Chapter 7 - First Contact
The girl quickly rushed to the bed, noticing that the adventurer had regained consciousness.
"You’re awake! How are you feeling?"
The boy tried to sit up, but a sharp pain forced him back onto the pillows.
"Whoa, easy! You shouldn’t move just yet. You were barely breathing when we found you."
He groaned, covering his eyes. His head was pounding, and his memories were foggy.
"In my grandfather’s house," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and examining his face. "We found you outside. Well, my grandfather did. You were just lying there unconscious, and beside you..."
She sighed and pointed toward the creature by the fireplace—a small, pawed shark that was currently staring intently at the crown.
"Yeah... this thing was with you. And you were also wearing this," she added, lifting the red crown from the floor and holding it out to him.
The adventurer weakly reached for the crown but suddenly froze. Something inside him tightened. He stared at the object, an eerie sense of déjà vu washing over him.
"Are you... sure it was on me?" he rasped.
"Yes, Grandpa said it was right on your head."
"And how did I end up outside?" he asked, his brow furrowed as he tried to piece things together.
"I have no idea," she admitted with a shrug.
"There was a crater where you were lying. No tracks, no clues. Just... nothing."
His expression darkened. The memories were still hazy, but the unease only grew stronger. He glanced at the crown still in the girl’s hand.
Then—he heard a whisper.
Soft. Faint. As if echoing from deep within his mind.
“Do you remember me?..”
He flinched. He’d definitely heard a voice. But besides the girl and the strange shark near the fire, there was no one else in the room.
"Is something wrong?" she asked with concern, noticing the tension in his face.
He swallowed and looked back at the crown.
“Do you remember me?..”
There it was again. That voice. Inside his head.
"Who's there?" he whispered hoarsely, eyes darting around the room.
"There’s no one else here," she said carefully. "Are you sure you’re alright?"
He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and took the crown cautiously. It was cold.
And then—visions erupted in his mind.
A massive, shadowy hall. Walls adorned with crimson banners. Distant voices—muffled and tense.
"You were made for a greater purpose," a commanding voice declared.
Then—screaming. A horrible, bloodcurdling scream, cut short by silence.
The adventurer gasped and dropped the crown onto the blanket. The visions vanished, but a dull pain throbbed in his temples.
"What... was that?" he whispered.
The girl was watching him warily.
"You really shouldn’t be up. You need to rest."
But he wasn’t listening. He stared at the crown again, and in that moment, one thing became clear:
He understood absolutely nothing.
Pfft. This idiot still hasn’t figured anything out. Odd… but I suppose he’ll play his part eventually.
discoholicmusic
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
andulkaphoto