Later that evening, the injured Luminarian sat in our home, his breaths uneven.

Satoshi sat across from him, his fingers curled into fists. He locked eyes with the Luminarian as if reliving a forgotten memory.

Despite his injuries, he held himself upright. His irises were an ocean blue, shifting between shades of sapphire and steel, unreadable as the ocean before a storm.

"You know who I am," he said.

Satoshi didn't respond. The wind howled outside the walls of our quarters. Then, in a voice colder than I’d ever heard from him, he asked, 

“Why are you here?”

He studied Satoshi and leaned forward slightly. "You seem troubled. The boy doesn't know who I am, does he?"

Satoshi's fingers twitched against the table.

"These Human settlements are from our lands. Most here have no idea what lies beyond these mountains." He paused. "But you do."

Satoshi’s grip tightened and asked for a second time. “Why are you here?”

“I had a mission. That changed when I came across the boy.”

Satoshi’s eyes sharpened. “What mission?”

“I cannot say.”

Silence stretched between them. Then, the man turned to me.

“But the boy— I couldn't sense it at first, but he has Lumina in him. He must come with me to Azeron.”

“Renjiro has no business with you.”

The Luminarian held his ground. “He must. A Luminarian shouldn’t be among humans. What if the overseers here realised what he possesses? Do you think they'll spare him? He belongs with us.”

Satoshi’s fist slammed against the table. “I know your kind. Renjiro is nothing like you. I raised the boy, and he has never shown any sign of being different.”

You’ve never seen him show any signs? Not once?”

Satoshi hesitated, “…Only today.”

“I see.”

You know what else is out there.” He said, “It’s your choice whether he stays or goes. But you should consider it carefully.”

Satoshi didn’t move.

The Luminarian turned toward the door. “I leave in the morning.”

Satoshi’s voice cut through the quiet. “And if we refuse?

Luminarian glanced over his shoulder.

“They will be here soon.”

“…Who?” Satoshi asked.

The Luminarian didn’t answer. He just watched as the realisation settled into Satoshi’s face.

The idea set my mind spinning. This was the chance I had always dreamed of—a way to see the world beyond these mountains, understand my strange connection to whatever was happening to me, and see what else was out there.

And yet, as thrilling as it sounded, doubt crept in. Could I leave? Satoshi was the only family I’d ever known. This kingdom was my home, the one place I truly understood. Was I ready to give all that up?

Then, Satoshi entered the room and remained quiet by the fire. The flames crackled softly, casting long shadows across his face. I could feel something unspoken between us, a weight he’d been carrying for years. The silence stretched, almost unbearable, until he finally sighed and spoke.

“Renjiro,” he began. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you years ago.”

I frowned. “What is it?”

Satoshi stared into the fire for what felt like forever. Then, he stood and crossed the room with slow, deliberate movements. He bent down and pulled something from beneath the bed—a strange, worn relic.

He placed it on the table between us, and I couldn’t look away. The black-and-gold symbols engraved on its surface gleamed faintly in the firelight.

Satoshi sat back down, his eyes fixed on the relic. “It was a stormy night,” he began again, "Rain was hammering against the windows. I heard urgent thuds outside. When I opened the door, a woman in a black cloak was injured and exhausted.”

“She was pregnant,” Satoshi continued, “Barely able to stand. I took her in. She never told me where she came from or how she got here. Her eyes… were a striking orange hazel but glazed over with exhaustion. She carried something with her.” He motioned toward the relic on the table.

He ran a hand through his hair, his voice trembling slightly as he continued. “That night, she went into labour. It wasn't easy, and I did all I could to help her. She named you Renjiro.”

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

“I left her to rest, but when I returned, she was gone. The door was open to the storm, and only you remained.”

I stared at him, my thoughts racing. This couldn’t be real.

He met my gaze and said, “I took you in and raised you as my own. I never saw her again. I didn’t know how to tell you—or if I even should. I wanted to protect you from a past that seemed to chase her here, a past that might still be looking for you.”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to process his words.

“I’ve always feared,” he said, barely a whisper now, “that one day, whatever she was running from would return for you. That’s why I never told you. If I kept you close and safe, I could protect you.”

The room suddenly felt too small, the walls closing in on me. My chest ached with anger and an aching sense of betrayal. I looked at the relic, the symbol gleaming like it was mocking me. It was a link to a mother I’d never known, a past I’d never imagined.

“I… I don’t understand,” I said, my voice cracking. Then my eyes caught something else.

I froze, staring down at my arm. The same symbol was engraved into my skin—a mark I’d always considered a birthmark.

My fingers trembled as I touched it. It had always been there, but now it felt more than a mark. It felt like a key to something I didn’t understand.

“I don’t know where you’re from,” Satoshi said, his voice softer now, “but I’ve always believed you were destined for something greater than this village. This might be your chance to find out who you are.”

His words hung in the air, each one digging deeper into me. Everything I thought I knew my entire life suddenly felt like an illusion.

Satoshi looked at me, his eyes full of emotion. “That’s up to you. But whatever you decide, know I’ve always seen you as my son.”

The weight of his words pressed down on me, but all I felt was anger. I gripped the table's edge so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

“What?” I hissed, my voice sharp. “You knew this? All these years and you never told me?”

Satoshi flinched but met my gaze. “I—”

“No!” I cut him off, standing abruptly. My chair scraped against the wooden floor as I gestured wildly toward the relic. “Don’t give me that! You’ve been lying to me my whole life. You knew I wasn’t from here. You knew I was different!”

“I was trying to protect you—”

“Protect me?” I let out a bitter laugh. “By keeping me in the dark? By pretending I was a Doro-Ashi, a slave like everyone else?” My voice cracked. “You always told me to respect the craft, honour the craft, be grateful. Grateful for a life that was never mine!”

His shoulders slumped, “I didn’t want you to feel burdened by something you couldn’t control—”

“And whose choice was that to make?” I snapped, “You had no right to decide that for me! You robbed me of that chance!”

Satoshi’s face twisted in pain, but I didn’t care.

“I trusted you,” I said, “You were my family. And now… I don’t know if I can trust anything you’ve ever told me.”

The silence in the room was suffocating. My chest heaved as I fought the tears threatening to spill over. “How could you hide this from me?”

“I did it because I love you,” Satoshi said quietly.

I shook my head, stepping toward the door. “I need air.”

Without a reply, I stormed out, slamming the door behind me.

I went to the blacksmith shop, hoping the familiar rhythm of the forge would quiet my thoughts. I needed to do something—anything—to keep my hands busy and my mind from spiralling.

The tools were where I left them, gleaming faintly in the dim lantern light. The heat from the forge had long since faded, leaving the air calm and still. I grabbed a hammer and a piece of metal and set them on the anvil.

Strike.

The sound echoed through the empty room, sharp and steady.

Strike.

I pounded the metal, letting the rhythm drown out the roar of my thoughts.

You’re not from here.

Strike.

I brought you up as my own.

Strike.

The hammer slipped in my grip, slamming into the anvil's edge. A sharp pain coursed through my arm, but it was nothing compared to the storm in my mind. My hands trembled as I picked up the twisted piece of metal.

It snapped in my grip.

I stared at the broken tool as my breaths came faster and faster.

Then I lost it.

It surged through me like fire, burning away the confusion and doubt until there was only rage. I grabbed the workbench and flung it across the room with ease.

It crashed into the far wall, tools clattering in a loud, violent mess. The sound echoed through the shop, leaving behind an oppressive silence.

My chest heaved as I slumped against the wall. The adrenaline faded, leaving an ache deep in my bones.

I sat there for hours, my thoughts running in circles. The revelations of the night replayed in my mind like a broken record. Who was I? Where did I come from? And why had Satoshi lied to me all these years?

The lantern burned low as the hours slipped by. My head drooped, exhaustion finally taking hold.

A faint rumbling jolted me awake, pulling me from the edge of sleep.

I blinked as I tried to place the sound. It wasn’t thunder—it was more profound, more unsettling, like the earth was groaning.

Something felt wrong.

The air was charged with an energy I couldn’t explain. My eyes darted to the workstation, where I saw a cup slowly lifting off the ground.

It hovered there, trembling in midair before clattering back down.

My temples throbbed, a sharp headache blooming out of nowhere. I pressed my fingers to my forehead, but the pressure grew worse.

Then I saw it.

The faint blue glow returned, flickering at the edges of my vision. I caught my reflection in a nearby shard of metal—my pupils had slit vertically again, glowing with that same eerie light.

My senses sharpened, and every sound amplified until it was almost unbearable. 

Before I could move, the shop exploded.

The force sent me flying backwards, my body slamming into the ground as shards of wood and glass rained down around me. The roar of the blast rang in my ears, drowning out everything else.

Heat engulfed the room as a brilliant red glow poured through the shattered windows, illuminating the wreckage as flames licked at the walls.

I tried to get up, but my limbs wouldn’t respond. The last thing I saw before the darkness took me was the roof sagging under the weight of the destruction.

When I woke, I was buried under rubble.

Smoke filled my lungs as I coughed violently, trying to push the debris off me. My head throbbed, and every muscle in my body ached, but I forced myself to move.

The air was thick with ash, stinging my eyes and throat. Flames still crackled nearby, the heat pressing against my skin.

Forcing myself to my feet, I staggered toward the doorway, my heart pounding. I had to get out. I had to find Satoshi.

But as I stumbled into the open, the true scope of the devastation hit me like a blow.