The night was heavy with silence. Even the stars seemed to withhold their glow, as if the sky itself was watching.
Kai sat alone atop the training grounds' highest platform, his eyes tracing the spot where she vanished. His thoughts weren't on the match anymore. Not the applause. Not the victory. Only her.
The girl.
A dagger user with movements too refined for someone her age. Her aura silent, cold, but… broken. No malice, only survival. And her eyes those eyes told stories of solitude and chains longer than time.
"I let her go," he whispered to himself.
"She ran," a voice answered behind him.
Kai turned. His sister, Aria, stepped forward with a quiet expression. She wasn't angry. Just… watchful.
"You didn't let her go. She was never meant to stay," Aria said, sitting beside him.
Kai clenched his fist. "She was a prisoner."
"No," Aria shook her head. "She was a message. Someone or something is using her to test you."
Kai's eyes narrowed. "You think she's working with someone?"
"She's not working with someone," Aria replied. "She's bound to something. Or someone. That kind of power? That kind of control? That's not trained… that's enforced."
There was a pause before Kai asked, "Do you think she'll return?"
Aria didn't answer right away. Instead, she pulled out a single feather black with silver veins that shimmered with residual energy.
"She left this behind… maybe by accident. Maybe not."
Kai took the feather and felt a slight tremor in his soul something ancient, watching.
> [System Warning: Unknown Entity Resonance Detected]
[Corrupted Thread of Fate Identified — Recording Begun]
Kai stood up.
"I need to get stronger. She's part of something I can't ignore."
Aria nodded, her eyes proud but guarded. "Then we train. Tomorrow. No more holding back. No more comfort zones."
But before Kai could answer, a new system message appeared:
> [Special Quest: The Bound One's Echo]
Description: Find the girl once bound by chains. Learn her name. Discover her truth.
Reward: ???
Failure: She disappears… forever.
Kai's jaw tightened.
He wouldn't fail this.
Not this time.
---
Next: Chapter 19 - "Chains of Silence — The Hunt Begins"