Chapter 5: Masks of the Past
Ryn tore through the forest like an arrow loosed from a bow.
He wasn't just running with his body; he was fleeing from Leora's piercing gaze and the truth that had begun to unravel before his eyes. The trees behind him seemed like specters giving chase, and his heart hammered against his ribs so violently it felt as though it might shatter. He felt no fatigue; it was as if the new power surging through his veins had gifted his legs a strange, supernatural energy.
He reached the outskirts of the village. The lights were dim in most houses, except for his own. He burst through the door, gasping for air, sweat mingling with the dirt that coated his face.
"Ryn! Oh gods, where have you been?"
His father, Thomas, stood in the center of the room clutching an oil lamp, while his mother, Ellen, rose from her chair, her hand pressed against her chest in terror. The worry in their eyes was unmistakable, but Ryn no longer saw things as he had only hours before.
"What happened to your clothes? And why—?"
Ellen's voice died in her throat. Thomas's hand trembled, and the oil lamp slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a muffled thud. Their eyes were locked onto his. That deep, abyssal black eye with the violet light shimmering at its center.
[Status: Darkness Eye (Awakened)]
"Sit down," Ryn said, his voice terrifyingly calm—a voice that sounded nothing like the boy they had known for seventeen years. "We need to talk."
The couple sat slowly, the silence in the room becoming so heavy it was suffocating. Ryn began to recount everything: the call of the forest, the Black Mirror, the visions that had scorched his mind, and Leora's sudden appearance. He spoke while his eyes monitored their every move—every twitch of an eyelid, every tremor of a hand.
When he finished, a long silence reigned. Ryn looked at Thomas's calloused hand, shaking atop the wooden table.
"Leora said her father has been watching me. She said I am a prophecy."
Ryn leaned forward, fixing his darkened gaze on his father. "Tell me now... did you know? Was the mark that burns my shoulder every night a secret to you as well? Were you raising a son... or were you guarding a monster?"
Ellen and Thomas exchanged a swift look filled with pain and unspoken admission. Thomas took a deep breath, as if a mountain of burdens had suddenly been placed upon his shoulders.
"My boy," Thomas began, his voice cracking, "we never wanted this moment to come. You were placed in our hands on the night of the Great Eclipse, and the mark was already etched into your skin. We were told that your survival depended on staying hidden from the world's eyes. We weren't guarding a monster, Ryn... we were trying to protect what was left of your humanity."
Ryn's expression remained frozen, but inside, something final broke.
"Who placed me in your hands? And where did I truly come from؟