Chapter 18

(The ruins of Kael's old home remain eerily silent, the night air carrying the scent of ash and forgotten memories. Kael and Sun move carefully through the broken remains, their boots crunching against debris. The weight of the past lingers, but something about this place still calls to Kael—like a voice whispering from the shadows.)

A Hidden Truth

(Sun steps over a collapsed wooden beam, glancing around.)

Sun: "So, what now? We came, we remembered, we got depressed—"

Kael (cutting in): "There's something here."

Sun (blinking): "What?"

Kael (frowning, scanning the room): "I don't know. But something doesn't feel right."

(Kael moves toward what used to be a storage area. The walls are blackened by fire, the wooden shelves reduced to charred remains. But as he brushes his hand across the burned wood, he feels something rough—something hidden beneath the ashes.)

(He clears away the debris and finds a metal box, half-buried under rubble. The fire had scorched the outside, but it remains intact.)

Sun (whistling): "Huh. That doesn't look like a random piece of junk."

Kael (narrowing his eyes): "No, it doesn't."

The Hidden Pages

(Kael forces the box open, the rusted metal groaning under pressure. Inside, he finds old, partially burned papers. He carefully picks up the fragile sheets, dusting away the ash. The handwriting is familiar—his father's.)

Kael (muttering): "This is my father's writing…"

(Sun moves closer, looking over his shoulder.)

Sun: "Can you read it?"

(Kael's eyes scan the pages. Most of the writing is burned, the words lost forever. But among the charred text, two phrases remain clear, written in bold ink.)

"The Vessel and The Absolute Light."

(Kael's heart tightens at the words. His father had known something. Something important. But why had he never spoken about it?)

Kael (whispering): "What were you hiding, Father…?"

(Sun tilts his head.)

Sun: "The Vessel… That guy back then, the one who killed your family, he mentioned something about a vessel too, didn't he?"

Kael (nodding slowly): "Yeah. But I never knew what he meant. And now this?"

(Kael flips through the pages, but there's barely anything left. The flames had devoured most of the truth. But then, something else falls from the box—a small, folded piece of parchment.)

(Kael picks it up and unfolds it. It's a map. The ink is faded, but the lines and markings are still visible. There's no name, no explanation—just a marked path leading to an unknown destination.)

Sun (raising an eyebrow): "Well, well. Looks like your dad left behind a little treasure hunt."

Kael (staring at the map): "But why? What was he trying to lead us to?"

Sun (grinning): "Only one way to find out."

(Kael grips the map tighter, his mind racing. His father had known something—something dangerous. Had he died trying to protect it? And if the enemy had been searching for "the vessel," did that mean Kael himself was part of this mystery?)

Kael (muttering): "This isn't over."

(He tucks the map into his coat and turns to Sun, his expression firm.)

Kael: "We're following this."

Sun (grinning wider): "Damn right we are."

(The past had led him here, but now the future was calling. And Kael was ready to answer.)

To be Continued