The morning air was still.
Not quiet.
Still.
Like the world was holding its breath.
Ren stood in front of the village temple again. The same place where he had first seen the floating step. Now, the old bell at the back of the shrine had changed. It wasn't just old stone anymore. The surface had an eye carved into it—a soft, glowing eye—matching the one now etched into his hand.
And it hadn't been there yesterday.
Sora stood beside him, looking up at the bell too.
"It's growing," she said.
Ren nodded. "The mark. The step. The Sight. Now this…"
They both stepped closer.
The air around the bell felt… different. Heavier, but not dangerous. Like it was filled with something they couldn't name yet.
"It's calling us again," Sora said.
But there was no floating step this time. No glowing orb. No strange space.
Just the bell.
And the silence.
---
They returned later that night.
Something inside them said to wait until sunset.
They didn't know why—but the feeling was strong.
So they did.
And this time, when the last bit of light disappeared behind the hills…
The bell rang.
By itself.
A low, echoing chime.
It shouldn't have moved.
There were no ropes. No wind. No one nearby.
But it rang once.
And then a light appeared underneath it—a small circle, glowing softly in the ground.
Ren and Sora exchanged a look.
Then stepped forward together.
---
The moment they touched the circle, everything changed.
Not suddenly. But like slipping underwater.
The temple disappeared.
The air shifted.
They were standing in the same place—but not really.
It was a version of the shrine.
Older.
Worn down.
Covered in vines and dust.
Like they had stepped into the memory of the place.
Sora took a step back. "Is this the Sight again?"
"Feels like it," Ren said.
But this time, it wasn't just a vision.
It felt real. Like they were walking through something that used to be true.
And then they heard it.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Coming from behind the ruined bell.
They turned, ready for anything.
But what they saw surprised them.
---
It was a girl.
Not much older than them.
Wearing a faded blue robe, half-tied. Her hair messy. Her eyes tired but sharp.
She didn't look like a ghost.
She looked real.
Alive.
And confused.
"You're not from here," she said. Her voice was rough, like she hadn't spoken in a while.
Sora stepped forward. "We're not sure where here is."
The girl squinted at them. Then her eyes widened.
She saw their marks.
"You touched the book too," she whispered.
Ren blinked. "Wait—you're marked?"
She held up her hand. Same mark. Open book. Eye above it.
But hers was different.
The book was cracked.
And the eye had a scar through it.
Ren felt something cold settle in his chest.
"What happened to yours?"
The girl looked away. "I tried to force the third step. I wasn't ready."
Sora looked alarmed. "There's a third?"
"There's always a third," the girl said. "But they don't tell you what it costs."
She walked past them, slowly.
"This place," she said, gesturing to the faded shrine. "It's not a memory. It's a trap. For those who saw too much, too soon."
Ren frowned. "So you're stuck?"
"I was," she said. "Until you came."
Sora tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"You opened the bell," the girl said, her voice low. "You brought change. That means the path is moving again. That means... I might have a chance."
Ren stepped closer. "What's your name?"
The girl hesitated.
Then said, "Hina."
Ren offered a hand. "I'm Ren. This is Sora."
She looked at the hand.
Then took it.
Her hand was cold.
Too cold.
---
The vision began to crack.
Not break. Just… ripple.
Like wind brushing over water.
The shrine around them started to shift. Pieces peeled away like smoke.
And then, like someone blinking, they were back.
Back at the real shrine.
Night air. Grass. The stone bell, still glowing.
But something was different.
Hina was there.
Standing under the bell.
Real.
Not mist.
Not memory.
Real.
Sora stared. "How...?"
"I don't know," Hina said. "But I'm not fading anymore."
She held up her hand.
The mark on her palm had healed a little. The crack across the book was smaller. The scar over the eye… faded.
Not gone. But healing.
Ren felt a chill run through him.
Their marks had power.
Not just for themselves.
But for others.
The Sight was more than just seeing.
It was unlocking.
Changing.
Connecting.
---
They took Hina to the old man.
He was waiting at the quiet edge of the village, sitting near the plum tree like always.
When he saw her, his eyes widened slightly.
Then he nodded.
"I remember you," he said softly.
Hina bowed her head. "I didn't think you were still alive."
"Barely," he chuckled. "But alive."
Sora looked between them. "You know each other?"
The old man nodded. "She was the last one marked before you two. Years ago. She vanished. Everyone thought she failed."
"I did," Hina whispered. "But I survived."
The old man looked at Ren. "You brought her back."
"I didn't mean to," Ren said.
"Doesn't matter. You did. And that means the cycle is starting again."
Sora stepped forward. "What cycle?"
The old man looked toward the hills. His voice quiet.
"The Rise of the Seers."
---
They sat together near the tree, the four of them, as the night deepened.
And the old man finally told them a story.
"There are always a few," he said. "Born in each age. Marked by the Sight. Chosen by the Book. Tied to the Steps."
"They're not warriors. Not nobles. Just people."
"But they're the only ones who can see the cracks in the world."
"The only ones who can open doors that were sealed by time."
"The only ones who can stop what's coming."
Ren asked, "What is coming?"
The old man didn't speak for a moment.
Then he said:
"There's a reason why the Book is sealed. Why the Third Step is hidden."
"There's something inside it."
"A truth."
"A memory so old… it was buried by the world itself."
"And the closer you get…"
He looked at Ren, at Sora, then at Hina.
"The more the world will try to stop you."
---
Hina looked down at her hand.
The mark was still there.
Alive. Flickering gently.
"I wasn't strong enough last time," she said. "But now…"
She looked at Ren.
"You're different. I think you can reach it."
Ren didn't know what to say.
But he felt it too.
Something inside him was waking up.
Not strength.
Not power.
Something older.
Like a name he hadn't heard yet.
---
Later that night, Ren sat alone on the shrine steps.
Looking at the stars.
Sora had gone home. Hina had returned to the old man's hut for rest.
But Ren couldn't sleep.
He looked at his hand.
At the mark.
He whispered, "What's next?"
And in the silence, something answered.
Not a voice.
Not a whisper.
Just a feeling.
A place.
The cliffs beyond the rice fields.
Where the wind always blew a little too cold.
Where no one went anymore.
Where the Third Step was waiting.
---
To be continued...