When I woke up, I found myself lying on my bed—inside the same tin shelter we called home.
My body felt heavy, my limbs stiff. I tried to sit up, but failed. My muscles screamed in protest.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my parents whispering to each other. Their faces were serious—more serious than I'd ever seen before. My father's brow was furrowed. My mother kept wringing her hands, the way she only did when something was deeply wrong.
My sister stood by the stove, quietly making breakfast. Usually, she was the sunshine of our little home—always humming, always smiling. But today, her face was pale, her eyes restless. The air in our home, normally filled with warmth and laughter, felt heavy—thick with silence. I didn't know exactly what had happened… not yet. But I could feel it in my bones.
Something was wrong. Or something was going to go wrong.
I tried to rise again—but a jolt of pain shot through my arm, hot and sharp, making me nearly cry out. I clenched my teeth and held the scream inside.
And then, everything came rushing back.
The rain.
The tree.
The fire that shouldn't have existed—or maybe it wasn't fire at all. I still wasn't sure.
The world fading to black.
And the unbearable pain in my head.
I slowly lifted my arm.
Carved into my forearm was a deep red mark, glowing faintly. It looked like the letter T—or maybe a symbol. Maybe a message, like the ones from the old plays I used to love.
It was burned into my skin like a brand. But instead of heat… that patch of skin felt cold. Ice-cold. Like it was freezing from the inside out.
I didn't know what it meant.I didn't know why it was there.
And then—
Something else tried to surface. A memory? A thought?
But it wouldn't come.
Isn't it frustrating? When you're trying to remember something important, but your mind keeps drifting…
Back to her.
That girl who forgot you like you were nothing—like an animal she once saw in a zoo and then moved on from.
And just as my breath quickened, just as the questions started to fill my head, it happened again.
The world around me started to blur.
Not again.
AGAIN.
But this time, I didn't fall into darkness.
This time…
I saw a dream.
I found myself in space.
I wasn't floating or falling. I was just there. I didn't need to breathe, but I was still alive. I could move—just by thinking about it. It felt strange… but natural.
Around me were the Ten Skies.
Each one looked different. One was silver, shining like liquid. Another had cracks, glowing like fire. They felt powerful and ancient. I stared at them in silence.
Then, I saw something strange.
A big, green ball floating in the distance.
It took me a second to realize—that's a planet. That's what humans call them.
I moved closer.
The planet was broken. Dark green clouds covered it. The ground was cracked and ruined. Everything looked dead. There was no life—only silence and danger.
But then I saw them.
An army.
They stood in rows, hundreds of them. Still, focused. Silent.
And in front of them… was him.
A tall man in a dark cloak. His skin was pale green, and his body was covered in old battle scars—on his chest, his face, his arms. He looked powerful. Dangerous. Like someone who had seen war too many times.
But also… he looked like me.
On his forearm, he had the same mark I have.
My heart stopped.
He raised one gloved hand, and everything went quiet. Even the wind stopped. Then, he spoke.
"The time has come.
You've trained for this moment—not for months, not for years, but for generations. Every drop of sweat, every scar on your flesh, every oath you've sworn—it leads to now.
The enemy sleeps behind their walls, believing themselves safe. They do not know that the storm is already upon them. They do not know what walks beneath their skies.
I will not tell you who they are. I will not speak their name.
Why?
Because names give dignity. And what we face is beneath dignity. Beneath mercy.
You need no target. You need no map.
When you feel your blade slice through silence—you'll know.
When the skies turn red and the ground shakes with their screams—you'll know.
You are not men now. You are not soldiers.
You are thunder. You are vengeance.
No retreat. No hesitation. No survivors.
Let the skies bear witness.
Let history remember what we did today—
Without remorse. Without mercy. Without end.
Now..."
He stopped.
Suddenly, every soldier turned.
They looked straight at me.
Their faces were hard—but their eyes… they were full of fear. Or maybe... recognition.
The commander stared at me too. And for the first time, I saw something strange in his eyes.
Fear.
He raised his hand. Pointed straight at me.
And everything broke.
The dream shattered like glass. My vision turned black. I felt like I was being thrown through a storm.
Then... silence.
I was in the middle of nowhere.
An empty world. Endless and dark. In our language, we call this place the Void.
And in the center of that darkness, I saw it.
A huge prison, floating in the void. Chained. Silent. Cold.
Inside it… was a beast.
Or maybe… a man.
He looked like both. His hands and legs were chained. His body was covered in strange marks. But when he saw me—he smiled.
It wasn't an evil smile. It felt… peaceful. Like he had waited a long time for me.
He looked into my eyes and said,
"We will meet again."
And then he was gone.
So was the void.
And I woke up.