Kael followed Seris and Deyric through the narrowing forest trail, the trees now ancient and twisted, roots like veins pulsing under the mossy ground. It felt as though the forest itself was alive, watching their every step.
"Where are we going?" Kael asked, scanning the strange symbols carved into the trunks around them.
"To the Memoryroot," Seris replied without turning back. "It's time you saw what the mark has buried inside you."
Kael frowned. "Inside me?"
Deyric glanced at him. "Your memory was sealed the moment you were marked. The Root might help unlock it… or drive you mad. No promises."
Encouraging.
They finally stopped at a massive tree unlike the others. Its bark shimmered faintly in hues of gold and violet. Its roots formed a circle—like a nest or altar.
"This is it," Seris said softly. "Place your hand on the core knot."
Kael stepped forward, hesitant. As his hand touched the bark, a pulse ran through his arm. The world blurred—then shattered.
---
He stood in darkness.
Shapes swirled. Whispers echoed.
Then, a vision.
He saw himself—no older than ten—surrounded by robed figures. One pressed a glowing brand into his chest. He screamed. The light wrapped around his veins like chains. They spoke a name he couldn't hear, a name that burned when spoken.
The scene shifted.
A battlefield. Fire. Cries. Blades.
Kael stood atop corpses, older now. Empty-eyed. Alone. His hands dripped with blood—not all of it his own.
And in the distance… a figure with silver eyes. Smiling.
---
Kael gasped and stumbled back from the tree, landing hard on the ground.
His breath came in ragged bursts. His mark pulsed like it was alive.
"What… what was that?" he whispered.
"Fragments," Seris said, kneeling beside him. "The Root doesn't give full answers. Only pieces."
Kael looked at her, then Deyric, both silent.
"I saw myself... destroying everything."
Deyric crossed his arms. "Future? Past? Or something that hasn't happened yet?"
Kael shook his head. "I don't know. But the silver-eyed figure… they smiled like they knew me."
Seris's eyes darkened. "Then we need to move. If you saw him, it means he's already watching."
"Who is he?"
They exchanged a glance. Deyric spoke first.
"A ghost who never existed. A villain no one remembers. The world forgot him… but the Thread didn't."
Kael felt a cold chill settle over his spine.
"What's his name?"
Seris answered quietly.
"Ezerus."
And the forest suddenly felt much darker than before.