Scene 1: The Unchosen
[Morning | Central square]...
Morning light stretched over Shitrantar's central courtyard, diffusing through the veil of mist and glinting off the frosted ground. The village bustled with subdued excitement. Parents stood at the perimeter, cloaked and silent. Twenty of them, all around five winters old, stood in a careful line. The Saaran Shard ritual had passed, and now came the next step: selection.
One by one, seasoned Sentinels stepped forward, placing a hand on a chosen child's shoulder. It was not just a tradition it was trust, forged in instinct. Some did it with ceremony. Others with quiet smiles. The chosen children beamed, their names echoing across the yard.
Except one.
Mani stood at the far end of the line, his scarf pulled tight around his face. He made no sound. He didn't look at the Sentinels or the other children. His eyes stayed fixed on the clouds drifting above the mountain peaks.
Name after name was called. Pairs formed. Laughter echoed. And yet no one stepped toward the boy with the strange blue eyes.
Ishan, standing beside the other tower guards, shifted uncomfortably. He kept glancing at Mani. But the ceremony wasn't his role. It wasn't his place.
Until Niren spoke.
The hunting squad captain walked past the other Sentinels, not toward a child but toward Ishan.
"None of them picked him," Niren said, voice quiet but firm. "But he's not one of them, is he?"
Ishan frowned, unsure. "What are you saying?"
"He watches too much. And speaks too little. But he trusts you." Niren crossed his arms. "That's rare. Maybe he doesn't need a Sentinel. Maybe he needs someone who sees him, maybe you?."
Ishan looked again at Mani who was still standing motionless, as if the whole scene didn't concern him.
"You think there's something in him?" Ishan asked.
"I don't know," Niren replied. "But sometimes instinct speaks louder than proof."
Ishan stepped forward. "Mani," he called softly.
The boy turned. Just a glance. No expression. But he walked slowly to Ishan's side.
The selection was over. The line had broken. Still, a few villagers exchanged glances. A few murmured behind raised sleeves. But Niren raised his voice before any whispers could grow.
"All of you," he said, addressing the children and Sentinels alike, "this path is not easy. You've been chosen because you have something worth sharpening senses, courage, or the fire inside. But the wild doesn't care about talent. It only respects discipline."
He let the weight of his words settle.
"There are beasts that move when you sleep, storms that follow no season, and things that watch without eyes. You'll be trained to face them but remember this: power only means something when it's earned together."
The trainees stood still awed, some excited, others nervous.
"Dismissed," Niren said finally, nodding once to Ishan.
Ishan led Mani away. No applause greeted them, no fanfare. But as they walked side by side, something passed between them in silence. Not friendship yet. But maybe understanding.
And behind them, Niren kept his eyes on Mani's retreating form, unreadable.
—
Scene 2: The Warning Unheard
[Morning | Training Ground ]...
The trainees lined up in the clearing, their breath forming clouds in the cold morning air. Sentinels moved among them, demonstrating basic stances, signals, and commands.
Mani stood at the edge, eyes scanning the tree line. His body tensed slightly.
Suddenly, he raised a finger, barely a motion, but enough for Ishan to notice.
Ishan (watching Mani): "What is it?"
Mani didn't answer. Instead, his gaze sharpened, looking past the cub's small figure darting near the edge of the forest.
Ishan (frowning): "You mean the cub? It's just a young one. Nothing to fear."
Mani shook his head softly. His eyes fixed far beyond, almost unseen by others.
Mani (quietly): "Not the cub... farther."
Ishan turned to look, eyes narrowing.
Ishan: "Farther? There's nothing there."
Mani said nothing more.
A sudden burst of noise drew everyone's attention. A small cub darted into the clearing, stumbling clumsily on the snow. The children scattered, some laughing nervously.
Renil (mocking, loud enough for all): "Look at Mani, scared of a cub!"
Laughter rippled through the group.
Mani lowered his head and stepped back, silent.
Ishan (firmly): "Enough. This is training, not teasing."
Renil shrugged, smirking.
Renil: "Just calling it how it is."
Later, as the cub disappeared back into the woods, Mani's eyes lingered on the shadows deeper beyond.
Ishan watched him quietly.
Ishan (softly): "You're seeing more than we do."
Mani gave no reply.
Ishan placed a hand on Mani's shoulder.
Ishan: "Stay close. We'll watch it together."
Mani's gaze didn't waver from the darkened tree line.
—
Scene 3: Shadows Stir at Dusk
[Evening | Training Ground]...
The dimming light stretched long and thin across the training grounds, casting the village in a quiet amber haze. The cold deepened, pressing against the bones of the earth, while the last flickers of the sun vanished behind the towering ice mountains.
Niren stood at the forest's edge, arms folded tightly, his gaze fixed where the dense treeline blurred into shadow. Ishan approached quietly, his breath misting in the chilled air.
Ishan:
"Training's going well. Mani's steady—better than I expected, honestly."
Niren didn't look away.
Niren:
"He's quiet… but there's something beneath. Still waters run deep, they say."
Ishan smiled softly, a flicker of warmth in his tired eyes.
Ishan:
"Sometimes silence speaks louder than any shout."
Niren finally turned, the last light catching the sharp lines of his face.
Niren:
"Veer told me once 'The calm before the storm carries the loudest warning.'"
Ishan's brow furrowed.
Ishan:
"Do you think the storm is coming?"
Niren's eyes darkened, weighing the words.
Niren:
"Storms don't always roar on approach. Sometimes they're a quiet frost, creeping under your skin. It's what you do when the sky cracks open that decides everything."
A low, haunting howl ripped through the forest, brittle and full of menace.
Ishan's posture stiffened.
Ishan:
"That… that's Icerion."
Niren raised a hand slowly, curling fingers into a practiced signal. From the shadowy forest, the hunting squad slipped silently into view, moving as one with the dusk.
Niren:
"The Icerion isn't just any beast. It's old as the ice, cunning as the cold. And lately, the calm ones… they're growing violent. More coordinated in their attacks. Less like wandering threats, more like hunters."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
Niren:
"Beasts that once kept to themselves now move as packs. They test our walls, our defenses. That's the real danger."
With a swift motion, Niren gave the final command. The hunting squad vanished back into the forest shadows, their patrol and vigilance resumed with silent urgency.
Ishan watched them disappear, then turned toward the flickering fire where trainees gathered, their faces bright against the encroaching night.
Niren's voice came again, quiet but heavy with meaning.
Niren:
"Tonight is only the beginning. We must be ready for what's coming."
—
Chapter 4 Ends here…