"Some mysteries never vanish. They simply wait… to be rediscovered in the wrong moment."
[InPrevious Chapter...
Far away — on a moonlit rooftop —
A woman stood still, her cloak dancing in the wind.
Eyes locked on the ruins in the distance. Her voice cold as night:
"The ghost in his veins…"
"...is about to awaken." Lightning cracked across the sky behind her. ]
Now…
Back to old temple :
Rai stumbled back through the narrow streets, barely aware of his steps. He didn't know where else to go. His mind still clung to what he saw last — The cat, standing calmly… glowing golden eyes… Before it vanished without a sound. Just like her. Rai pushed open the creaking wooden doors of the old ruined temple — The same place he had slept the night before, with the stray cat curled beside him like a strange dream. Now the dream was gone. And only the silence remained.
Rai lay down on the broken stone floor, the cold biting his back.
He stared up at the shattered ceiling.
> "What's happening to me…?"
"First… that woman vanishes. Now this cat. Glowing eyes. Just disappears."
He raised his arm slowly — staring at his wrist once again. The scratch was gone. But his skin felt warm. Almost alive.
> "I saw blood. I felt the sting. And now it's just… healed?"
He sat up, running a hand through his messy hair.
> "What kind of world is this…?"
His thoughts spun too fast to grab.
"That woman said... something inside me is going to awaken…"
He stared at his hands, thinking...
> "Inside me?"
And then —
His stomach growled. Loud. Sharp.
He groaned...
The hunger snapped him back to reality.
> "Right… I didn't eat anything last night."
He remembered — the last piece of bread he had? He'd given it to that cat.
> "Great. I starve, the cat vanishes. Just my luck."
He stood up. And then his eyes caught the old gray cloak near the altar. It was Worn, but enough to hide him. He wrapped it over himself and pulled the hood low to cover his face.
> "Guess thinking not get me anything... I should find some work. Or something to eat."
He stood. Hungry. But something inside him deeper than pain kept him moving.
Out into the district of Solhara once again.
Solhara District - Come to Slum tavern:
He walked down the cracked streets of Solhara outskirts. The district was alive, but bitter. Vendors shouted. Beggars brawled. The Smell of cheap stew clung to the air.
[ Note — for Readers :
Solhara District — one of the zones under the kingdom of Cindralith. It wasn't ruled by a king. Each district had its own Governor, handpicked to serve under the true monarch(Ruler of Cindralith) in the nation.
In Solhara, the balance of power trickled downward — from the District Minister, to the noble houses, to the merchant guilds,
and finally to the ones who were barely seen at all — the commoners.
Solhara was divided like a body:
At the center: The Minister's Circle, where there are ministers, district governor, or city lord. Here where the decisions were made.
Around it: The Nobles and Guild Quarters — home to the rich, the elites, and the Adventurer Halls.
On the edge: The Outskirts, where broken homes, lazy people, beggars, old temples, and unknown people lived in silence know as Commoners. ]
Now...
Rai was full of hunger. But nobody helped him. He went shop after shop. Door after door. But no one gave him work. Or even food. As he walks. He saw a small tavern named as come to slum. He went inside tavern where people of slums comes to drink and eat. The aroma of sizzling meat struck him harder than the cold. He asks for work. But there also he gets rejected by telling:
> "This is not a place for the kids... Get lost."
As Rai turned around with disappointment.
He bumped into a tall, fat, drunk man, swaying on his feet.
Rai says:
> "S--sorry!! Sorry!! It's not intentional..."
Drunk man hits Rai in the face. But Rai stood still with his nosebleed.
> "Watch where you walk brat... Who the hell do you think you are, brat? I oughta break your face!"
Saying this he pushes Rai to the ground. Then his cloak which he wrapped around him falls down. The moment the cloak falls down the people who saw Rai with guards when he gets captured whispered...
> "Hey... Isn't that kid who was prisoned? That's him, right?"
> "Vermillion brat. Thought he robbed them."
> "He's the worst kind of theif. Raised by nobles and had everything handed to him and still chose crime?"
> "His life is nothing... But a trash... Why did he even alive..." They all mock and laugh at him.
Rai clenched his teeth by listening to their whispers... Then a person entered. He didn't looked like he belonged in the slums. Covered in light armour, red hair glowing under the tavern light. He walked in like a storm wrapped in calm.
He said to everyone :
> "Shut up!!"
The people became silent. It was peaceful with no noise.
Hearing this the drunk man who hit Rai and pushed him came like:
> "Hey... Who do you think you are... Wearing armour and everything... This is my area you dumbhead. Don't get involved." he mocks him.
Then the red haired man says:
> "You people don't get to decide someone's fates when you know nothing about their story."
The drunk man:
"Don't tell me what to do..."
He swung his hand — but before it even reached halfway, the red haired man moved.
One clean strike. The drunkard collapsed with a dull thud. A hush fell over the tavern. Even the creaking chairs went silent. Someone near the back whispered:
> "He… h-he hit him with one move."
Another voice, quieter:
> "Wait… look—his neck… that tattoo… isn't he—?"
Someone else:
> "No way... That mark... on his shoulder armor... I've heared rumours about that before… No one knows his name, but he is known as the Crimson Ghost. I heard rumours… his status is above nobles."
The whispers began to spread like smoke.
> "Could it be… him? The Crimson Ghost?"
> "No—he disappeared years ago."
Then the red haired man takes the Rai's cloak which is one the ground and he turns to Rai:
> "Here... isn't it yours?
Rai, his eyes filled with tears and surprise, he reached for the cloak... But his hand froze. Images flooded his mind – the women, the cat, the nobles. Everyone who smiled, then they used him.
Rai ran away without taking the cloak from him. Red haired man tries to call and whispers:
> "Oyy-! Huh? He ran?...Am I really that scary? Damn. He forgot his cloak too..." He acted little dumb way. But he felt something strange in Rai.
Rai ran, wiping his nose. The blood was dry, but the sting? Still fresh. And he went to small area of the outskirts. And Rai whispered inside in frustration and anger:
> "What the fuck do they even know about nobles... Don't mock me when you people don't know anything."
But he remained silent because it became a habit for him.
While walking Rai saw two people talking to each other. They were in little better clothes like gear, swords and equipments same like the person who he saw from tavern but they were not shiny like him...
Person 1 :
> "Killed a razorfang in the woods! Thirty silvers!"
"You serious? That's near Veilgrove!"
"They say no one comes back from there!"
"Unless you're an Adventurer."
Person 2 :
> "Yes... You are right... And also another team taken down a razorfang too in Drayvale."
"That squad from the east? Lucky bastards."
"Got twenty silvers for it. The noble even gave them a bloodgem."
Person 1 :
> "Tch. Adventurers get all the glory these days."
Person 2 : (laughs)
> "That's the damn chain, isn't it? Us poor people from slums crawl for copper, while commoners have names, Nobles have power... And adventurers? They get both if they survive long enough."
Person 1 :
> "That's true... And above even the adventurers..."
He lowers his voice.
"... The Hunters. I heard that they don't take coin. They take contracts from the royals who are greater than nobles."
Person 2 :
> " Yeah... I too heard about the rumour and also I heard that if the Hunters tracking you... You're already dead."
They both got silent. Then they laughed and says —
> "Heh. Not that any of us are getting past Rank Iron."
[ Note–FortheReaderOnly :
The World's Ladder of Power
(Known Ranks)
Commoners – Workers, farmers, civilians. Base of society.
NamedFamilies – Merchants, artisans, scholars — above average but still far from power.
Nobles – Wealthy and influential bloodlines. Control land, politics, and soldiers.
Lords – Ministers, City lords, land lords and district governors where they rule the zones of nations.
Adventurers – Freelancers. Dangerous tasks, monster hunts, ancient ruins. Recognized by guilds.
Hunters – Rare, elite. Bound by only some people. Only answer to Royal Crowns or higher.
Royals – They are the bloodlines....
"But deeper in the shadows of the world…
There are more. Whispers of ranks not spoken. Orders not seen.
For now, the world is quiet… Unknown." ]
Now...
Rai didn't know any of that. He only knew hunger. Cold streets. And pain that didn't heal with time. Still, a thought escaped his lips in a whisper.
> "Adventurers, huh… I wonder what kind of people they are…"
Then he remembered the red haired man from the tavern and thinks...
> "Could he be... An Adventurer?
Another thought click in his mind:
> "Maybe... I could be one of them someday..."
A pause as he thinks:
> "Nah... I can't even afford a piece of bread. Who am I kidding?"
Then his stomach growled again. He look around. Everything in this district felt... Fake. Cold. Shallow.
> "Tch. Shitty town."
And with that, he turned and walked. No direction. No plan. Just away.
Depths of Drayvale – where the Forest watches
As Rai walked, clutching his empty stomach, his eyes were dull – half from hunger, half from being lost in thoughts.
He didn't even realize he had crossed the last guard post. He didn't notice the cracked stone markers that warned:
*Drayvale Forest. Do not enter without clearance (only for Adventurers are allowed.)*
But Rai didn't see the warnings when hunger screamed louder. The paved paths of Solhara were behind him now. The road turned to dirt. Dirt faded to wild roots and moss. Branches grew thicker. The sunlight struggled to break through the leaves. Thorns scratched his legs. The air turned damp and heavy. Leaves rustled above — thick and endless. His stomach twisted with pain. His vision blurred a little.
> "Where... am I?"
He blinked at the green walls of trees around him.
His legs felt like metal. Heavy. Unmoving.
> "Tch... Don't stop. Just food... just a bite of anything..."
And then, he heard a sound from the bushes. Rai tensed up as he saw what it is, he felt relieved.
He thought it as a gift from the forest —
A rabbit. Tiny. White. Alone. Nibbling grass under a leaning tree. Rai froze. His stomach growled. His hands trembled.
> "F-Food... Thank God!!! God is there..."
> "Please don't run, let me have you as my lunch."
He crept forward, quiet as he could. Step by step. Snap. A twig underfoot. The rabbit twitched.
> "No!!" Rai lunged.
It dashed. Rai ran after it. Branches whipped his face. A root caught his foot — He fell, rolling down a slope, dirt filling his mouth. He almost got caught in a strange traps – rusted, some ropes hidden under leaves. But luck was on his side... This time.
> "Dammit...!"
He scrambled up. Eyes darted. But the rabbit was gone.
He dropped to his knees, gasping. Blood oozed from scratches on his palm. His lips were dry. His clothes were muddy, torn. His face was pale.
> "I can't even catch a damn rabbit…"
His voice cracked.
> "I'm useless…"
He looked around. The trees were darker now. Taller. Denser. It wasn't near Solhara anymore. He was deep in Drayvale. And he was completely lost. He tried to find the way. But the tall and denser trees makes it harder to find. He totally lost hope. His legs gave up. He sat under a large tree. Eyes hollow.
No energy left to cry. Only to whisper…
> "So this is it... I'm really going to die here... Like this..."
> "Nobody will even know I am dead here... Even though no one cares... because I don't have anybody... What a joke..."
He stares up, he only sees the branches and leaves of the big tree where the sunlight is struggling to fall on ground.
> "I am going to be free from this cruel world.
But I wish, If there is another life... I just want to live like them."
He remembers —
> "Adventures... I wanna travel the whole world... Just like Adventurers..."
> "Adventurers huh... What kind of people are they... I wonder. I think they are kind like that red hair man who I rejected, I wonder... was he an Adventurer too?"
As Rai slowly closes his eyes. His eyes feels heavier. He doesn't have strength left. As he felt pleasant sounds of winds and birds, like the forest is telling him Rest in peace.
Then — A sound. Gentle. Flowing. It's a sound of flowing Water. He didn't know why, but deep inside... He wants to survive, live a better life.
Rai stood slowly, weak legs dragging him toward the noise. Through the bushes. Past a twisted log. And there — a narrow stream. Crystal-clear. Knee-deep at most, winding between mossy rocks. Finally, as Rai sees the water his senses came together. He ran towards the stream. He dropped to his knees and plunged his hands into the water.
He drank fast, as if water would run away.
It was cold. Fresh. Real.
> "I feel alive... Thank you God!"
As he wiped his mouth, something moved.
Fish. Small ones. Silver and quick. Swimming in the shallow parts.
His eyes widened. His stomach growled.
> "I learned this once…"
His voice was just a whisper. Flashes of memory from the Academy survival classes hit him. Back then, Rai never thought he'd actually need them... Survival classes hit him. Back then... He remembered being bullied during back then – tripped over the firewood, poked him with sticks for fun.
> "Yeah... Great memories..." Rai gave a dry smile.
Then Rai ready for hunt and start to prepare...
> "Okay… spear… spear…"
He picked a long stick nearby. Sharpened one end using a jagged stone.
Fingers numb, skin torn, but he didn't stop.
He made a second one — in case the first broke. Then he waited. Still. Focused. Eyes on the stream. A fish swam close.
He struck — missed.
Again. Missed.
Again.
Missed.
His arms trembled.
His body begged him to give up. But deep in his gut, an old stubborn fire told him to keep going.
> "Come on... Just one. Just one fish... Please..."
After so many attempts and fails. Finally — The spear struck true.
A silver shape flipped out of the water.
> "Finally... Got you."
He almost cried. A small smile cracked on his face. For the first time in his life. He felt something close to joy. He raised the fish high and shouted:
> "My first catch!"
> "I'm not done yet... Not today..."
As time flows he catches some fishes, with excitement, even though he was hungry. He forgot all about it.
Then — He gathered dry leaves, small sticks. Rubbed stone against stone until sparks flew. The fire took its time, but it burned. The tiny flame looked small... But to Rai, it felt like life itself. A small, warm light in a cold, dense forest. He cooked the fish on a flat stone near the flame. The skin cracked. The smell hit him, his mouth watered. Rai ate slowly. No seasoning. No manners. Just survival. He felt relieved.
> "I'm alive… Maybe… maybe I don't want to die yet," he thought, the warmth of cooked fish spreading through his chest more than his stomach. He leaned back against a stone. Eyes half-closed.
But even now, he didn't feel it. Like something was watching him from dark.The trees were too silent. As if they were listening. As if they had eyes. Drayvale wasn't just a forest. It was alive. And he wasn't welcome. When the fire began to die, whispers echoed. The crickets had stopped making sound. Even the wind held its breath. But deep in the forest, inside a forgetten ruin swallowed by time, something had already noticed him. And it wasn't human. Rai was unaware from what is happening.
A whisper carried on the wind —
"...He's Finally Here..."
—————... To be Continued...—————