The shelter was quiet and dark. He sat on the cold stone floor, trying to slow his fast heartbeat. The girl watched him carefully with her soft, silver eyes.
"You need to rest," she said quietly. "Your body is weak, but your mind is restless. The mark on your chest is waking something inside you."
He looked down at the glowing mark. It pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat. "What does it want from me?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I don't know. But it is connected to your past, who you were before everything was destroyed."
He closed his eyes and tried to remember. But his memories were like broken pieces scattered all around him. Faces, places, feelings, all just out of reach.
"I can't remember anything," he whispered. "Nothing before the ruin."
"That's why you are here," she said softly. "To find the pieces again. To understand the power you carry."
Suddenly, a noise outside made them both tense. The footsteps of the hunters echoed nearby, but the shelter held strong, at least for now.
The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a small, ancient book. "This might help," she said, handing it to him.
He opened it carefully. The pages were filled with strange symbols and drawings. Some looked like maps, others like stars and constellations.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"From the ruins," she answered. "It is a record left by those who knew the God beneath the ruin. They wrote about the mark, the power, and the curse."
He ran his fingers over the symbols. They felt warm, almost alive. "Maybe this can help me remember."
She nodded. "We don't have much time. The hunters won't stop chasing you."
He closed the book and looked up at her. "I don't know if I am ready for this."
"You don't have a choice," she said firmly. "But you are not alone."
For the first time, he felt a flicker of hope.
Outside, the wind whispered through the broken city. The shadows waited.
His journey to uncover the past, and face the future, had only just begun.