Chapter 1 - The Shattered Cave (Part-II)
Pain slowly ebbed away, replaced by an eerie calm. A cool, tranquil atmosphere surrounded me. I forced my eyes open, only to shut them again as blinding light seared my vision. Taking a deep breath, I tried again—this time adjusting to the brightness.I was floating.An endless, empty plane stretched around me, bathed in an ethereal glow. Below me, what looked like clouds solidified the moment my feet touched them, forming a surface firm enough to stand on. The place felt… strange. Like a judgment ground where souls were weighed and fates were sealed.
Questions clawed at my mind.
Am I dead?
Where is this place?
Who was that monk… and how did he know my name?
I wandered for what felt like hours before something broke the monotony—a window embedded in the strange, luminous walls. A flicker of hope surged through me. After so much aimless wandering, anything—anything—that offered an explanation was worth investigating.I approached cautiously, and what I saw on the other side froze me in place.
It was me.
A four-year-old me, hand-in-hand with my parents at a carnival. My father laughed as he bought me a dessert, despite my mother’s exasperated scolding. We always watched a movie afterward. Life had been simple, happy. A faint smile tugged at my lips.Then, more windows appeared in the distance.I moved to the next one.It showed me proudly handing my SAT score sheet to my parents. My father—usually reserved—smiled and told me he was proud. We went out for a feast that night, and I had my first drink with him.Then, I reached the next window.
The moment I thought life couldn''t get any better… it shattered.My parents'' funeral.A cold, suffocating grief wrapped around my chest. I had barely been able to mourn before their lawyer called. Their assets—ones I had never cared for—had already been signed over to my uncle. The man who had always put on a kind face. The man who had manipulated them, deceived them.My hands curled into fists.
If only I had the power to change it…
But reality wasn’t so kind.With a heavy heart, I dragged myself to the next window—and what I saw defied logic.
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I stood on a battlefield, clad in armor, surrounded by corpses. Blood dripped from the sword in my hand. I leaped, striking down another warrior with practiced ease.My pulse thundered in my ears.This… this wasn’t my memory.
I had never wielded a sword. I wasn’t brave enough to charge into battle. No matter how many lifetimes passed, I would never become someone who fought and killed for another’s cause.I stumbled back, breath ragged.
The next window was worse.I saw my own body, lifeless on the battlefield—an arrow piercing straight between my eyes.
My stomach churned. Why am I seeing this? Is this my future?No. It couldn’t be. I would never take a life.Panic clawed at my throat as my mind flooded with questions. But before I could gather my thoughts, a sharp, searing pain erupted between my eyes—right where the arrow had struck in the vision. My knees buckled. My heart skipped a beat.More pain. My sides burned as if cut by unseen blades. I gasped, reaching for wounds that weren’t there. The agony only grew. My vision blurred. My body refused to move.I fought against the darkness creeping in.But in the end, I lost.I blacked out.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself inside a glass chamber. Glowing stones surrounded me, pulsing with a soft, yet powerful aura. Their energy seeped into my body, calming the lingering pain.
Beyond the glass, the monk from before stood watching me. A faint smile played on his lips.“It seems your journey has already begun,” he mused. “He told me you were the one, but I didn’t expect your growth to be this rapid.”I stared at him in confusion.
Who is ‘He’?
He gestured toward my forehead. “Look.”
I raised a shaky hand to my brow—and froze.A scar. Right where the arrow had struck in the vision.Shock rooted me in place. That battle… that death… it wasn’t just an illusion?Too many questions flooded my mind.
“Excuse me, sir,” I croaked. “Where am I? How do you know my name? And what was that place I was in before? Who is—”
“You need not concern yourself with that for now.” His voice was calm, unwavering. “All you need to know is that we are your benefactors. And your existence holds the key to the survival of this universe.”
I opened my mouth, but he raised a hand, silencing me.
“Do not act on your own,” he warned. “Without the Veil, you cannot handle them.”
And with that, he pressed his palms together. A mist swirled around him—and then, he was gone.I was left alone, drowning in unanswered questions.The Veil? Them? And why did he say I held the key to the universe’s future?Nothing made sense.But one thing was clear—whoever that monk was, he had saved my life.
I spent the next few days resting. The monk visited occasionally and explained me about my situation and whereabouts.Not a laboratory.A shrine.Not on Earth.But I was on an entirely different planet—Veyndral.My body had been rejecting this world, nearly killing me in the process. But the energy from those glowing stones had stabilized me, making me… like them.
Days passed. My body recovered. And then—A knock at my door.
“Master has summoned you.”
I nodded, following the disciple toward the training grounds.The monk stood there, waiting, his gaze unreadable.
“You’re healed now,” he said. “It’s time you start taking your responsibility seriously. We don’t have much time. And they won’t wait for you to be ready.”
I inhaled deeply.A wooden sword lay before me.I picked it up, gripping the hilt tightly, and took my stance.