The forest breathed-alive, but watchful.
Birdsong stirred above. The wind whispered warnings. And far off, something howled-too distant to see, too close to forget.
Ryu had learned these sounds. Three days had passed since he woke, yet the ache of memory's absence clung to him like frost that wouldn't melt.
Each morning, Yui trained him. Hand-to-hand. Focus. Mana control.
"You're fast," she said once, after he knocked her dagger wide.
"You hold back," he replied.
She smiled. "Maybe."
But every time he asked about the world, she dodged like a blade.
"Where are we?"
"A forest near Eastwind Vale."
"What happened before I woke up?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
And when he asked why she was helping him-her gaze dropped. Lips tightened.
"You'll understand soon."
He didn't push. Not yet. But doubt had begun to shadow her every answer.
That night, under a starless sky, they sat by the fire in brittle silence.
Then it came again-the mark on his chest, pulsing. Warm. Then searing.
He gasped, clutching at his shirt.
Yui turned fast, eyes sharp. "Did it activate again?"
"What is it?" His voice cut through the air. "You've seen this before. Haven't you?"
She flinched. Only a flicker-but enough.
"Yui."
"I-I can't tell you everything. Not yet."
The glow faded. The pain dulled. His breath steadied.
But trust, once cracked, doesn't mend with silence.
Later, as she slept beside dwindling embers, Ryu sat alone-staring at the spiraling sigil on his chest. It wasn't just a scar. It pulsed like a seal. A key.
A threat.
He wanted to believe her. Needed to.
But kind eyes don't always tell kind truths.
One thing was certain:
She was lying.
The only question was...
Was it to protect him?
Or herself?