"Done."
I lift two sticks of roasted fish. The skin splits into a golden sheen, still sizzling. One for me. One for him.
"This one's yours. You won't believe how good it is."
I offer it to the cat—
—GMRRRR.
He grabs the end of the stick and drags it closer, tearing into the top as if he has been waiting forever.
I eat slowly. My head feels heavy—filled with noise, pressure, and thoughts that refuse to settle.
The sun softens. I need to move before dusk. There is somewhere I have to reach.
"All right." I wipe my mouth and straighten my robe. "Time to go."
I follow the river again. Pebbles crack under my feet. I walk while finishing what remains of the fish.
The cat… maybe he will show up again. Maybe not. It is strange, but I am grateful either way.
That man… what was his name again?
As I walk, nothing follows me. No sense of danger.
Whatever waits—I will face it.
Mother… Father…
"Not yet," I whisper.
A small movement beside me—the cat again, running through the grass. He still pulls away when I try to touch him.
"Too bad."
I look ahead. Time keeps moving. But why me?
"What am I alive for…?"
The question slips out.
Right. Of course.
I open the pouch at my waist and pull out a photograph. Father, Mother, and a smaller me. Still intact. Thank goodness.
I put it back.
"Bleh." Walking slowly is boring… but it saves energy.
I glance at the cat. "Want to…?"
A small smile rises before I notice.
"RACE!"
I burst forward. Stones and roots blur past, river spray flicking my legs. "Hahaha! Cat!"
He runs beside me—closer—closer—
"Hey!"
He shoots ahead like an arrow. My steps fall apart. My breath tears. I crash down.
"Phew… exhausting. But fun, right?"
Silence.
He is gone again.
I lie back. Blue sky above. Birds drifting by. My eyes fall shut—
—GMMMRRR.
That sound again.
"Hmm… should I rest now?"
Darkness tugs a little.
No.
I force myself up. The cat walks ahead, as if guiding me with the soft sway of grass.
Before night falls—I need to hurry.
"Wait for me!"
—
When I arrive, the sky is drenched in dusk.
"Still the same," I mutter.
The place Father once showed me—unchanged.
The cat keeps walking. I pause on the hilltop, take a long breath, then follow.
At the base of the hill, he slips between houses toward the livelier part of town.
"Should I… cover my face?"
Farmers return home. Children are carried in arms. Merchants pack up their goods. A blacksmith polishes a hammer. A bard hums. Warm. Safe.
My eyes track the cat into a quiet yard.
Does he have an owner?
I still have time. Food later. Selling things later.
He stops.
A girl waters the plants. The evening light catches her hair. The cat jumps to her, and she lifts him gently.
I freeze and turn slightly away.
"Um… who are you?"
Her voice locks my body in place. I do not look back. I am terrible at talking to girls my age.
The cat comes back to me, circling my legs. She walks closer.
"Wow… that's rare. Lucy usually only likes me and my aunt. Ever since… my father passed away."
I stay silent.
"Do you want to come in?"
I force a small smile. "Th-thank you… but no."
I turn away.
"Really? You…" Her voice cracks. "…you remind me of my older brother."
My step falters for a moment, then continues.
—GRRROOOWWL.
My stomach.
"Hm?" She steps closer. "I heard something… interesting."
Her head tilts.
"Was that your stomach? Or mine?"
Dinner fills the small room with a quiet warmth—the clink of spoons, soft breaths, dim light. It is just the two of us: me and the girl named Rose.
"You know," she says with a small smile, "it's because you remind me of him. My father… he disappears when I am eight."
She talks a lot. I listen more than I answer. Maybe because my face reminds her of her brother. But her voice reminds me too strongly of my mother.
"I want to look for him," she continues. "I always do. But I never know where to start."
I do not respond. I have nothing to say.
The silence hangs, so I reach for the only thing I have—the photo. Torn edges. Faded ink. Like a wound of its own.
"That's your family?" she asks.
I nod. "My father dies too. So…" I force a thin smile. "I guess we are balanced."
She laughs softly—a laugh that makes the room feel a little less tired.
"You're not from this village, right? I've never seen you."
"The next one over," I say. "I come to sell something. To stay alive."
Her eyes light up. "Can I see? I love collecting strange things."
I look around the room, filled with hanging objects and neatly arranged oddities.
"Just as it looks," I say.
She laughs softly again.
I lift the pendant from my chest and place the crystal on the table.
Her curiosity freezes. Shifts. Tightens.
"I find it by the river," I say. "I think it is an old relic. Something valuable."
She does not answer.
Then—without a word—she snatches it and runs upstairs. A rustling sound echoes above, footsteps coming down again, carrying several books.
Thud—pages flip frantically. And finally—
"I find it!"
A heavy book slams onto the table. She sets the crystal on the open page.
"This… is magic." Her eyes lock onto mine. "You touch it?"
"Yes."
Her finger traces the writing. "It says anyone who touches it will feel a pull… impossible to let go. Does that happen?"
"Yes."
"And then…" Her voice thins. "It says the one who touches it becomes its vessel. No, that can't—"
She cuts herself off and looks at me.
"Hiro… have you ever heard the story of the Sun and Moon War?"
I shake my head.
"Paragon has awakened," she whispers. "With a vessel. Using a human body. You."
I stare at her. None of it makes sense to me.
"My dream," she says, her voice trembling, "is to meet the one destined to find this relic. The one who can lead me… to my father, or my brother."
She steps closer. "Hiro… will you travel with me?"
I blink. "I don't even understand half of what you're talking about. I don't know what this journey is."
"You touch the crystal. Enemies of relics will come for you. To take it, they have to kill you. Does anyone look for it before you get here?"
"…Someone," I murmur. "His body is wrapped in bandages. Strong. And for some reason—"
A flash. His sword. His breath. His moment of hesitation.
"And?" she presses.
"He lets me live."
I give a crooked smile. "Weird, right? I mean, I already ask to die, yet I still wake up after that. I swear, I am completely confused about what he does to me afterward, even though I want to die—"
SLAP.