FROM A FORGOTTEN PAST, AND THE CALL OF DESTINY (Part 3)
The wind blew fiercely, stirring the ashes of the dying fire.The night was quiet, but inside the camp, tension was palpable.
Caelithra hadn't separated from Zyrion since the moment she embraced him. Even though he hadn't reacted, she didn't move away. Her breathing was slow and controlled, but her thoughts were a storm.
Zyrion felt something stirring inside him, a strange sensation he couldn't describe.The mask remained fused to his face—cold, foreign—reminding him of the curse tormenting him.
But at that moment, the warmth of Caelithra's embrace made everything fade for an instant.
Before dawn, Velkran and Quindarion were already awake. They were always the first to get moving, keeping watch while the others slept.
Velkran yawned and stretched his arms.
"Last night was a good training session. But I still feel something's off with Zyrion."
Quindarion nodded with a frown.
"It's not just the mask. His energy is… different."
Velkran crossed his arms.
"If he becomes a threat, what do we do?"
Quindarion didn't respond immediately.
He finally looked toward the almost extinguished fire and sighed.
"We can't abandon him. But if he loses control…"
Velkran clicked his tongue.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
When the sun finally rose over the horizon, the rest of the group began to wake up.
Karion stretched with a groan.
"If we keep waking up this early, I'll die of old age before completing my mission."
Taliena, who was nearby, smirked lightly.
"Maybe that's for the best."
Karion looked at her with mock offense.
"So cruel! You join the group and already want me dead?"
"It's just an observation," Taliena replied with a shrug.
Meanwhile, Kyrahna and Caelithra were preparing something for breakfast.
"Did you sleep well?" Kyrahna asked.
Caelithra, remembering the moment with Zyrion, felt her cheeks warm.
"Yes… more or less."
Kyrahna lifted a brow but didn't pry.
When they finally sat down to eat, Zyrion remained silent.
Whenever someone tried talking to him, he just nodded or replied with single words.
Caelithra and Kyrahna exchanged glances.
"This isn't normal," Kyrahna muttered.
"I know," Caelithra whispered.
Velkran, who had been observing, leaned forward with an elbow on his knee.
"Hey, Zyrion, how about we train after breakfast?"
Zyrion slowly lifted his head.
His eyes, hidden behind the mask, fixed on Velkran.
"…I don't know if that's a good idea."
Velkran grinned confidently.
"That's exactly why we should. I want to see what you can do with that thing on your face."
Caelithra frowned.
"Are you sure? I don't think Zyrion's in any condition."
Velkran looked at her calmly.
"That's precisely why I want to train with him."
Zyrion sighed.
"Alright."
Caelithra watched him with obvious worry but said nothing else.
The improvised training field was a clear space with scattered rocks and fallen logs.
Velkran stood a few meters from Zyrion, stretching and loosening his muscles.
"No restrictions. I want to see how far you can go."
Zyrion nodded slowly.
"Alright."
The wind brushed between them, and in a blink, Velkran vanished.
Zyrion barely reacted in time.
He felt an impact in his side and was thrown backwards.
He rolled across the ground but got up quickly.
The mask seemed to absorb part of the blow, but he still felt the shock in his body.
Velkran smiled.
"Good reaction. But you're still too slow."
Zyrion clenched his fists.
The mask…
Something inside him was waking up.
When Velkran moved again, this time it was Zyrion who disappeared.
Velkran felt a chill.
"What…?"
A fist smashed into his face a second later.
He flew several meters and slammed into a rock.
The group watching stood up instantly.
"What the hell was that?!" Karion shouted.
Quindarion frowned.
"His speed suddenly increased… no, more like his presence vanished for an instant."
Velkran stood up, wiping blood from his lip.
He stared at Zyrion, who now breathed heavily.
"So the mask has its perks…"
Zyrion touched his face.
"I… didn't do that on purpose."
Velkran grinned with excitement.
"Then let's see if you can do it again!"
Before Zyrion could answer, Velkran lunged at him at full speed.
As the battle intensified, Quindarion approached Caelithra.
"Have you noticed anything strange about Zyrion lately?"
Caelithra frowned.
"Yes… ever since they put the mask on him, he's been… different."
Quindarion sighed.
"I'm starting to think that thing isn't just a curse… it might be something much worse."
Caelithra felt a shiver crawl down her spine.
"What do you mean?"
Quindarion looked at her seriously.
"I don't think the mask is just affecting his body… I think it's affecting his mind."
Caelithra pressed her lips together.
If that was true…
Then Zyrion wasn't just in danger.
Everyone around him was.
The sun climbed the sky slowly, its golden light flickering between the tall trees and dancing across the forest floor. Leaves rustled under the gentle breeze, and from time to time, birds soared overhead in swirling patterns.
Zyrion and Velkran were still in the middle of their improvised battle, surrounded by the group watching with a mix of tension, fear, and fascination.
Zyrion's white mask shone strangely under the sunlight, and a faint mist seemed to rise from his body every time he moved too fast.
Velkran—wielder of the Fragment of Speed—was barely keeping up now. Every strike from Zyrion was more violent, more precise… and more desperate.
Caelithra stood next to Kyrahna, her hands tensely pressed over her chest.
"Should Velkran really continue?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Kyrahna glanced at her, her expression cold and serious.
"He knows. He knows exactly what he's doing."
But her fingers quietly brushed the handle of her dagger.
Velkran barely dodged a brutal sweeping blow from Zyrion, whose fist was wrapped in a pale white energy that tore the air apart with a menacing whistle.
"Damn it, Zyrion!" Velkran growled, laughing as he retreated. "If you keep this up, I'll end up with more broken bones than a training dummy!"
Zyrion panted, sweat rolling beneath the mask, unseen but present.
"I… can't… stop…" he muttered, his voice warped and echoing metallically through the mask.
Velkran frowned, noticing the involuntary tremor in Zyrion's hands, the unnatural dull glow in his eyes.
"It's not him who's fighting…" Quindarion muttered under his breath.
Velkran stepped back, raising both hands.
"Zyrion. Listen to me. Enough."
Zyrion froze, breathing heavily, like a cornered beast.
"I… can't…" he whispered, his body trembling violently as if battling something invisible.
Karion leaned toward Taliena, his voice grave for the first time in days.
"I don't like this. Any of it."
Taliena, ever calm, nodded slowly.
"His soul… it's being torn apart."
Karion stared at her.
"How do you know that?"
Taliena smiled sadly—too sadly for someone her age.
"Because I… have seen the same thing before."
The silence in the clearing was suffocating, so heavy even the wind seemed to disappear.
Then, Zyrion collapsed to his knees, digging his hands into the earth.
"AAAAAAAHHH!" he screamed, a raw, blood-chilling howl that froze everyone where they stood.
Caelithra took an instinctive step forward, but Kyrahna grabbed her arm.
"No… don't go near him yet."
The ground beneath Zyrion began cracking in jagged lines glowing with pale white light.
Velkran turned and ran back toward the group.
"We can't keep pushing him," he said to Quindarion. "Do you have a plan?"
Quindarion frowned, his eyes glowing with the power of his fragment.
"Just one… but you're not going to like it."
"What is it?" Kyrahna asked.
Quindarion sighed deeply, as if the idea itself weighed on him.
"We need to seal him temporarily. Put him to sleep… before that thing inside him wakes up completely."
Taliena frowned.
"Seal him? What if that damages his mind even more?"
Quindarion looked at Zyrion, who was trembling, hunched over like a broken shadow.
"If we don't act now," he whispered, "we'll lose him forever."
Caelithra slipped free from Kyrahna's grip and approached Zyrion slowly.
"Zyrion…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
He lifted his head toward her. Through the holes of the mask, Caelithra saw his eyes… and for an instant, she believed she saw her Zyrion—the real one—begging, trapped.
"I'm here," she said, kneeling in front of him. "You're not alone. We won't leave you… I won't leave you."
Zyrion extended a trembling hand, as if fighting the weight of a thousand invisible chains.
Caelithra grabbed it immediately, pulling it against her chest.
Quindarion approached carefully, lifting his hands as a small circle of golden runes began spinning around Zyrion.
"Just a little longer, Caelithra," he said gently. "Hold him. Keep him calm."
She nodded, tears filling her eyes.
"I'm here. With you."
The runes flashed.A warm light enveloped Zyrion… and slowly, his trembling stopped.His muscles relaxed, and the dangerous energy around him faded.
Finally, he collapsed unconscious into Caelithra's arms.
Velkran approached, sighing.
"What now?"
Quindarion looked up at the sky, as if searching for answers among the clouds.
"Now… we wait. And pray that when he wakes up… he's still Zyrion."
The entire group, emotionally exhausted, began rearranging the camp.
Meanwhile, Caelithra didn't let go of Zyrion for a single second.
She wasn't planning to ever let him go again.
TO BE CONTINUED…