Shadows over the City –Chapter 2

 The sun hadn't fully risen yet when I woke up, the gray morning light sneaking through the window boards. The bed, though warm, seemed to cling tightly to the memories of last night. My body felt heavy, as if I had worn armor all night. My hands were still slightly trembling.

I raised my gaze to the corner of the room, where my sword rested. I looked at it in silence for a few moments. It looked ordinary, but it seemed to carry the weight of every failure from training.

From the kitchen came the smell of toasted bread and herbal tea. Miyu moved quickly, the clatter of dishes mixing with the creak of the stove.

— "You woke up early," she said without looking at me, placing 2 cups on the table.
— "I didn't sleep well," I murmured, pulling my coat over my shoulders.
— "No wonder. Everyone's talking about the forest and the Imperials. You need to be careful today."

I stepped outside. The morning air was cool, and the city was slowly waking. The wooden houses with slanted roofs, narrow dusty roads, stone fountains, and old lanterns, all looked the same, but the bustle felt different. People spoke in whispers, casting glances toward the main road where a few Imperial banners were visible in the distance.

The market was already crowded. Merchants shouted their daily offers: warm bread, vegetables, second-hand cloth. The smells mixed: baked dough, wood smoke, salted meat.

— "Hey, boy!"
The blacksmith's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. A massive man, with arms thick as tree trunks, wiped the sweat from his forehead.
—" I heard you were the first in the forest last night. What did you see?"
— "Just flames and ashes. And too few people with buckets"
I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral.
— "Hm… the forest doesn't burn by itself. Be careful, the world is changing" He said, striking the heated metal with his hammer.

An orphan child I sometimes helped with food tugged at my sleeve.
— "I heard the Imperials were asking about magical items, he whispered. Do you think such things exist?"
I frowned but forced a smile.
— "Just stories, don't worry."

Walking toward the city center, I saw Airi. Her blonde hair glinted in the sunlight, but in my head, I was already tense because she was talking to two Imperials. I hid behind a stall and made a sign for her to notice me. Then she came over.

— "I heard they want to speak with you personally," she said cautiously.
— "Yeah… I wouldn't say I'm thrilled," I tried to joke, but the tension was evident in my voice.
— "Listen, I also spoke with Kaizen a few years ago, when he came to our town. He's not the kind of man you can fool easily. And he doesn't like to waste time."

I nodded, but my gaze remained on her eyes. They had the same warm color as when she laughed, but now they were shadowed with worry. I wanted to tell her that I cared about what she thought of me, but this wasn't the time.

— "I know you get into trouble more often than you should, she continued. But if you make a mistake today… I won't be able to save you."

— "I'll manage," I said with a faint smile, forcing my voice to sound confident.
She looked at me for a long moment, as if trying to read my true thoughts.

— "Be careful, please," she said softly, then returned to the soldiers she had been speaking with.

I walked away, but I could feel my heart racing, and not just from fear of Kaizen.

At the edge of the city, before entering the forest, I spotted Kaede. He was standing next to an abandoned barn, talking to a man I had never seen before. Dressed in a dark cloak with a hood pulled halfway down and a slightly hunched posture, the stranger seemed intent on remaining unnoticed.

I tried to eavesdrop, but they were too far away. Kaede moved his hands as he spoke, as if explaining something, and the man nodded occasionally.

"It's not my business," I told myself, turning away and continuing on. No matter how curious I was, I had no desire to get involved in Kaede's dealings.

When I reached the forest, the usual silence wasn't there. The birds were silent, and the leaves didn't rustle in the wind. I moved deeper, toward the place where I usually trained.

I had taken only a few steps into the forest when I saw them: four Imperial soldiers in full armor, rummaging through the underbrush, lifting stones, checking tracks on the ground. One of them turned toward me as soon as he spotted me.

— "Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?" he shouted, raising a hand.

I stopped abruptly, feeling the necklace pulsing in my pocket, stronger than ever.

— "I'm… just here to train," I said calmly, though every muscle in my body urged me to leave.

The soldiers' gaze shifted. It wasn't just curiosity, it was suspicion. And in that moment, I realized the forest was no longer just my training ground. It was the stage of a hunt, and I had just walked into it.

— "Tell me who you really are," said one of the soldiers, stepping forward with determination. His armor creaked slightly, and his eyes gleamed under the raised visor.

My heart pounded harder. "If they find out about the necklace…" I thought, knowing any lie would be useless if they checked.

— "I'm… just a traveler," I replied quietly, trying not to sound aggressive.

— "A traveler? In this forest?" another asked, raising an eyebrow. No one should be here without Imperial authorization."

I took a step back, quickly assessing the terrain. If I moved wrong, I had no chance.

— "Alright," said the group leader, moving closer. —"Show me what you have on you."

My heart trembled. The necklace in my pocket pulsed intensely, almost as if sensing danger. I couldn't take it out. Every second mattered.

— "I have nothing dangerous," I said calmly, trying to distract them. —" Just… personal items."

The soldiers scrutinized me with their eyes, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. I struggled to breathe. Then one of them stepped aside, letting my gaze slip out of control.

— "We're moving on," said the leader, in a voice that left no room for negotiation. —" We'll patrol the area. Don't wander off."

I nodded, pretending to understand, and began to slowly retreat toward the city entrance. The necklace continued to vibrate faintly in my pocket, warning me that I wasn't completely safe.

Only when I reached a few trees away did I take a deep breath. The soldiers stayed behind, but the tension lingered. I knew this wasn't the end; they weren't here by accident.

Around me, the shadows of the forest seemed to move closer, and the wind brought a chill down my spine. I need to be more careful, I told myself, clenching my fist. And find out why Kaede was talking to that man.

I pressed on along the hidden path, eyes fixed on every movement between the trees, knowing the Empire never abandons a trail.

And somewhere, far away, the necklace pulsed stronger than before, as if sensing a danger far greater than the soldiers.

The only sound around me was the soft whisper of the trees, nothing else, no signs of life, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Then it came. A sudden, slicing whistle through the air. Before I could react, something sharp tore into my chest. I looked down to see an arrow buried deep, right where my heart should have been. Warmth spread beneath my fingers as blood soaked my clothes, and my breaths came in short, desperate gasps.

The edges of the world blurred; colors drained away, swallowed by an encroaching haze. My knees gave way, and I crumpled onto the cold, unyielding ground. With each heartbeat...weaker, slower, the darkness grew thicker, until it was all that remained
In that darkness, a familiar strange voice spoke to him:

— "I didn't think we'd meet again so soon here."
— "Wh… where… am I? he murmured, his voice weak, like an echo in his mind."
— "You are nowhere, yet you are still here. Don't you remember me? My curse? The gift you received?"
— "Am I dead? What happened to Miyu? I can't die now… What is this pain?"
— "You were killed by an assassin, but because of me, the ability I gave you saved you."
— "Killed by an assassin? Who could do that? The Imperials? That's impossible… Kaizen told me he needed me in the forest."
— "Hahaha, you are far too naive. Because of my power, you will return to the point where you can change your fate. Don't forget… this ability has consequences too. I hope we meet again soon."
— "Nooo, wait, I still have so many questions. Who hired an assassin? What consequences are you talking about? You never told me that in the dream."

Renji woke up… in the city center, just a few steps from Kaede. His heart raced wildly, not just from fear, but from the shocking realization: he had been transported back in time, exactly to the moment he had seen Kaede talking with the unknown man.

— "Wh… what's happening?" Renji whispered, eyes wide. Everything was identical: the sounds, the smells, the afternoon light, but he… he now had the awareness of the entire timeline that had almost killed him.

The voice from the necklace echoed in his mind again:

— "You've returned to the crucial moment, Renji. Now you have the chance to change what seemed inevitable. Don't rush. Observe, learn, act."

Renji watched the scene carefully: Kaede stood with the unknown man, smiling slightly, seemingly relaxed, but his instincts screamed that something was wrong. This was the moment his destiny could be rewritten.

— "I… I've returned right here… " Renji murmured to himself. This… this is my ability. I can change what was about to happen.

Renji walked restlessly through the streets of the city, feeling a strange tension in his chest. Every sound seemed exaggerated, every shadow seemed to follow his steps. He realized his mind was no longer functioning normally; his thoughts jumbled together, like a puzzle with pieces glued wrong.

—"I need to go home… Yes, home… everything is fine…" he whispered, but the voice sounded strange in his ears. As if it wasn't just him saying it. A subtle frenzy had taken root in his mind, making him move faster than reason would allow.

Along the way, every passerby seemed to look at him oddly, but Renji couldn't tell if it was paranoia or something real. He flailed his arms slightly, as if trying to defend himself from invisible ghosts.

—"No… I can't believe it… how is it possible to be here again? No… no…" he murmured, trying to figure out what was happening. His heart raced, but not from fear; it was a mix of confusion and… excitement. Something inside him seemed to awaken, though he didn't yet know what.

The streets that had once been familiar now felt strange, as if time had twisted and thrown him into a parallel universe. Renji felt a strange shiver run down his spine as he passed the corner where he had seen Kaede with the stranger. His mind flinched, but instinct told him not to go toward the forest.

—"No… I don't want to die again… I have to do something… but what?!" he told himself, his voice trembling, even though he was alone on the street. He clenched his fists and tried to take a deep breath, but everything felt too intense, too… unreal.

As he neared his house, Renji felt his ability begin to pulse inside him, like an echo of the death that had just ended. But he didn't yet know he was in a "loop," that time had given him a second chance. In his mind, everything was chaos: fear, confusion, but also a strange, almost crazy energy that made him feel he could control everything… if only he could understand how.

Almost at the door of his house, Renji stopped abruptly, his gaze lost in emptiness. "I have to be careful… I have to change something… I have to survive…" he whispered, unaware that each word was the first step toward understanding his true power.