The wind howled through the cracks in the wooden walls of the small cabin, its icy fingers creeping in, uninvited. Jayden huddled by the fire, its warmth a fleeting comfort in the relentless cold of the forgotten village. His guardian, the only family he'd ever known, lay in bed, her frail body barely moving, save for the occasional wheeze that rattled the room.
"Jayden," her voice cracked, weak but insistent. "Come closer."
He crossed the room, the familiar creak of the floorboards under his boots echoing in the stillness. His heart ached at the sight of her, so small, so fragile—she had always been there, guiding him through the silence of the snow, teaching him how to survive. But the time had come for her to pass on the burden of truth she'd kept hidden for so long.
She grasped his hand, her touch ice-cold. "You must go to Mantiona, Jayden. There is... there is so much you don't know."
Jayden blinked, confusion and curiosity swirling in his chest. Mantiona. The name had always been a distant whisper, a place his guardian had spoken of only in passing.
"Your father..." she paused, her breathing shallow. "He is powerful. You were... stolen from him."
Jayden's breath caught in his throat. "Stolen?"
The words tumbled from her lips like snow falling in the night, each one heavier than the last. The truth of his past was finally spilling into the world, and he felt the weight of it press down on his shoulders.
A train ticket and a small wad of cash lay on the bed beside her, the only possessions she could leave him.
"Go," she whispered, her voice fading. "Find your brother. Find the truth. But be careful, Jayden... Mantiona is not kind to strangers."The crackling fire seemed to fade in the background as Jayden processed his guardian's last words. His mind raced, spinning with questions. His father—who was he? Why had he been stolen away from him? And what about the brother his guardian had mentioned? The twin brother who, until now, had never been more than a shadow in his dreams.
The old woman's fingers tightened around his hand as if trying to hold onto him, to anchor him in a world that was slipping away from her. "Jayden," she breathed, her voice barely audible, "You have to survive. They'll be looking for you. They know you're alive."
Her words sent a shiver through his bones, colder than the wind outside. The urgency in her voice left no room for doubt—there was something dark and dangerous lurking behind his past, something that even the winds of this forgotten village couldn't hide.
The finality of the moment hit him like a slap to the face. She was gone.
Jayden stood in stunned silence, staring at the empty space where his guardian's presence had once been. The crackle of the fire seemed louder now, a reminder that the world kept moving, indifferent to the lives it touched.
With trembling hands, Jayden gathered the ticket and the cash from the bed. The ticket was plain, nothing special, yet it seemed to pulse with a strange energy—an invitation to a life he could hardly imagine. He folded it carefully and slipped it into his coat pocket.
As he walked outside, the village stretched before him in a barren, frozen wasteland. The air was biting, the cold unbearable, but it felt strangely fitting. He had always been alone here, just as cold and forgotten as the land itself.
The journey ahead would take him far from this desolate place, to Mantiona, a city that had once been only a whisper in the back of his mind. Now, it was his only hope. He didn't know what awaited him, but he knew one thing for certain: the answers to his past were there, buried somewhere in the heart of the city.
The train station was a few miles away, and as he trudged through the snow, his thoughts turned to the twin brother he had never known. Ryan. The name felt foreign on his tongue, but he couldn't shake the feeling that finding Ryan was the key to unlocking everything.
By the time he reached the station, the sun had long since set, casting the world into a cold, starless night. The ticket felt heavy in his pocket as he approached the platform. He had no idea how he was going to get on that train, let alone where he'd find shelter once he arrived in Mantiona. But he had to try. He had no other choice.
The train ride was uneventful, just the rhythmic click of the tracks beneath him and the occasional hiss of steam. His mind buzzed with the weight of the journey ahead. When the train finally screeched to a halt in Mantiona, Jayden stepped off, his eyes wide with wonder and anxiety.
The city was everything the village wasn't—alive, bustling, and full of people who moved with purpose. The lights of the city cast a golden glow, but the shadows seemed deeper here, more dangerous.
Jayden pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders as he navigated the crowded streets. He was a stranger here, an outsider in a world of wealth and power. He had no idea where to go, no idea how to find his brother or the answers he sought. But he felt something stirring deep inside him—a force he couldn't explain, something he had never felt before.
As he wandered, he became aware of the eyes watching him. Hidden behind corners, in alleyways, and in the shadows of the tall buildings, people observed him. He was an anomaly in this place, and it wasn't long before he realized that being a stranger here came with a price.
He didn't notice the men who followed him until it was too late. They came from behind, swift and silent, and before he could react, one of them shoved him to the ground. The others grabbed his arms, yanking his belongings from him—the money, the ticket, his coat, everything.
Jayden fought back, desperation fueling his movements, but it was no use. They overpowered him easily, their strength far greater than his. One of them sneered d
own at him, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "You should have known better than to walk these streets alone," he spat, before they disappeared into the night, leaving Jayden lying in the cold, shivering and alone.