A cold wind rustled through the branches of the tall trees, carrying with it the scent of pines and distant snowy peaks. Akero watched as Elenora's slender figure disappeared into the greenery of the forest, her final smile etched into his memory. Her voice still echoed in his ears: "Do not fight your source, Akero. It is a part of you. When you accept it, you become whole."
They walked for hours in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The forest grew denser, and the light filtering through the canopy became increasingly dim. Nea walked close to Akero's shoulder, her presence feeling like a warm oasis in the ever-cooling atmosphere. Kael strode a few steps ahead, his eyes always alert, scanning the surroundings.
"What do you think of all this?" Nea asked quietly, breaking the silence. "About Vorath, about these ten years..."
Akero sighed. "I don't know. I feel like I'm carrying a burden I understand nothing about. Like they gave me a sword but never taught me how to hold it."
Akero sighed. "I don't know. I feel like I'm carrying a burden I understand nothing about. Like they gave me a sword but never taught me how to hold it."
"Elenora gave you advice," Nea reminded him. "Accept your gift. Don't fight it."
"Easy for her to say," Akero muttered. "She doesn't have… this." He gestured to the unpredictable, uncontrollable power that sometimes surged within him.
Kael turned, walking backward. "A sword is held with the sharp edge away from yourself, Akero. That's the first lesson. And as for your gift…" He shrugged. "We all have our demons. Mine just occasionally set something on fire."
Their conversation was cut short by footsteps. Quiet, almost inaudible, yet enough to freeze the air.
And then they saw him.
He stood in the middle of the path, motionless as a statue. Tall, broad-shouldered, clad in dark, unremarkable attire. His face was sharp, devoid of emotion, and his eyes were empty and cold. It was Carlos, Unknown's servant
"You've wandered far from the protection of your forest friends," Carlos said. His voice was flat, metallic.
"Who are you?" Akero asked, instinctively pushing Nea behind him.
"I am the past that has found you, Akero. And the future that will end you. My name is Carlos." His empty eyes scanned Akero's face, and for a moment, a spark of something—perhaps recognition—flickered within them. "Vorath overestimated him," Carlos thought, "but he was not wrong." "There is potential in this boy. Power that, if developed, could rival even my master Unknown. That is why Vorath gave him ten years. That is why I cannot allow him to live through those ten years."
"Vorath gave you ten years," Carlos said loudly. "And here you are messing around as if this is some game. How inefficient."
"What do you want?" Akero asked, stepping in front of Nea and Kael, though fear lingered in his gaze.
"I'm here to fix the mistake Vorath made and to kill you here and now," Carlos replied.
Carlos did not move, yet the air in front of him shimmered, forming a solid, transparent barrier. Kael reacted immediately. "That's enough!"
Flames erupted from Kael's palms, a torrent of fire rushing toward Carlos. But when the flames struck the barrier, they shattered like waves against a cliff; sparks scattered, and the fire extinguished without effect.
"Your fire is primitive," Carlos noted. "A child's trick."
Then Carlos waved his hand. The barrier did not retreat; instead, part of it detached and transformed into an invisible force that struck Kael in the chest. The sound of breaking ribs rang out, and Kael was thrown backward, hitting a tree with a heavy thud. He curled in pain, his face twisted in agony.
"Kael!" Nea shouted, rushing toward him.
But Carlos was already preparing another strike, this time aimed at her. "You're next. "
Akero watched in horror. Fear paralyzed him. He saw Carlos's power, absolute superiority. He felt helpless. But then he saw Kael struggling to breathe, and Nea's fearful yet determined expression as she laid her hands on Kael's chest, her body glowing with a soft green healing light.
"No! No! I cannot lose them!"
A surge of anger, stronger than fear, coursed through him. He raised his hands, feeling time slow, the world freezing around him. The chirp of a bird stretched into a low, eerie tone. A leaf falling from a tree hung suspended in the air. Carlos, with his ready barrier, remained perfectly still.
Come on! Akero thought, running toward Nea, placing himself between her and Carlos." Just to protect her!"
Three seconds. Three short, precious seconds. Time resumed.
Carlos blinked. He saw Akero standing protectively before Nea. His empty eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"
Carlos's hand pierced the barrier like water and unleashed a blast of dark, draining energy. Akero raised his arms to defend himself, feeling the energy envelop him, seeping into him like poison into his source. He felt a tightening, not only physically but spiritually. He felt Carlos's power reaching his inner source, the core of his gift, beginning to drain it.
"Vorath overestimated you," Carlos whispered. "Your time is up."
The pain was indescribable. Like someone drawing his soul through a straw. Akero screamed, feeling his consciousness slip, the dark cold freezing his insides. The light dimmed." Is this the end?... Am I really going to die?" The last thing he heard was Nea's cry of horror, and then… nothing.
Akero was no longer aware of darkness. He was only consciousness… flowing. He felt time moving around him, through him. He was not a wave in the ocean; he was the ocean itself. He saw moments intertwining—past, present, and future existing simultaneously. He saw Carlos raising the barrier, saw himself fleeing the village, saw Vorath giving him the ultimatum, saw the moment of his birth. All was now. All was one.
Elenora's words echoed in his mind: "Do not fight your source. Accept it."
He understood. His gift was not control. It was symbiosis. He was meant not to be the master, but the partner. Not to force the river to stop, but to feel its flow and sail with it. He did not fight time; he became one with time.
He felt his being, his essence, intertwining with the very fabric of existence. This is harmony, he thought. This is acceptance.
And in that harmony, he felt a glimmer of light. Warmth piercing the darkness. This was not the end. It was a chance for a new beginning.
The first thing he sensed was the scent of pine and warmth. He felt soft hands on his chest, and the gentle green light entering him, repairing what Carlos had nearly destroyed.
He opened his eyes. Nea was above him, her face pale, exhausted, tears streaming down her cheeks. The source of her light was weak, flickering.
"Akero?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Oh, Akero… I thought we lost you…"
Behind her, Kael knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword for support. Blood ran down his chin, and his right shoulder was unnaturally twisted. He lifted and lowered himself, breathing heavily, looking as if he could collapse at any moment.
Carlos stood a few meters away, motionless. His barrier remained active.
Akero rose slowly, feeling different. He felt time flowing through him, not past him. He was calm. Certain. Though physically weak, his source was more alive than ever.
"Nea, rest," he said softly. "Thank you."
And then Akero stopped time—but this time, for as long as he wished. Carlos was frozen, and so was his barrier.
Kael and Nea looked at him in astonishment, unable to believe what they saw.
"What! How did he manage to freeze me and break through my barrier? I thought it repelled every magical attack!" Carlos thought to himself.
"Carlos," Akero said, his voice now deep, resonating with a strange harmony. "Unknown is hiding. Tell us where."
Carlos's empty eyes showed a flicker of struggle. "I… cannot," he said with effort, his jaw clenched. "The curse… will destroy me…"
"Who is he?" Akero pressed.
"I must not… reveal… his… identity…" Carlos said painfully. "If I do… the curse will tear me apart from within."
"Then give us something else," Kael said, straining. "Anything."
Carlos breathed heavily, fighting invisible chains and the curse. "T… the secrets… r… ruins…" he managed to gasp. "Ancient… in the East… Beneath… the sand… Record… his… records… there…"
That was all he could say. Akero felt the curse tighten, ready to fulfill its purpose. He saw the pain on Carlos's face.
Akero looked at Kael and Nea. Kael nodded slightly, his expression serious. Nea averted her gaze but did not protest. Carlos was too dangerous to be left alive. He was a victim, but also a deadly weapon.
"You will sleep now," Akero said to Carlos.
Together, Kael fired a final, concentrated blast of fire through the frozen barrier, and Akero directed a wave of temporal energy that shattered Carlos's essence. Carlos collapsed to the ground; his body turned to ash and dust, which the wind scattered.
Silence fell. The wind began to blow again.
Nea ran to Kael, who finally fell to his knees, utterly exhausted. She began healing his broken shoulder, though her own power was nearly depleted.
Akero approached his friend. "Thank you, Kael. You held him until I returned."
Kael looked up, pained, but with respect in his eyes. "It seems you've returned… different."
"I have," Akero said simply. He turned east, where the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. "There's a place. Beneath the sand. Where we must go."
He helped Kael to his feet, and Nea joined them, leaning on Akero's shoulder from exhaustion. They looked east, toward the uncertainty ahead.
"The ruins," Nea whispered.
"Answer," Akero said.
And so they set off—three wounded but undefeated companions—leaving their enemy's ashes behind and walking toward a new day and the secrets that awaited them beneath the sands of time.