CHAPTER 10:The Journey to the Temple

The winds had shifted. The path had opened. And so, they came.

One by one, across different lands, in different ways, the ten chosen ones set off toward the nameless temple—the place that had called them beyond logic, beyond reason. And as they traveled, each of them was lost in their own thoughts.

Raphael, the Monk with a Mysterious Past

Raphael walked through the forest barefoot, humming to himself. The temple's call had been strong, yet strangely… familiar. Like an old friend he had once betrayed.

He sighed, adjusting his robes. "I swear, if this turns out to be another test of patience, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the call."

A nearby bird squawked disapprovingly.

"I heard that."

The Warrior Who Had Forgotten His Purpose

On a distant battlefield, the warrior—let's call him Kai—cleaned his blade one last time before setting off. He had spent years fighting wars he no longer believed in.

And now, he was heading toward a temple he didn't understand.

"What if they expect me to meditate?" he muttered, strapping his sword to his back.

The thought alone made him shiver.

The Scientist Who Was Bound by Logic

Dr. Elias Hart sat on a very uncomfortable camel, scribbling notes in his journal.

"Possible explanations for the hallucination: 1) Stress-induced psychosis, 2) A latent psychic ability caused by quantum field anomalies, 3) I need more sleep."

The camel snorted.

Elias glared. "If you have a better theory, I'd love to hear it."

The Healer Who No Longer Believed in Her Gift

Mira packed her herbs carefully, hands trembling. She had sworn never to heal again. She had failed too many times.

But the temple had called.

"Maybe I'm not going to heal," she whispered. "Maybe I'm going to find out why I was never enough?".Her shadow did not answer.

Lucian, the Wealthy Man Drowning in Emptiness

Lucian Devereaux did not walk to the temple. Oh, no.

He hired a private helicopter.

As he sipped on a very expensive espresso, he stared out the window.

"What am I even doing?" he muttered. "I could be on a yacht right now."

His pilot pretended not to hear him.

The Poet Who Saw Without Eyes

Somewhere, beneath the moonlight, a blind poet walked without hesitation.He could not see the road.But he knew the way.

Amara, the Child Whose Dreams Were Not Her Own

Amara rode on a donkey, swinging her legs happily.

"When we get there, do you think they'll have cookies?" she asked.

The donkey said nothing, because it was a donkey.But Amara nodded as if it had answered.

"Me too."

The Wanderer Who Feared His Own Shadow

Elias took a deep breath. He had spent lifetimes avoiding this moment.And yet, here he was.

"…Maybe they won't recognize me," he muttered.

The wind laughed.

At the Temple, the Keeper Awaits

Far above, at the temple's entrance, Elder Tao sat cross-legged, staring into the sky.

He had felt the shift. The pull of destiny. The ten were coming.

It was time.

He took a deep breath, lifted his hands, and began to chant in an ancient, forgotten tongue—

And immediately choked on a piece of chicken.

Behind him, an old woman smacked his back. "Tao, how many times have I told you not to eat while summoning? You're going to choke your soul out one of these days."

Tao coughed violently, glaring at the remains of his dinner. "It was an accident."

The old woman squinted at him. "Uh-huh."

Then she turned to the chicken, who had somehow ended up in the middle of the sacred ritual circle.

"…Did the bird just get chosen?"

The chicken blinked.

Tao sighed. "No, the chicken is not one of the ten."

The chicken looked deeply offended.

The old woman cackled. "Well, either way, they're coming. Hope you're ready."

Tao looked back at the sky, at the paths that led to the temple, at the storm of fate itself brewing.

And finally, he smiled.

"I have been waiting for them for a very, very long time."

But Three Were Still Lost…

While the others made their way to the temple, three souls had yet to awaken.

One sat in chains, his past erased, his future unknown—until the moment the locks began to break on their own.

One hid from the stars, refusing to see the fate they had written for her—until the heavens rearranged themselves to spell her name.

And one walked among the dead, hearing voices no living soul should hear—until, one night, something far older than death itself whispered:

"Come."

Their time had not yet come. But it would. Very soon.