Kael's eyes snapped open, his chest rising and falling with deep, measured breaths. A dull ache throbbed at the back of his skull, but his mind was clearer than ever before. The flickering candlelight cast restless shadows against the wooden walls of the small study, but his vision remained sharp, his thoughts unwavering.
His fist clench and unclench causing slight fluctuations in the fabric of space itself, the house tremble as though cowering in the face of his might, he was beyond angry.
"You're awake." Elara's voice broke the silence, edged with a mixture of fear ,relief and concern. She was seated nearby, her fingers tightly gripping the armrest of her chair as she felt the heaviness in the surroundings , she had been bracing herself for the worst.
"You were out for hours, Kael. What happened?" She asked with slight tremblings in her voice. Although she had been involved in this craziness for quite a long time, one shouldn't forget that she was just a normal human student who was no older than 22.
Kael exhaled slowly, pushing himself upright. "I remembered."
Elara leaned forward, her eyes scanning his face. "Remembered what?"
He turned his gaze toward the aged parchment still spread across the desk. The once cryptic map now made perfect sense to him. "Everything. The Golden Realm. The truth behind its fall. The real enemy." His jaw clenched. "And the trap I've been caught in all this time."
Elara frowned, crossing her arms. "A trap?"
Kael's fingers trailed over the symbols on the map, his golden eyes darkening with resolve. "I've been here before, Elara. Not just here in this room, staring at this map, but through all of this." He gestured broadly. "The battles, the ruins, the war against the martial gods. It's a cycle ,one that the heavens have forced me to relive over and over again."
She inhaled sharply. "They trapped you in a loop? Why?"
His expression hardened. "Because I was never meant to know the truth. The Golden Realm wasn't my enemy, it was a sanctuary. The heavens condemned an entire race to death, and I was their executioner without even realizing it."
Elara's face darkened with understanding. "And now that you remember, what does that mean?"
Kael's grip tightened into a fist. "It means I have a purpose now. No more wandering in the dark. No more chasing fragments without understanding their significance. I know where I need to go next." His eyes met hers, burning with a renewed fire. "I have to retrieve the rest of my memories before the heavens realize I'm awake. If they catch on too soon, they'll try to reset me again. I won't let that happen."
Elara nodded, determination settling into her features. "Then we move quickly. Where do we start?"
Kael gave her a deep look in silence. She waited for his answer as her gaze met his, curiousity brimming deep within those hazel eyes of hers, Kael could see the innocence, the anticipation, the excitement and thrill for an adventure in her eyes but he could also see her fears. This was too big for her, and thinking backwards he realised she happens to be a huge anomaly in the mix, she was never in the past that he could remember.
'is this your nitchpin ??'. He couldn't help but ask within himself, the question directed to the Kael who was known as Kaanan.
" Elara, I'll do this alone from now one" he said with a gentle gaze in his eyes.
"Wh...." Before she could protest, a long slender finger was placed on her lips, and she stared into his golden eyes and realisation dawned on her, he was scared, he was worried.
"You were never in any of them. You never existed in any of those timelines, I could see my memories in the memory fragment I unlocked, you are only here, this means if the heaven gets aware of your presence, you'll be easiest to erase, I do have a clue as to why they aren't watching me closely now but the same cannot be said for you, so please, go back to school and let me handle this on my own."
Elara's eyes brimmed with tears, this was a shocking revelation on its own, she couldn't even muster any words to retort back.
Kael held her shoulders and pulled her closer to his chest, he hugged her silently for sometime before twirling his fingers behind her back, and with a slight push, he had dropped her on her bed in her house.
The last thing she heard was a silent goodbye from Kael .
Kael rubbed his temples as he saw the unwillingness in her eyes before the portal closed. "That's for the best... I guess" he sighed and turned back to the map.
He placed his hand on the map, pointing to the three marked locations. "The first is a vault of memories. The map wasn't just leading me to lost relics,It's guiding me to the truth buried across different realms. These places aren't just hidden; they exist in different states of reality. I need to time my movements precisely, or I 'll miss my chance."
He leaned closer, studying the symbols. "So this isn't just a journey , it's a race."
Kael gave himself a pat on the chest as he continued talking to seemingly noone "And the Demi-Gods are moving as well. They might not understand the full picture yet, but if they find out what I know now, they'll do everything in their power to stop me."
He exhaled. "Then I can't afford any mistakes."
Kael stood, his muscles coiled with restrained energy. "I'll leave before dawn. The first vault is hidden in the remnants of a long-forgotten battlefield. If my memory serves, it was sealed away when the heavens purged the land. But if we time it right..." He tapped the map. "We'll find the entrance when the celestial cycle aligns once more."
A wry smile fell across Kael's lips when he realised that he was now alone in the room. "Noone here huh, I guess I can't afford passing out on the battlefield anymore, I'll be doomed."
Kael stared at the map once more, his fingers tracing the edges. He had been used, deceived, and stripped of his past, but no longer.
This time, he would be the one setting the rules.
And the heavens would learn what it meant to fear the one they tried to erase.