Kael sat by the dead campfire, his scarred chest rising slowly as he meditated, a habit drilled into him by Valerius.
Anya woke first, brushing wet dew off her black robe as she sat up. Her blue eyes landed on Kael, the name they'd picked for 2749 yesterday, since "weirdo" or a number felt off after everything, and he couldn't recall his past anyway. It fit him, sharp and quiet like a blade.
He sat cross legged by the ashes, hands resting on his knees, stiff like he was meditating, a pose from their knight training days to build focus and channel Aether right. His chest rose slowly under a rough tunic of big, dark green leaves, tied with vines they'd pulled from ferns last night. It wasn't much, but it covered him up good enough.
"Hey, Kael," Anya said, her voice low but clear, shaking grass off her robe. "You stayed up all night meditating?"
Kael's eyes opened and he nodded at her.
Anya's voice stirred Elara, who groaned and rolled over, her pink eyes half open. "Why so early?" she muttered, clutching her oversized robe. Borin jerked awake nearby, his claw twitching as he growled, "What's up?" His gaze darted between Anya and Kael, who hadn't moved from his spot by the ashes. A chill hung in the air, the forest too quiet, and Anya frowned. "Kael, you were on the first watch, why didn't you wake anyone?"
Last night, they'd set a watch, each one waking the next when they got sleepy. Kael got first turn, but here he was, still awake while they'd snoozed.
"Kael," Anya said, curious now, "Didn't you get tired? Why didn't you wake someone if you felt tired or wanted to sleep?"
He tilted his head a bit. "You said to wake someone if I felt tired or wanted to sleep. I didn't feel tired, and I didn't want to either," he said, his voice flat like a dead wind.
Elara sat up, brushing grass off her robe. "Geez, Kael, you didn't sleep at all?" she said, staring at him. Then she grinned. "Not even hungry or thirsty, huh? Last night you kept saying you weren't hungry, but when I made you eat that rabbit, you went nuts, nearly ate it all! I had to yell 'stop' before you swallowed the bones!"
Borin chuckled, sitting up, his scaly arm flexing. "Guy's gotta be a higher knight than us. That's why he's not worn out. What's after squire, anyone know?" They all shifted, sitting loose around the dead fire.
Elara perked up, her pink eyes glinting. "Knight ranks go Trainee, Squire, Blade, Vanguard, I heard each has sub levels too."
Borin nodded, eyeing Kael with a smirk, his green claws wiggling. "He's gotta be Blade. That dark energy when he smashed those bars in the lab? No squire does that."
Anya frowned, her voice low. "Blade takes decades, though, unless the alchemist did something to him we don't understand."
Borin scratched his chin. "Yeah, but he was there way longer, maybe he got bought at a really young age. More drugs, more tests, look at my arm, turned freaky in just a few years. He's probably been pumped full of stuff for ages. Could've hit Blade easily."
Elara hopped up, shaking out her oversized robe with a quick flick. "Enough talk, let's get moving! I wanna get home fast, my folks must be crying their eyes out by now." Her pink eyes softened for a moment, a flicker of longing shining through.
Anya stood up, brushing the damp grass off her black robe with both hands. "Alright, everyone up you go. We'll stick to the plan we made, find a village or city, grab a map, and figure out where our homes are. Then we decide, split up or stay together, whatever works."
Elara grinned wide, stepping close to Kael with a bounce in her step. "And Kael's coming with me, he can stay in my house till he remembers his past," she said, her voice bright as a bell.
Everyone nodded, knowing now that Elara's father was a merchant who traveled to nearby cities. He could help find Kael's home a lot faster with his connections and know how.
They rose slowly, shaking out their damp robes to shed the morning dew. Elara snagged Kael's arm, yanking him up fast. "Let's go home, Kael!" she said, all chipper, shoving him a bit to get moving. She was buzzing, like a kid who couldn't wait.
Kael stood, his leaf and vine tunic rustling as Elara tugged him forward, her voice bright. A faint memory flickered in his mind, sunlight filtering through a towering oak, a child's laughter echoing, and a woman's voice calling a name he couldn't grasp. The image faded as quickly as it came, leaving a hollow ache in his chest. He shook it off, his steps heavy but steady as Elara led the way.
"After hours of stomping through the thick forest with no idea where they were headed, the group trudged along, totally wiped, leaves and twigs snapping under their boots as the wind howled above. The bright morning sun had vanished, leaving just a dim afternoon, with shadows stretching everywhere between the massive trees."
Borin stopped short, jabbing his scaly arm forward. "Look!" he snapped, his voice cutting through the quiet. "What's that?" Up ahead, a dark, jagged hole hung there, like the air got torn apart.
The Vile Gate hung in the air like a jagged tear, pitch black and frameless, big enough for two to step through side by side. The ground around it was dark and dead, as if the life had been drained from the trees and grass. A faint hum emanated from the gate, almost like a whisper, too soft to make out.
Borin squinted, scratching his head. "What's it even? No edge, no nothing, like the air's busted."
Elara froze, her pink eyes going wide as she grabbed Kael's hand tight. "We should turn back," she said, voice low and shaky.
Anya and Borin looked at her, eyebrows up.
Elara gulped, her voice trembling. "That's a Vile Gate, my father warned me about them. They appear without warning, and monsters slip out, hunting souls to stay strong. If the gate closes, they're trapped here, go crazy until they slowly fade away." She hesitated, her pink eyes wide. "But I don't know what's on the other side…
Borin crossed his arms, "I don't see any monsters around, though. Should we take a peek? Like, what could be inside?"
Elara glared at him, her eyes sharp. "What if it closes and a Vile creature's nearby? We'd be dead in a snap."
Anya frowned, staring at the crack with a tight jaw, but before she could open her mouth, Kael shifted. His scarred hand slid out of Elara's grip, his body locking up stiff. Something tugged at him, not his own thought, but a voice hissing in his head, Go in, go in. His black eye flickered, the violet one thumping like a trapped heart, and then he bolted, as fast as lightning, kicking up leaves like a wild storm.
"Kael!" Elara yelled, stumbling after him, panic in her voice. "Where are you going? It's dangerous, get back here!"
Borin and Anya tensed up quickly. "Kael, stop!" Anya shouted, but he didn't hear. Everything blurred around him, only one thought hammering in his skull, Get in there, now! His legs moved fast, dark energy crackling around him like a live wire. With a loud BOOM, he dove straight into the Vile Gate and vanished in a flash.