That night was cold—but not as cold as Kael's heart as he walked away from the church.
No farewells. No embraces.
Just footsteps. And the wind, silently watching him.
He didn't know where to go.
But the Mark on his chest pulsed, as if whispering: "Forward."
The church that raised him could no longer be home.
And the world beyond that wooden gate…
He had never seen.
The sky was filled with stars.
But none showed him the way.
He walked a stony path downhill, past dead fields and hollow trees. No life.
As if even the world rejected him.
Yet in the distance, faint lights.
A small town.
Or village.
He didn't know.
His stomach ached. His legs dragged. But he kept going.
—
At last, he arrived.
A place called Tessera.
It looked ordinary: old wooden buildings, a tiny market, a bonfire in the center.
But something was strange.
Someone was sitting in the middle of the crowd.
A young girl.
Her face scarred.
But she smiled.
And for the first time…
Kael felt truly seen.