The village was silent.
Not the peaceful kind—the wrong kind.
I stepped through the broken gates of Valen Village, my feet sinking into mud mixed with ash. Homes that once lived in Aren's memories now stood as blackened skeletons. Smoke rose from collapsed roofs, twisting into the sky like dying spirits.
"No… no…"
My legs carried me forward on their own.
A cart lay overturned in the road, its contents scattered—grain, clothes, a child's wooden sword snapped clean in half. I recognized it instantly.
Mine.
Aren's chest tightened as memories stabbed through me. Running through the village with that sword. Pretending to be a knight. Laughing.
I dropped to my knees.
Bodies lay everywhere.
Villagers. Faces frozen in terror. Some burned. Others cut down with brutal efficiency. This wasn't a monster attack.
This was a purge.
My stomach churned.
A sound broke the silence.
A soft whimper.
I spun toward it, heart pounding, and rushed toward a half-collapsed house. Beneath a shattered beam, a girl about my age lay trapped, blood streaking her forehead.
"Hey—hey, don't move," I said, forcing calm into my voice as I lifted the beam. Pain flared through my arms, but I didn't stop.
She gasped as she was freed, coughing violently.
"A-Aren?" she whispered.
My chest constricted.
"Yeah," I said softly. "I'm here."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"They took them… the ones in black armor… they said we were contaminated."
Black armor.
Aren's memories screamed a name.
The Inquisition.
My fists clenched.
The blue screen flickered.
---
[Critical Emotional Trigger Detected]
Hidden Condition Met
Unique Path Unlocked: ❖ Anomaly Awakening ❖
---
The world dimmed.
I felt something inside me crack—like a seal breaking.
Power flooded my body, wild and uncontrollable. The air vibrated. Ash lifted from the ground, swirling around me.
The girl screamed.
"Stay back!" I shouted, dropping to one knee as pain ripped through my skull.
---
[Anomaly Awakening – Phase I]
Ability Gained: ❖ Void Pulse ❖
Description: Converts emotional stress into destructive force
Warning: Mental Stability at Risk
---
The power discharged.
A shockwave tore through the village, ripping apart remaining structures and extinguishing the fires in a violent burst of wind and darkness. When it ended, the silence returned—heavier than before.
I panted, blood trickling from my nose.
"What… what are you?" the girl whispered, terror replacing relief.
I looked at my shaking hands.
"I don't know," I admitted.
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the village.
Slow. Confident.
A man in black armor stepped into view, his helm shaped like a faceless mask. Crimson symbols glowed faintly across his chestplate.
"So the anomaly survived," he said calmly. "How fortunate."
My instincts screamed.
---
[Threat Detected]
Entity: Inquisitor-Knight
Threat Level: Overwhelming
Recommendation: Escape
---
The knight raised his hand, and the air itself seemed to bend.
"You should not exist," he continued. "But do not worry. We are very good at erasing mistakes."
I moved without thinking.
Grabbing the girl's hand, I ran.
Behind us, the ground exploded where we'd stood seconds before.
As we fled into the burning forest, one truth burned brighter than the flames consuming my past.
Valen Village was gone.
And from its ashes…
So was the boy named Aren.