The valley did not sleep that night.
Stars burned brighter above the ruins, as if the sky itself had been stretched thin. The air hummed with quiet energy, steady and low, like a distant drumbeat.
Kael sat near the remains of a small fire, his sword resting across his knees. He was not tired. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt the echo of the Seat of Witness inside him—calm, firm, unyielding.
Ravik leaned against a fallen stone nearby, sharpening his blade. "You've been staring at the same spot for an hour."
Kael smiled faintly. "It keeps staring back."
Orin stood watch at the edge of the ruins, his silhouette sharp against the glow of distant towers. "You're not wrong. Something's moving out there."
Solaryn approached quietly, her steps light. "The Witness never ends at the platform," she said. "It sends ripples."
"Ripples to where?" Ravik asked.
She looked toward the horizon. "Every place where power waits."
As if summoned by her words, the ground shuddered softly beneath them.
Far beyond the valley, unseen by mortal eyes, ancient doors began to open.
In a frozen city buried under ice, a massive bell cracked and rang for the first time in centuries.
In a desert of glass and sand, a sealed tomb pulsed with faint red light.
In a floating citadel drifting above storm clouds, watchers turned their gaze toward the valley.
And they all felt the same thing.
A Witness had been chosen.
Back in the ruins, Kael stood suddenly. His chest tightened—not in pain, but in awareness.
"They know," he said.
Solaryn nodded. "Yes."
Orin tightened his grip on his spear. "How long before they come?"
"Some will come fast," she replied. "Others will wait."
Ravik sighed. "I really miss when our problems were just hunger and bad roads."
Before Kael could respond, the dragon stirred.
Vryllos Belyx rose slowly, his massive form outlined by moonlight. His wings spread just enough to cast a long shadow across the ruins.
Kael stepped closer. "You feel it too."
The dragon's eyes glowed softly.
A low sound escaped his chest—not a warning, but agreement.
Suddenly, the air twisted.
A tear opened near the ruins, thin as a blade, glowing pale blue. From it stepped a figure wrapped in layered robes, their face hidden beneath a hood of shifting light.
Orin raised his weapon instantly. "Friend or enemy?"
The figure raised both hands. "Neither."
Solaryn's eyes widened. "A Wayfarer."
The figure bowed slightly toward Kael. "Witness."
Kael stiffened. "I didn't choose that title."
"No one ever does," the Wayfarer replied.
Ravik muttered, "I don't like how calm this one is."
The Wayfarer turned toward the dragon, then back to Kael. "The balance has shifted. Paths once sealed are opening."
"What do you want?" Kael asked.
"To warn you," the Wayfarer said. "There are those who believe the Witness should not walk freely."
Solaryn crossed her arms. "And they will try to bind him."
"Yes," the Wayfarer said simply. "Or break him."
Kael met the figure's gaze. "Then tell them they'll fail."
A faint smile appeared beneath the hood. "Confidence. That is good."
The Wayfarer stepped back toward the tear in the air. "Your next step matters more than you know. Choose movement. Stillness invites chains."
With that, the tear closed, leaving nothing but cool night air behind.
Silence followed.
Ravik exhaled. "I officially hate visitors."
Orin nodded. "At least this one didn't attack."
Solaryn looked at Kael. "We cannot stay here."
Kael glanced at the ruins, the platform now quiet and ordinary. "Where do we go?"
She pointed toward the distant towers. "To places that remember old truths. And to places that will test them."
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
The valley had answered him.
Now the world was calling.
Some choices are not felt where they are made.
They travel… and they warn the world.