they looked in the modern world.
Sora sat quietly by the small campfire, the crackling of the flames the only sound breaking the heavy silence.
He pulled his knees close, feeling the soft earth beneath him.
His mind swirled with questions.
"Why me?"
"Why this place?"
"What is waiting for us here?"
The mark on his hand — the strange, glowing sigil — pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
He stared at it, lost in thought.
It had saved him many times already... and yet, it felt more like a curse than a blessing.
Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled — but the sound felt distorted, unnatural.
Almost like... a warning.
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Earlier That Day
The group had finally reunited:
Sora, the boy from 1980 who loved ancient books.
Arin, the sharp-eyed boy who had a fighter's instincts.
Lyra, the mysterious girl with golden hair and fierce eyes.
Mira, the soft-spoken but clever girl who had already shown she could sense things others couldn't.
Each had a mark.
Each had a mission.
Each was struggling to survive in this world where magic wasn't just real — it ruled everything.
They had met in a broken ruin — a collapsed temple half-buried by the forest, filled with faded murals and old stone statues.
It was there that Sora had found something... or rather, someone.
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The White Creature
The first thing Sora noticed was the eyes —
Huge, round, shimmering blue eyes that seemed to glow softly under the ancient sunlight.
The creature was small — no bigger than a three-year-old child — and had four long tails, each ending in a tuft of shimmering white fur.
Its fur was the purest white Sora had ever seen, almost glowing faintly.
It looked like a monkey, but somehow... more ancient, more timeless.
Sora had approached carefully.
The others had stayed back, weapons ready — after all, many creatures here were dangerous.
But this one had only tilted its head and made a soft sound, like a chime in the wind.
It wasn't afraid.
It wasn't hostile.
It chose Sora.
When he reached out, the creature leapt into his arms — curling its long tails around his shoulders protectively.
A faint blue glimmer surrounded them both for a moment — and then faded.
"What is that thing?" Arin had asked, still wary.
"It's... it's not dangerous," Sora said. He could feel it — deep inside — that this creature was somehow connected to them.
It would be important.
But for now, it was just... a companion.
Sora named it Yuno — meaning "gentle light" in an ancient forgotten language.
---
Strange Happenings
That night, as they camped near the ancient broken road, strange things began to happen.
Shadows moved in the corner of their vision — even when there was no one there.
The wind carried whispers, too low to understand but too loud to ignore.
The stars themselves seemed to shift, forming new patterns that none of them could recognize.
Sora's mark glowed again —
and this time, he heard something.
A voice.
"The hourglass is broken. The sands are bleeding backward. Beware the silent kings. Beware the year 0169."
He jolted awake, sweat dripping down his back.
The others stirred, sensing the tension.
"Something's wrong," Mira whispered, holding her pendant tightly.
Arin stood up, sword half-drawn.
Lyra scanned the darkness.
"Stay together," Sora said, trying to steady his voice.
Suddenly —
the ground beneath them trembled —
just for a second.
Almost like... something deep underground had shifted.
Yuno, sitting on Sora's shoulder, growled — a soft, vibrating sound that didn't match its cute appearance.
---
A Mysterious Figure
As the night deepened, they saw it:
A figure standing far away, at the edge of the broken forest road.
Draped in dark blue robes, head covered, face unseen.
It watched them.
Silent.
Still.
Unmoving.
"Is it... human?" Lyra asked.
Before anyone could answer —
the figure raised a hand.
A sigil of light appeared in the air — a symbol none of them recognized.
Then, slowly, it pointed toward the mountains in the north — tall, mist-covered peaks that stretched into the heavens.
The figure vanished.
No sound. No trace.
Only the sigil remained, glowing for a few seconds before dissolving into the night wind.
---
A New Direction
In the morning, the group gathered around the fire.
"What now?" Arin asked, his voice rough from little sleep.
Sora looked at his mark.
It pulsed once — then faded.
Yuno nuzzled against him, chirping softly.
"We follow the signs," Sora said.
He didn't know how he knew.
He just did.
The mountains held answers.
Answers to why they were here.
Who had brought them.
What they were supposed to do.
But somewhere deep inside, Sora felt a heavy, sinking fear:
Not all answers would be good ones.
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