C3 Chapter 3 – The Boy Beneath the Ashen Peaks (Part 3)
The ancient forest welcomed him with silence.
Towering pines stretched high into the heavens, their emerald canopies weaving together to block much of the afternoon sun. Shafts of golden light pierced the gaps, illuminating drifting dust like countless tiny stars suspended in the air.
Kael had walked these trails since he was a child. Every bend. Every stream. Every weathered stone. They were as familiar to him as his own hands.
Yet today...
Everything felt different. The forest was too quiet.
Normally, birds greeted travelers with cheerful songs, while squirrels darted across branches and rabbits vanished into bushes at the slightest movement.
Today... Nothing moved. Not even the wind. Kael stopped. His amber eyes slowly scanned the surrounding woods.
"...Strange."
He crouched beside the muddy path. Fresh hoofprints. Mountain deer. Only a few hours old.
Then... The tracks suddenly stopped. Not faded. Not hidden. Stopped. As though the deer had simply disappeared. Kael frowned.
"...Impossible."
He placed a hand upon the earth. Cold. Far colder than it should have been. For reasons he could not explain, an uneasy feeling settled deep within his heart. He quietly loosened the hunting knife at his waist.
Not because he expected danger. Because instinct told him to.
_____________________________________
Half an hour later...
The silence finally broke.
Drip...
Drip...
Water trickled down weathered stones as Kael arrived before a narrow stream flowing from higher within the mountains.
Beside it grew the Moon Dew Herb, one of the medicinal plants requested by Village Chief Rowan.
Kael smiled.
"At least something went right."
He carefully knelt and began harvesting each herb without damaging its roots. His adoptive mother—who had passed away when he was twelve—had always taught him:
"Take only what you need.
Leave enough for the mountain to live.
Nature remembers kindness."
He had never forgotten those words.
Soon...
The basket was nearly full. As Kael reached for the final herb... His reflection upon the surface of the stream suddenly disappeared.
He blinked.
The water remained perfectly still. The rocks... The trees... The clouds... Everything reflected clearly. Everything...
Except him.
A ripple spread across the water.
One.
Then another.
Though no breeze disturbed the stream. Kael slowly stood. His heartbeat quickened.
"...Who's there?"
No answer. Only silence.
Then— A faint laugh drifted through the forest.
"Heh..."
Old. Calm. Almost amused. Kael turned instantly. An elderly man sat upon a large boulder overlooking the stream. He had not been there a heartbeat earlier.
His appearance was utterly ordinary. A patched grey robe. Worn straw sandals. A bamboo fishing rod resting casually across his knees. Long white hair reached his waist, tied carelessly with a strip of faded cloth. His beard was untidy enough to hide half his face. Only his eyes stood out. Deep. Ancient. As if they had watched countless civilizations rise and fall. Kael bowed politely.
"Greetings, Elder."
The old man smiled.
"You can see me."
Kael looked puzzled.
"...Shouldn't I?"
The old man chuckled.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
He stood slowly, stretching like an ordinary old farmer.
"I've sat here for sixteen years."
"You are the first person to greet me."
Kael blinked.
"...Sixteen years?"
"Yes."
"I grew quite bored."
Kael looked around.
"But I've walked this path hundreds of times."
"I've never seen you."
"You weren't meant to."
The old man's answer was so casual that Kael wasn't sure whether it was a joke. Instead of questioning further, he politely asked,
"Do you live in these mountains, Elder?"
The old man nodded.
"I suppose you could say..."
"...the mountains have allowed me to stay."
Kael smiled.
"If you need food, our village would gladly help."
The old man stared at him.
For several long moments...
He said nothing.
Then he laughed louder than before.
"After all these years..."
"The boy's heart remained exactly as she wished."
Kael frowned.
"...She?"
The old man immediately waved a hand.
"I've become old."
"I talk to myself."
Kael accepted the explanation without suspicion. The old man found that even more amusing.
Still so trusting...
Exactly like his mother.
_____________________________________
The old man picked up a smooth pebble and tossed it toward the stream. It skipped eight times before coming to rest upon the water's surface. Not sinking. Simply... Floating. Kael's eyes widened.
"Elder..."
"How did you do that?"
The old man ignored the question. Instead he asked one of his own.
"Young man."
"What do you believe is the strongest thing in this world?"
Kael thought carefully. Then answered honestly.
"A kind heart."
The old man blinked.
"I wasn't expecting that."
Kael smiled.
"If strength exists only to hurt others..."
"...then even the strongest person is weak."
Silence.
The old man's smile slowly faded. He looked at Kael as though seeing someone else standing before him. The same unwavering eyes. The same quiet conviction. The same refusal to let power define worth. A memory, sixteen years buried, rose painfully within him.
A man clad in white robes standing alone against the greatest experts in existence... Smiling even as the heavens themselves condemned him.
The old man closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the memory was gone.
"You truly resemble him..."
Kael tilted his head.
"Who?"
The old man smiled gently.
"Someone..."
"...who changed the fate of the world."
Before Kael could ask another question—
A deafening roar shook the entire mountain.
ROOOOOOAAARRR!
Birds exploded into the sky. Trees swayed violently. The stream erupted into crashing waves.
Far away... Somewhere beyond the forbidden Third Ridge... Something impossibly ancient...
Had awakened.
The old man's face, calm until this moment, turned grave. His eyes fixed on the distant mountain. Then, for the first time in sixteen years... He whispered a name.
"...Celestial Prison."
And the smile vanished from his face.
