Kael was completely unable to fight.
The person standing in front of him remained standing with his arms open, as if he were about to give him a strong hug after reuniting with someone very close to him.
But Kael had not the slightest idea who he was.
He did not know his name.
He did not know what he was.
And much less did he understand why that person seemed to know him so well.
Kael tried to move one of his hands.
He could not.
He tried to move a leg.
It did not respond either.
His body simply did not obey him.
—What...?
The stranger observed that reaction for a few seconds.
Then he slowly lowered his arms.
His expression changed slightly, as if he had just confirmed something he already suspected.
—I see.
He let out a small sigh.
—You don't know who I am.
Kael stared at him.
—And I also imagine you don't know what's happening or why your body isn't responding to you.
The man smiled slightly.
—Don't worry. I'll tell you. I'll answer every question you have. In the end, it's just the two of us, trapped in this place.
Kael frowned.
—Trapped?
He looked around.
The forest remained exactly the same.
The branches were not moving.
The wind seemed to have disappeared.
Even the dust that had been raised by the impact of the lightning remained suspended in the air.
It took Kael a few seconds to realize it.
—Wait...
He looked behind him.
The adventurers who had come out of the cave remained completely motionless.
One of them had one foot slightly raised.
Another kept his mouth open, probably about to say something.
Even a small stone that had fallen from the entrance of the cave seemed to have stopped in the air.
Kael opened his eyes in disbelief.
—What's happening?
He tried to move again.
Nothing.
—Why isn't absolutely anything around us moving?
His breathing began to accelerate.
—Tell me what you did!
The man calmly looked at him.
—What did I do?
He shrugged.
—Nothing.
Kael clenched his teeth.
—Then explain to me what's happening!
The man let out a small laugh.
—Come on, Kael. You know that this ability is very silly for you...
He stopped.
His smile disappeared for an instant.
—Ah...
He seemed to have remembered something.
—But it's true.
He looked at Kael again.
—I'm not talking to Kael.
The silence became heavier.
—I only see an empty shell in front of me.
Kael felt a shiver.
—What...?
—A lifeless body.
The man took a step toward him.
—Because right now, the one standing in front of me isn't Kael.
His eyes locked onto his.
—He's just a doll.
Kael felt a sharp pain in his chest.
—What are you saying?
His voice began to tremble.
—A doll? What the hell are you talking about?
He tried to move forward.
Nothing.
He tried to raise his arm.
Nothing.
—I... I am Kael.
The man remained silent for a few seconds.
Then his expression relaxed again.
—Of course.
He slightly raised his hands.
—Sorry. Of course you are Kael.
That answer did not reassure the young man.
On the contrary, it only increased his confusion.
—But...
The man tilted his head slightly.
—You know? I want to check something.
Kael did not answer.
The stranger slowly brought one of his hands behind his back.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then he pulled it out.
Between his fingers he held a small stuffed doll.
It was a white rabbit.
It did not seem to have anything special.
It was small, soft, and quite simple.
Kael looked at it in confusion.
—A rabbit?
—Yes.
The man held the small stuffed animal in front of him.
—A small and harmless rabbit.
Kael frowned.
—What does that have to do with me?
—A lot.
The man smiled.
—To clear up a small doubt, I want to ask you a single question.
He moved a little closer.
—A rather silly question.
Kael remained silent.
The man raised the white rabbit.
—Tell me, Kael...
The smile disappeared from his face.
—What are your mom and dad's names?
Kael felt something inside his head break.
It was not pain.
Not exactly.
It was as if an enormous glass wall, one that had remained intact throughout his entire life, had just been struck.
A crack appeared.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, that wall seemed to have shattered into thousands of pieces.
Kael's eyes, which until a few moments ago had been full of life, completely lost their brightness.
His expression became empty.
The man continued watching him.
—Tell me their names.
Kael slowly opened his mouth.
—My dad and my mom are called...
Silence.
He could not continue.
The man then took out a small pocket watch.
He opened it calmly.
Tick... tock...
The sound seemed too loud within that absolute silence.
—Tell me their names.
Tick... tock...
Kael tried to remember.
His head was completely empty.
No name appeared.
No face.
No memory.
Nothing.
—My...
His voice faded.
The man waited.
—No...
Kael slightly lowered his head.
—I don't know.
Those four words seemed to be exactly the answer the man expected.
He showed neither surprise.
Nor disappointment.
He simply slowly closed the watch.
Then he put one hand behind his back.
This time he took out another small stuffed animal.
It was also a rabbit.
But, unlike the first one, this one was completely black.
The man lowered both hands.
Then he crouched down.
Carefully, he placed the two small stuffed animals on the ground.
The white rabbit was placed next to the black rabbit.
Kael watched the scene without understanding.
The man pointed at the first one.
—Look at these two little friends.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
—This friend of mine is called Nive.
He pointed at the small white rabbit.
Then he pointed at the black one.
—And this other one is called Manchas.
Kael did not answer.
The man continued speaking.
—You know?
He sat on the ground in front of the two stuffed animals.
—White woke up first.
Kael slightly raised his gaze.
—His best friend asked him for a favor a very long time ago.
The man gently stroked the head of the small white rabbit.
—It was a very important favor.
His voice became quieter.
—He asked him to take care of something.
Kael remained completely still.
—And White agreed.
The man looked at the stuffed animal.
—For a long time, he kept that promise.
He paused for a moment.
—But something very sad happened to White.
His fingers stopped moving.
—Something that made it so he could no longer continue keeping the promise he had made to his friend.
The man lowered his gaze.
—But his brother said that he would also help.
Then he lightly touched the black stuffed animal.
—And Manchas joined.
Kael looked at the small black rabbit.
—Manchas knew absolutely nothing.
A small smile appeared on the man's face.
—He only knew how to fight.
The smile slowly disappeared.
—But he had a kind heart.
He stroked one of the small stuffed animal's ears.
—A very kind heart.
Silence once again took over the place.
—And so...
The man looked at Kael again.
—Manchas will also die today.
Kael felt something stirring inside him.
He did not know why.
He did not understand those words.
But they gave him a strange feeling.
As if, somewhere in his mind, he already knew that story.
—Because he knows that his job as a caretaker has come to an end.
The man took the small black rabbit in his hands.
—The body they swore to protect no longer needs them to take care of it.
Kael remained staring at the stuffed animal.
—Because the true owner must do something they cannot do.
The man placed the stuffed animal back on the ground.
—After all...
He looked directly at Kael.
—They are only the fruit of that something.
Kael felt a strong emptiness in his chest.
His lips slowly moved.
—And that stuffed animal...
His voice came out almost as a whisper.
—Is it me?
The man did not answer immediately.
For a few seconds, he simply looked at Kael.
Finally, he smiled.
—That's right.
He slowly stood up.
—Little one.
Kael felt his legs trembling.
—You are Manchas.
The man began walking toward him.
One.
Two.
Three steps.
He stopped right in front of Kael.
—It's time to rest, Manchas.
He raised one of his hands.
—Your time is over.
Kael tried to step backward.
He could not.
The man slowly brought his thumb toward Kael's forehead.
—You did everything Kael needed.
The young man felt his eyelids beginning to grow heavy.
—What...?
His voice became weak.
The man looked directly into his eyes.
And then he spoke those words with terrifying calmness.
—Kael...
He paused for a moment.
—I have kept the promise.
His thumb touched his forehead.
—It's time to wake up.
At that moment, Kael's consciousness began to disappear.
His body completely lost its strength.
His legs stopped supporting him.
And he fell to the ground.
Completely unconscious.
However, there was something the man had not noticed.
On one of Kael's hands was a small silver-colored ring.
Elyndra.
From the moment Kael had begun running toward the exit of the cave, she had silently clung to his body without him realizing it.
And she had heard the entire conversation.
Every word.
Every explanation.
Every secret.
But she remained silent.
The man looked at Kael's unconscious body.
—Now I don't owe you anything anymore.
His gaze turned toward the dark sky.
—Everything is in your hands, Kael.
He remained still for a few seconds.
—If you are able to recover all your memories, you will know how to finish the story.
A smile appeared on his face again.
—And if not...
He looked again toward Kael's body.
—You already know how it will end.
The man raised a hand.
—After all...
A strange energy began to surround Kael's body.
—This was your idea.
The air began to vibrate.
—Teleportation.
An intense yellow light appeared around Kael's unconscious body.
The light became brighter and brighter.
So bright that for a few seconds it was impossible to distinguish even his silhouette.
—North.
The light increased even more.
—Human Kingdom.
In an instant...
Kael's body disappeared.
There was absolutely nothing left.
Not even a footprint.
The man remained completely still.
In front of him, only the two small stuffed animals remained.
Nive.
And Manchas.
He took them in his hands.
But something had changed.
Both were completely damaged.
Their bodies were worn out.
Their fur had lost its softness.
Some parts were torn and others seemed to have been destroyed by the passage of time.
They could no longer be repaired.
The man observed both stuffed animals for a few seconds.
Finally, he lowered his gaze.
Those two little friends had fulfilled their purpose.
And now there was only one thing left to do: accept that their time had come to an end.