Sera is having a strange, disturbing dream. He again sees what appears to be fragments of a distant childhood – scenes of destruction, a world dying in fire, sounds of explosions and screams. He watches as everything around him falls into an abyss of oblivion: cities are wiped off the face of the earth, the sky tears like fabric. His old home, once vibrant and full of colors, perishes as if it had never existed. And he, a small boy in the midst of chaos, miraculously survives. Sera is overwhelmed by cold and loneliness, but the dream offers no explanations – only a burning sense of loss deep inside.
Suddenly, he wakes up. His heart pounds, sweat beads on his forehead. For a moment, he feels as if he is still there – in that dying world. But no, this is his room, somewhat dim, with light filtering through the curtains. From the kitchen comes a familiar voice:
"Sera, breakfast!"
It sounds mundane, calm. Mother... or at least, the one he's used to calling mother. He gets up, still a bit disoriented. Fragments of the dream still echo in his head.
Sitting at the table, he cautiously begins to tell her about the dream. His mother listens indulgently, smiling as if it were just a child's fantasies. But Sera feels it was something more. He doesn't understand where these images come from. It seems to him that these are not figments of his imagination, but real memories. Yet he doesn't know the truth: he doesn't know that he wasn't born onto this land. And even those who are raising him are not from this place.
After breakfast, his mother suggests he play with his sister. Outside, it's warm, sunny, a light breeze swaying the grass. They laugh, run, throw sticks – typical children's games. Everything seems normal, calm. But this calm is short-lived.
A stranger appears on the horizon. He approaches slowly, but with certainty. There is something unsettling in his gaze. He looks intently at the boy, and recognition appears in his eyes.
"You..." he says. "You are special. Come with me."
Sera steps back, not understanding what's happening. Why does the stranger know more about him than he does himself? He refuses, screams, resists. But the man is stronger. He manages to grab the boy, who then loses consciousness.
The hero is back in his dream. He sees a dark figure trying to say something. Words spill from its lips, but they are incomprehensible – as if through thick water. This was Yadakh, the deity of this world.
Sera awakens to a harsh reality. His hands and feet are bound. Around him are dark figures in hoods. They whisper something in an unfamiliar language, rhythmically, like a prayer. One of them approaches the hero with a strange mask in his hands. He places it against the boy's face – and it seems to be drawn to him.
"Arise," a voice says.
Sera tries to fight the mask's influence. His consciousness plunges into the depths, into an inner world where he meets the spirit of the mask.
Ultimately, he doesn't lose himself. Sera gains the mask's power but remains himself. His body fills with new energy. The shackles break. He stands up – and in an instant deals with all the cultists.
He flees, still not fully understanding what happened. Another stranger arrives at the scene – formidable, silent. He sees the devastation, sees the boy disappearing in the distance. But he doesn't intervene, simply vanishing into the shadows.
And Sera continues on. The road ahead is unknown, his home left behind somewhere – or perhaps it never existed. And now, amidst this unfamiliar path, he notices a small diner, dimly lit in the twilight... The road led through an overgrown path that snaked between fields and abandoned buildings. The air was heavy with dust, the smell of wet grass, and something strangely familiar – as if he had walked this path before, though he couldn't remember when.
Sera walked silently, occasionally looking back – not out of fear, but from a feeling that something was watching him. Something invisible, yet present. Ahead, a diner appeared – an old wooden building with a leaning sign, cracked windows, and a dim yellow light inside.
He carefully pushed the door. It creaked loudly. Inside, it smelled of frying, old coffee, and something bitter – like ash. Behind the bar stood a woman with short-cropped gray hair and a wrinkled, but kind face.
"So it's you," she said, without specifying who she meant. "Sit down. I've been waiting for you."
Sera sat down cautiously, but without a word. She placed a cup of tea in front of him. Hot, pungent, it smelled of wormwood and something else unfamiliar.
"The cultists aren't looking for people like you for nothing," she said, pouring herself something from a bottle. "So, you managed to escape."
Sera shrugged.
"I don't know who they are. And, honestly... I don't know who I am."
The woman nodded, as if expecting that answer.
"You'll find out soon enough. They won't stop. But now, you're not alone."
She called out to someone, and from a dark corridor emerged a boy around fifteen years old. His gaze was strangely similar to Sera's – deep, wary, but not malicious. The same energy glowed in him too.
"This is Lar. Your partner. He's also... special."
Lar nodded briefly. He said nothing, but there was something resolute in his posture.
"Tomorrow you'll set off. Today – rest. The mask is silent, but it won't last forever."
Sera took a sip. The drink had already cooled, but now it was sweet. He still didn't understand where this path led, but one thing he knew for sure – there would be no turning back.
And somewhere far away, in the darkness, the man who had witnessed his escape from the temple stood on a hill. He gazed at the heroes' tracks and quietly whispered:
"The game has begun."