The Stranger from the Capital
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The days in the Sanctum passed with quiet routine.
Kael rose before the sun, bathed in cold water, and began his healing practice under Sister Marien's guidance. He read every word in the codex she gave him even when they blurred, even when the glyphs made his head ache. He pushed forward.
There was a silent fire growing inside him.
Not of anger. Not of vengeance.
But of purpose.
> "I was given this life. I won't waste it again."
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That morning, the wind carried something strange like tension clinging to the leaves.
Kael was cleaning the meditation hall when the sound of hooves echoed from outside. Not the common clatter of traders or pilgrims.
He paused.
Moments later, the front door creaked open.
A man entered, tall and broad-shouldered, cloaked in dark gray trimmed with gold. A silver emblem shaped like a sun with wings shone on his chest Kael recognized it from the codex: the Royal Church of Midelgard.
Two armored guards stood behind him, but the man himself carried no weapon. His gaze, however, felt sharper than any blade.
He scanned the Sanctum, then his eyes locked onto Kael.
> "So," he said calmly, "this is the child with unregulated healing magic."
Sister Marien emerged from the hall behind Kael, her staff in hand.
> "He's under my care," she said firmly.
> "Care is not the concern," the man replied. "Verification is."
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He stepped forward and unfurled a scroll made of silver-threaded parchment. Ancient runes glowed faintly upon its surface.
> "Name," he said.
> "Kael Ardyn."
> "Origin?"
> "I… don't remember," Kael lied, again.
The man narrowed his eyes, then pressed the scroll gently to Kael's chest. It glowed softly, then brighter, before dimming abruptly.
> "Mana pattern abnormal. Not corrupted, but… off-sync. Not native."
Sister Marien crossed her arms.
> "He's been through trauma. It would disrupt any resonance reading."
> "Perhaps." The man rolled up the scroll. "But the report was accurate. His healing bypasses structure. No incantation, no glyph. That's either divine intervention or a risk."
Kael felt his chest tighten.
> "So they really think… I'm not supposed to be here?"
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The man turned to Sister Marien. "Keep him here. No outreach. If any other anomalies appear, report to the capital immediately. The Crown doesn't appreciate surprises."
Then he looked at Kael one last time.
> "I've seen children like you before. You heal wounds, yes. But can you heal the world you've stepped into?"
And then he left, leaving behind only the cold silence and a trail of unease.
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That night, Kael sat outside the Sanctum, beneath a fading moon. The stars above this world looked so different sharper, colder, scattered like broken glass.
> "In my old life, they ignored me…
In this life, they watch me like a threat."
> "So… what am I now?"
He raised his hand. A soft glow flickered at his fingertips warm, healing, alive.
But in this world, healing could make people afraid.
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Sister Marien joined him quietly, handing him a cup of tea.
> "He's from the Royal Church's Inner Ring," she said. "Their job is to track mana anomalies and divine fragments."
> "Fragments?"
> "They believe certain souls drift through time. Broken pieces from timelines that should've vanished."
Kael's eyes widened.
> "They really suspect I'm not from here…"
> "You are not a threat, Kael," Marien said gently. "But that doesn't mean they'll leave you alone."
> "Then… should I run?"
> "No." Her voice turned firm. "You stay. Learn. Grow. Prove that you belong your way."
Kael stared into his tea. The warmth seeped into his palms.
> "I don't know who I'm supposed to be in this world…"
> "…but I'll become someone they can't deny."
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🌟 To be continued…
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Reader's Teaser – Coming Next…
A local festival lights up the nearby town, and Sister Marien takes Kael there for the first time.
But in the crowd, Kael spots a stranger cloaked in silver, her eyes glowing faintly blue.
She knows his name… but not the one he told anyone else.
>🔥 Don't miss Chapter 4 – "Eyes from the Forgotten"
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