Virat: Abandoned by Destiny

Narrator

Morning slowly spread across Restart Village.

The pale light of dawn slipped between the trees, painting the rooftops in soft gold.

The sacred river moved quietly beside the village.

Its surface carried the reflection of the morning sky...

Blue.

Silver.

And just a little gold.

The villagers had gathered near the village entrance.

The old Sage stood beside the carriage.

Alistair was already prepared.

His hand rested near his sword as he quietly inspected the road ahead.

The Sage looked toward Brald.

For a few moments...

He said nothing.

Then...

He slowly raised one finger.

"Brald."

Brald stepped forward.

"Yes, Sage?"

The old man's blind eyes remained closed.

But his face turned directly toward Brald.

"Listen carefully."

The villagers became quiet.

The morning breeze moved through the trees.

Rustle...

Rustle...

The Sage spoke.

"Restart Village..."

He paused.

"...will not remain a village forever."

Several villagers exchanged confused glances.

The Sage continued.

"Slowly..."

"Very slowly..."

"This place will grow."

"First..."

"A larger village."

"Then..."

"A town."

"And one day..."

"A city."

Brald's expression became serious.

The Sage lifted his hand toward the houses behind them.

"This land will become important."

"People from distant kingdoms will come here."

"Travelers will stop here."

"Merchants will pass through here."

"And people will come simply..."

"...to see its beauty."

His hand slowly moved toward the sacred river.

"The river."

"The forest."

"The peaceful roads."

"The beauty of this place..."

"One day, people will travel great distances simply to see them."

A few villagers looked around.

The same wooden houses.

The same river.

The same trees.

The same quiet roads.

It was difficult to imagine.

Yet...

The Sage spoke as though he had already seen it.

"Restart Village will become..."

"...a place people visit."

"Not only to live."

"Not only to trade."

"But simply..."

"...to see it."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"A place worth travelling to."

"A place worth remembering."

The villagers looked at each other.

The thought seemed impossible.

But somehow...

It didn't feel impossible anymore.

The Sage's expression became more serious.

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"The borders of this village will expand."

"One day..."

"They will reach the lands of other kingdoms."

A murmur passed through the crowd.

Brald remained silent.

The Sage looked directly at him.

"And you..."

"...will continue to lead it."

Brald's eyes widened slightly.

"Me?"

The Sage nodded.

"You will become the person who guides this place forward."

"Not by force."

"Not by fear."

"But by protecting what makes this village..."

"...worth protecting."

The wind moved through the trees again.

The Sage's cloak fluttered gently.

Then his voice became quieter.

"I have seen wars."

"I have seen kingdoms burn."

"I have seen armies disappear beneath the dust of battle."

He slowly lowered his hand.

"And I have seen..."

"...Restart Village standing."

Brald's expression hardened.

"This village..."

"...will become important during a future war."

Silence.

Nobody moved.

Then...

The Sage added one final warning.

"Remember this."

"Someone..."

"...will die in this village."

Brald's eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

The Sage didn't answer.

He simply turned his face toward the rising sun.

"Knowing the name..."

"...would not prevent it."

His words settled over the village like a shadow.

Then he looked back toward Brald.

"There is something else."

Brald waited.

The Sage spoke slowly.

"When the future becomes difficult..."

"Watch your daughter."

Brald froze.

"Tia?"

The Sage nodded.

"Take greater care of her."

"She will become..."

"...very important."

Brald's expression softened.

The Sage continued.

"And V..."

He paused.

"Trust him from time to time."

"Your son will be able to handle more than you think."

"He may walk into places where you cannot follow."

"He may face things you cannot protect him from."

"But..."

"He will learn to stand."

Brald looked toward the village.

His eyes found V in the distance.

The Sage smiled faintly.

"Do not mistake his silence..."

"...for weakness."

Then...

The Sage turned toward Alistair.

He raised one hand.

A simple signal.

It was time.

Alistair nodded.

The villagers immediately began bringing gifts.

Rice.

Sugar.

Salt.

Dried food.

Fresh vegetables.

Several bags.

Several baskets.

More food than the carriage probably needed.

The Sage watched silently.

One villager placed another sack beside him.

Then another.

And another.

Finally...

A large sack of salt was brought forward.

The Sage stopped.

His blind eyes remained closed.

For several seconds...

He simply stood there.

Then he bent down.

Grabbed the sack.

Lifted it effortlessly.

The villagers stared.

Alistair stared.

Brald stared.

The Sage placed the entire sack over his shoulder.

Then...

He walked directly toward the carriage.

No joke.

No smile.

No explanation.

Just silence.

Alistair watched him carefully.

There was something strange about the way he carried it.

Not the weight.

The meaning.

Salt was simple.

Yet...

Too much salt could ruin an entire meal.

Too little could ruin it too.

A cook could spend hours preparing something...

And one careless handful could destroy all that effort.

The Sage's fingers tightened slightly around the sack.

Salt could preserve food.

It could keep something from spoiling.

It could also sting an open wound.

A tiny amount in the wrong place could turn pain into something far worse.

And if salt was placed in an enemy's food...

Even a weapon could become difficult to use.

One substance.

So many meanings.

Balance.

Preservation.

Pain.

Preparation.

Destruction.

Perhaps that was why the Sage had chosen it.

Or perhaps...

There was another reason.

One that nobody in Restart Village understood yet.

The Sage placed the sack inside the carriage.

He didn't explain himself.

He didn't need to.

The question remained hanging in the morning air.

Why salt?

Brald watched him.

Something about the old man's silence told him...

The answer wasn't meant to be known yet.

The Sage climbed inside.

He looked toward Alistair.

Then pointed forward.

Alistair sighed.

"Understood."

The Sage raised one finger.

Then spoke quietly.

"Until we reach the Forest of Life..."

"Do not look back."

Alistair straightened.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The carriage began moving.

The wheels rolled over the village road.

Slowly...

Restart Village disappeared behind them.

Neither man looked back.

The Sage sat quietly inside the carriage.

The enormous sack of salt rested beside him.

After a while...

He turned his face slightly toward the road behind them.

A faint smile appeared.

"See you soon, Brald."

Then he faced forward again.

Ahead...

The Forest of Life waited beyond the distant horizon.

Behind them...

Restart Village remained beneath the morning sun.

And somewhere between the village and the forest...

The future quietly followed.

Near one of the old trees...

T was sitting beneath the shade.

The morning sunlight slipped through the leaves above her.

Golden spots danced across the ground.

Beside her...

Several strange shapes made from soft earth were lined up.

T proudly lifted one.

"Brother!"

V looked over.

"What?"

"Look!"

She held up the small piece of mud with both hands.

"This is a dragon egg!"

V stared.

Kai stopped eating.

Nefi looked at the strange object.

There was a long silence.

V's lips slowly twitched.

T smiled proudly.

"Isn't it good?"

V tried to hold it.

He failed.

A laugh escaped him.

T immediately laughed.

Then she placed the little mud egg carefully beside her.

She picked up another.

"Look!"

V looked again.

T held it up proudly.

"This one is an elephant egg!"

V stared at it.

Kai stared.

Nefi stared.

The mud shape was roughly the size of a small fruit.

V looked at T.

"An elephant egg?"

T nodded confidently.

"Yes."

V tried not to laugh.

T narrowed her eyes.

"Don't laugh."

V turned away.

"I'm not."

His shoulders moved.

T pointed at him.

"You are!"

V finally laughed.

Kai looked at the mud egg again.

Then at T.

He seemed to seriously consider whether elephants actually laid eggs.

Nefi covered her mouth.

A tiny smile appeared.

T proudly placed both eggs together.

"The dragon egg is smaller."

V nodded.

"That's because the dragon is smaller."

T thought about it.

Then looked at the elephant egg.

"Then why doesn't the elephant egg have a trunk?"

V froze.

Kai looked away.

Nefi's shoulders shook.

T stared at all three.

"What?"

V finally laughed.

"Nothing."

A little later...

The food was finished.

Lily arrived carrying the empty dishes.

"Alright."

She looked at the children.

"Training is over for now."

T proudly showed her the two mud eggs.

"Mom, I made a dragon egg and an elephant egg."

Lily looked at them.

She smiled.

"Very impressive."

T proudly nodded.

Lily carried the dishes back toward the house.

The morning breeze followed her.

T picked up her wooden sword.

V stood opposite her.

"Ready?"

T nodded.

"Ready."

She raised the wooden blade.

V smiled.

"Then come."

Their wooden swords met.

Clack!

T stepped forward.

V blocked.

Clack!

She swung again.

V moved aside.

The sunlight flashed across the wooden blades.

T's small feet moved quickly over the grass.

V watched carefully.

He wasn't simply teaching her how to swing.

He was teaching her how to see.

How to move.

How to wait.

How to strike.

Nearby...

Nefi stood beneath the old tree.

She closed her eyes.

Placed both hands together.

The earth beneath her feet trembled slightly.

She whispered,

"Mother Earth..."

A faint green glow appeared beneath the soil.

"Give me strength..."

Leaves began to move around her.

"Free me from trouble."

The ground responded.

Small roots rose from beneath the soil.

A gentle wave of earth magic moved outward.

Nefi opened her eyes.

She looked at her hands.

The magic flickered.

V noticed.

For a moment...

His eyes moved toward her.

He watched silently.

The roots slowly disappeared beneath the earth.

Nefi smiled.

"I did it."

V gave a small nod.

Then...

A wooden sword struck the ground beside him.

Clack!

V turned.

T was already attacking again.

"Brother!"

V smiled.

"Focus."

T raised her sword.

"You're the one who got distracted!"

V stepped forward.

Their blades met again.

Clack!

Nearby...

Kai stood up.

He looked at V.

Then at T.

Then toward Nefi.

He quietly picked up his wooden sword.

No words.

He simply walked toward V.

V looked at him.

A faint smile appeared.

"Again?"

Kai nodded.

The three young warriors stood beneath the old tree.

Above them...

The leaves danced in the morning breeze.

Beyond them...

The river carried sunlight toward the horizon.

And far away...

A carriage continued toward the Forest of Life.

Inside it...

An old Sage sat beside an enormous sack of salt.

He never looked back.

Not even once.

Because some journeys...

Were not meant to look toward where they came from.

They were meant to discover...

Where they were going.

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