Chapter 16:
The Weight of a Thousand Lives
The world trembled as memories cascaded through Errin's mind, each one more vivid than the last. They were no longer distant echoes but living experiences—each moment as real as the breath in his lungs.
He had been a warrior, standing atop burning stars.
He had been a scholar, lost in endless tomes of forgotten wisdom.
He had been a father, holding his child for the first time.
He had been a wanderer, searching for something he had long forgotten.
And he had been Errin, the outsider in the valley.
The truth settled in his chest like a stone dropped into deep waters. The valley had been real. Every life he had lived had been real.
But reality was not what he had once thought it to be.
The figure before him remained silent, watching as Errin pieced himself together. The celestial platform beneath his feet pulsed with quiet energy, as if responding to his awakening.
"How many lives have I lived?" Errin finally asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
The figure tilted their head. "How many stars are in the sky?"
Errin exhaled sharply. He had known the answer before asking. The number was infinite.
He turned his gaze upward. The vast cosmic ocean stretched before him, filled with constellations that pulsed like beating hearts. He recognized them now—not as distant celestial bodies, but as memories, each one a life he had once lived.
Some he had forgotten. Some he had abandoned.
And yet, the valley…
The valley had been different. It had held him. Anchored him. Changed him.
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
"What was the valley?" he murmured. "Why was it different?"
The figure took a step forward. Their face was still obscured, but their presence was unmistakably familiar.
"The valley," they said softly, "was your refuge. The only place where you allowed yourself to forget."
Errin's breath caught.
Forget?
Had he chosen to leave behind the weight of his past lives? Had he wanted to be nothing more than a simple man, living among the quiet hills and rivers?
And if so…
Had the valley been a gift? Or a prison?
His hands trembled as he looked down at them. These were the hands of a thousand different versions of himself. A warrior. A scholar. A father. A wanderer.
But which one was truly him?
The figure before him spoke again, their voice softer this time.
"You must decide, Errin."
"Decide?" He looked up, confusion in his eyes.
"Will you return to the valley and forget once more?" The figure's voice carried no judgment, only quiet understanding. "Or will you step forward… and remember everything?"
The air around them pulsed, waiting for his choice.
The memories, the valley, the weight of eternity—
All of it rested in his hands.