chapter 38: shadows of the past
the evening settled in, painting the sky with hues of deep purple and fiery orange. ren sat alone on a weathered wooden bench near the edge of the village, staring at the horizon where the sun dipped slowly. his mind, however, was far from peaceful.
memories clawed at the edges of his consciousness—fragments of the night he woke up on the road, the blurred faces, the sharp pain in his side, and the strange emptiness that followed. the attack, the forgetting—it wasn't just random. someone wanted him to lose those memories, to be weak, to be lost.
"why me?" he muttered, voice low, almost swallowed by the wind. "what did i do to deserve this?"
he clenched his fists, feeling the familiar burn of frustration mixed with fear. the shattered self inside him seemed to pulse, restless and eager, craving clarity, strength, and answers.
a soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "you're not alone, ren."
maya stepped beside him, her gaze gentle but firm. "i've seen that darkness in you. it's real. but it doesn't have to control you."
ren looked at her, surprised by the honesty in her words. "how do you know?"
"because i have my own shadows," she replied, "and i fight them every day."
he took a deep breath, the weight of his pride warring with the vulnerability he rarely showed. "i don't want to be weak anymore. but every time i try to remember, it slips away."
"maybe the memories aren't gone," maya said softly. "maybe they're hidden, waiting for the right moment. or maybe, they're part of you — broken pieces you need to piece together, not force."
ren nodded slowly, the storm inside him settling just a little. "then i'll keep searching. even if it drives me crazy."
maya smiled, "you don't have to do it alone."
for the first time in a long while, ren felt a flicker of hope. the road ahead was uncertain and dangerous, but maybe, just maybe, he could find his way back — not just to who he was, but to who he could become.