Sohan made his way silently through the charred trees on the edges of the gray valley, his steps cautious, every echo in the darkness enough to arouse the hunter's inner caution. The air was heavy, as if ash had seeped into his lungs, choking him as he approached the southern pass leading to Niram.
In the sky, a partial eclipse still dominated the light, as if the sun was still afraid to fully emerge.
As he walked, he glimpsed ancient ruins buried beneath the dust and ash, the remains of a pre-fall village, eroded by time. On one of the half-shattered walls, he saw a laboriously etched image of a man raising a sword towards the sun… beneath it, a faint inscription:
"When the light fades, the bearer of dawn returns."
Sohan froze, the words strangely familiar. He touched the letters with his hand, and the surface shook slightly… revealing a small piece of sunrise crystal embedded in the wall.
Touching it, a faint pulse of light pierced his fingers, and mysterious voices whispered in his head:
"You... are not just a survivor... but an echo from an unknown past."
He quickly withdrew his hand and stepped back, but the memories didn't disappear. Quick flashes: fire, screams, a man with eyes like his own fighting against a giant shadow, and a castle collapsing.
"What is this...?" Sohan whispered, his heart pounding.
But time wasn't on his side. He heard voices coming from behind... hesitant but numerous footsteps.
Hiding behind a broken rock, his trained eye watched... a group of conscious withers dragging a massive object covered in black cloth. They didn't see it.
One of them whispered in his distorted tongue:
"Sol Weather... said to carry this toward the East Gate... before the bearer returns."
"The bearer?" Sohan wondered silently, but his heart began to connect the symbols.
He waited until they were gone, then quickly turned around and continued toward the southern corridor. When he reached a high point overlooking Niram in the distance, he fired the light arrow into the sky.
A white flash tore through the darkness of the horizon.
In Niram, the guards were alerted, bugles blared, and Ryder himself stepped out to see the signal.
Ryder: "That's an arrow from the Shadow of Ash... but why now?"
A city began to swell, whispers rising between the crystal walls:
"Is Sohan back?"
"Is there danger?"
"Has the attack begun?"
But Sohan didn't want to stop. He had to enter the city, not just to warn them, but to find out...
Who he really was? And why did Sol Weather know him.