Dawn came quietly.
Too quietly.
The sky should have been bright, golden, warm.But instead, the sunlight looked weak—as if it was afraid to touch the earth.
Kael woke first.He blinked at the pale morning light and sat up slowly, listening.
The world had a strange new sound today.
A soft ringing.
Like a bell far away.Like metal humming under the soil.Like the sky whispering through stone.
Lira stirred beside him, rubbing her eyes.She frowned.
"Do you hear that sound?"
Kael nodded. "It started before sunrise."
Lira sat up, brushing leaves from her hair.
"What do you think it is?"
Kael looked toward the north, where the horizon bent slightly in a misty curve.
"I think," he said quietly, "that the sky is warning us again."
Lira hugged her knees. "Why does everything that warns us sound beautiful?"
Kael gave a tired smile."Because danger likes to pretend it's safe."
The Two-Blink Star
They packed their camp quickly and continued along the scorched path of starlike ash. The air grew colder the closer they walked, even though the morning sun had fully risen.
Kael kept glancing upward.
That star.The one that blinked twice last night.
He searched for it.He found it immediately.
It was still there.Still glowing.
And when he looked directly at it—
blink.
Kael stopped walking.
Lira noticed. "What is it?"
Kael pointed.
Lira looked up.
Nothing happened.
"It's just a star," she said.
Kael shook his head.
"No. Watch closely."
They waited.
blink.
Lira gasped softly."That wasn't just a flicker."
Kael whispered, "Stars don't blink like that. Not in patterns."
Lira stepped closer to him. "What does it mean?"
Kael felt a cold knot tighten in his chest.
"It means someone—or something—is using that star like an eye."
Lira put a hand to her mouth.
"Do you think it sees us?"
Kael answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Echoes in the Wind
Hours passed as they continued walking. The land slowly changed around them.
Grass grew thin.Soil turned dry.The air felt heavier, as if a giant hand pressed down on it.
But what worried Kael the most were the echoes.
They returned.
Random sounds from faraway places.
A child laughing.A door slamming.Wings flapping.A deep breath.A whisper crying.
None of these sounds belonged to the empty plains around them.
Lira stopped, hugging herself. "Kael… I don't like this."
Kael scanned the horizon, hand near his weapon.
"These aren't echoes from this place," he said."They're echoes from… somewhere else."
"Another land?" Lira asked.
Kael shook his head.
"No. Another time."
Lira's eyes widened in fear.
"Kael… is the world mixing its memories?"
He nodded.
"That's what scares me."
The Star Falls
Late afternoon, the sky suddenly dimmed—even though the sun still shone.
Kael looked up sharply.
The two-blink star was flickering again.Fast.Unsteady.Frightened.
Lira grabbed his sleeve. "Kael… it's blinking too much—"
Before she could finish—
The star fell.
It shot downward in a streak of brilliant white light, tearing through the blue sky like a burning sword. The sound was deafening, like mountains splitting open.
Lira screamed, covering her ears.
Kael shielded her, pulling her close, watching the impossible event unfold.
The star struck the earth far ahead of them, sending a huge flash across the horizon. A wave of cold wind blasted toward them, knocking dust and leaves into the air.
Then everything went silent again.
Completely silent.
Not even their breathing seemed loud enough.
Lira's voice trembled. "A star… fell. Does that mean the sky is breaking?"
Kael stared in the direction of the fallen light.
"No," he whispered."It means something broke it."
The Crater of Light
They walked toward the place where the star had landed. Each step felt heavier than the last.
The ground grew warm under their feet.The air shimmered with silver particles.Their shadows twisted strangely, bending at odd angles.
Lira touched her forehead. "Kael… the air feels wrong."
Kael agreed.It felt like breathing light instead of air.
When they reached the crater, they both stopped.
The hole in the earth was perfectly round.Smooth.Almost too smooth to be natural.
At the center of the crater was a glowing sphere—not a rock, not a star, but something alive.
It pulsed like a beating heart.
Kael took a cautious step forward.
"Lira… it's not a star."
Lira whispered, "Then what is it?"
Kael knelt carefully.
Inside the sphere, shapes moved—like shadows swimming in liquid light.
A hand.A face.A pair of eyes.A broken crown.Wings of light and dust.
Kael felt a chill run down his spine.
"It's a memory," he whispered."A memory that fell from the sky."
Lira covered her mouth."Whose memory?"
Kael didn't answer.But he understood one thing:
This memory did not belong to humans.Or wizards.Or spirits.Or any creature of the earth.
It belonged to something older.Something that lived before kingdoms.Before magic.Before time shaped itself.
Lira touched his shoulder.
"Kael… should we leave it here?"
Kael spoke softly.
"No.It came to us for a reason."
He reached out slowly—
But before he could touch the glowing sphere, the sky spoke.
Not with thunder.Not with wind.
With a voice.
"Remember me."
Lira screamed.Kael staggered back.
The sphere cracked—silver light bleeding through the surface.
Kael pulled Lira behind a rock.
The sphere burst.Silent.Bright.Terrifying.
And when the light faded—something stood in the center of the crater.
A figure made of half-light, half-shadow.Tall.Silent.Staring at them.
Kael whispered:
"The star didn't fall.It arrived."
And everything changed.