As soon as the light swallowed us, Something strange happened,
The sigils on the gate errored And
Swish
Everyone opened their eyes, And saw
Unending mist and snow. The smell of Iron so strong it overwhelmed them
The panic set in,
"Where are we?????" I asked
We found ourselves in a Fortress on Sea facing summit, Of the Ishtara Mountain range.
A labyrinthine fortress carved into sheer cliffs. Every corridor lined with statues of shackled prisoners, their chains extending into the walls.
The hall was illuminated by moonlight.
"Hold tight on each other" Instructor said with urgency and once again everything became white.
Swish
This time we found ourselves in a dense forest.
The night was cool, the forest lit only by a pale smear of moonlight filtering through the pines. Crickets chirped.
Everyone became at ease
Vivi asked carefully "What was that ruin?"
"We'll talk in the Morning, Not right now, Gather fire wood" Instructor said in a hesitant voice.
After setting up fire everyone gathered around.
Instructors once again cut through silence "Our location will be shared through My watch, Tomorrow someone will come for us, I will take the watch entire night, sleep along trees"
No one said anything, Everyone was tired and injured to form a thought.
The fire burned low, its amber glow dancing over their faces as the forest whispered around them. The scent of pine sap and damp earth filled the air, and somewhere far off, an owl hooted into the night. Nolan sat with his back against a fallen log, his great sword resting beside him. His mother sat across from him, wrapped in her cloak, her face drawn but calmer than when he had first pulled her from the stronghold's clutches.
For a long while, Nolan simply stared at the fire, the weight of everything pressing down on him. Finally, he asked, his voice quiet, almost breaking the night itself
"Why… why did you leave me, back then? At the orphanage. I was ten, Mother. You just… disappeared."
The question hung heavy. His mother's shoulders stiffened, and for a heartbeat, she looked as though she might stay silent. But then, her gaze dropped to the firelight, and she spoke in a trembling voice.
"I never wanted to leave you, Nolan. Not ever. But they were watching me. The Church. I… I was already bound to their chains. If I kept you close, they would have taken you too."
Nolan blinked, confused.
"Chains??"
She nodded slowly, pulling her cloak tighter as if warding off a chill that came from memory rather than cold.
"They stripped me of my thread, Nolan. Piece by piece, they tore it from me, binding me to their rituals. I wasn't a person anymore just a vessel. A subject. They forced me into the stronghold, locked me in its walls, to be a part of something I didn't understand. I thought if I stayed away from you… you'd be spared."
Her voice cracked, and she hid her face briefly in her hands before continuing.
"The day I left you at the orphanage, I stood outside for hours, watching you from the shadows. You were crying, calling my name. And all I wanted was to run back, to hold you. But the moment I did, they would've come for you too. I thought distance would keep you safe."
Nolan's throat tightened, his chest aching. He remembered those nights vividly waiting, convinced his mother would come back.
His mother reached across the fire, her trembling fingers brushing the back of his hand.
"You have every right to hate me, Nolan. I failed you. But I swear to you not a day passed in that stronghold where I didn't think of you. You were the only hope I had left."
Nolan looked at her, really looked. She seemed smaller now, frailer, but there was still strength buried beneath the pain in her eyes.
"Then… all this time, you were?"
She nodded.
"They bound me to their machines, their rituals, their chains. I was part of their 'research.' They called it purification, but it was hollowing. Stripping threads away until nothing was left. I don't know how I'm still alive."
Her voice lowered, almost a whisper.
"But when the chains stirred tonight… something broke. A gap in their control. I don't know why, but it let me slip free. And I ran. I ran until I saw you, standing in front of me again… all grown, all fire and gentleness. You're not the little boy I left behind."
Nolan's hands shook, torn between anger at the church and grief for what she endured. Finally, he leaned forward, gripping her hands firmly.
"You don't have to run anymore. Not alone. Whatever they did to you, whatever they still want I'll protect you now. That's a promise."
His mother's eyes welled with tears, and for the first time in years, she let herself smile a faint, fragile smile, but real.
The fire crackled between them, the forest sighing as if holding its breath. For that moment, despite the chaos that still loomed beyond the trees, they were just mother and son broken, scarred, but finally together again.
After a while Everyone fell into dreams.