The night draped its velvet cloak over the village, and the stars shimmered like scattered diamonds in the ink-black sky.
Kailin sat by the window, eyes fixed on the distant horizon, recalling his grandfather's words:
– "I will teach you that skill tomorrow."
His heart thumped in his chest, a mix of exhaustion and restless excitement.
A whisper inside him told him this day would not be like any other.
Outside, the grandfather sat on his worn wooden chair, fingers entwined with his prayer beads.
A faint cough rattled his chest, quickly stifled, as if afraid Kailin would hear.
He raised his gaze to the sky, letting the cold air brush against his weathered face, and lay back slowly, seeking a fragment of peace.
A chill breeze stirred the trees, rustling their leaves like whispers in the dark.
A distant wolf howled, slicing through the silence of the night.
The grandfather sensed a shadow slipping through the forest's edge… yet he ignored it.
Meanwhile, Kailin lay on his wooden bed, staring at the ceiling.
His fingers found his wooden sword, cold and familiar against his palm, and he hugged it close to his chest.
A trembling smile appeared on his lips as he whispered:
– "Tomorrow… I'll prove to you that I'm ready."
The night lingered long, a thin veil between dreams and wakefulness, broken by the faint sounds of his grandfather's cough and the forest's cryptic murmurs.
Morning arrived with the song of the first bird, delicate and piercing.
---
"We're here," Kailin said, voice tinged with excitement, standing beside the tree where the wooden log was suspended.
The grandfather approached, fingertips brushing the rough bark. A faint smile touched his lips, full of nostalgia and melancholy:
– "Did you hang this here? …It must have been exhausting."
Kailin chuckled lightly:
– "Not really… The important thing is that we're away from prying eyes. Now you can teach me freely."
The grandfather's eyes glimmered with mischief, a soft tease hiding behind the lines of his face:
– "Teach you what, boy?"
Kailin frowned, bowing his head, forcing a mock sternness:
– "This is no time for jokes, Grandfather."
He took a measured step closer, then sat heavily against the tree trunk.
His hand trembled as it pressed against the cool grass, beckoning Kailin:
– "Come… sit here."
Kailin obeyed, his black eyes glowing with anticipation and curiosity.
The grandfather exhaled slowly, a burdened sigh that seemed to carry the weight of decades.
A violent cough shattered the fragile silence. He wiped his mouth with a trembling hand.
Leaning forward, his voice hoarse and fragile, he whispered:
– "Listen, Kailin… I'm about to tell you something of utmost importance.
But… I want you to become the dusk, not just Kailin."
Kailin shivered. He had never heard his grandfather say his family name with such gravity.
He leaned in, heart hammering, every nerve alert.
The grandfather lifted his eyes to the sky, voice measured and deliberate:
– "The skill you saw me use… it is not just a movement. It is a power called Reinforcement."
Kailin's lips parted into a spontaneous smile, his eyes glittering:
– "Reinforcement!"
The grandfather's tone snapped, harsh yet trembling:
– "But, Kailin… you cannot use it."
Time seemed to pause. Kailin's smile vanished, swallowed by the shadow of impossibility.
His voice, barely more than a whisper, quivered:
– "No… I can't?"
The grandfather bowed his head, then shouted suddenly, as if trying to outrun his own anguish:
– "Yes! You cannot!
But not because you are lacking or broken… It is not within your control, Kailin! Do you understand?"
Kailin trembled, his body rigid, while the grandfather's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, as if he were trying to hide a lifetime of pain behind the distant sky.
– "Every human inherits a trace from their parents… The trace is their power.
Your mother has a trace, but your father… he was born without one. That is why, Kailin… you will never be able to."
The words lodged in Kailin's throat.
Tears welled in his eyes, then slid down his cheeks, like rain streaking a glass window in the storm.
The grandfather reached out a trembling hand, placing it gently on Kailin's shoulder:
– "Please, my son… never despise your mother or father. If it were within their power… they would carry the entire world for you."
Kailin lifted his head, eyes reddened, voice breaking:
– "Then why? Why promise me? Why say I would be like them? Was it all just lies?!"
From his pocket, the grandfather pulled a red cloth and wiped Kailin's tears with care, his voice choked:
– "Your mother… she was not herself. She was in pain. And you, Kailin… you were her greatest and most beautiful pain all at once."
Suddenly, a harsh cough seized him.
His body bent forward, chest heaving violently, trembling uncontrollably.
Kailin froze, eyes wide with fear, whispering:
– "I… I can't… I can't watch him like this."
He paused, feeling the emptiness of the world pressing around him.
Then, he ran. Every fiber of his being pushed him forward, fleeing from the agony, as if the night itself were chasing him.
Thoughts tumbled through his mind with each pounding step:
"I'm running again… but where to?"
Finally, his legs gave way. He panted heavily, sweat mingling with tears.
Raising his eyes, he saw unfamiliar faces staring, concern etched across them.
One passerby asked:
– "Are you alright?"
Kailin said nothing, turning away and dragging his feet slowly, putting distance between himself and the world.
Between ragged breaths, he whispered:
– "I have to go back… to him, to the truth… no matter how much it hurts."