The village square remained unusually lively long after the caravan entered Ashwood.
Children raced between the wagons, marveling at goods they had never seen before.
Bundles of colorful cloth.
Polished steel tools.
Spices whose aromas drifted through the evening air.
Wooden toys carved into the shapes of beasts and birds.
Even the adults couldn’t completely hide their curiosity.
For a village that stood apart from the rest of the kingdom, the Autumn Caravan wasn’t simply a group of merchants.
It was a glimpse of another world.
I watched quietly from the edge of the square.
Yet my attention wasn’t on the wagons.
It was on the young woman riding near the rear of the caravan.
She had disappeared into the crowd after entering the village, but the Origin Core hadn’t forgotten her.
Neither had I.
Unknown Cultivator Detected.
Status: Nearby.
Threat Assessment: Undetermined.
Recommendation: Observe.
Do not provoke.
The notification vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
I frowned.
“Observe, huh…”
That was easier said than done.
Someone capable of making even the Origin Core issue a warning wasn’t someone I wanted to attract attention from.
Unfortunately…
Fate appeared to have different plans.
“Kael!”
Grandma Mira waved from beside our cottage.
“Stop standing around and help me carry these baskets.”
I hurried over.
The caravan’s arrival meant every family was preparing something to trade.
Ashwood had little money.
Instead, villagers exchanged cured meat, medicinal herbs, leather, honey, and carved wooden crafts.
Grandma had spent weeks preparing dried healing herbs.
“They’re worth more than silver to travelers,” she explained while arranging the bundles.
“Out on the road, medicine can mean the difference between life and death.”
I nodded while tying another bundle together.
“So we’ll trade these for supplies?”
“And maybe a few books if we’re lucky.”
Books.
The single word immediately caught my attention.
“There are books?”
Grandma chuckled.
“Not many.”
“But caravans sometimes carry old journals or beginner manuals from nearby towns.”
My heartbeat quickened.
Books meant knowledge.
Knowledge meant fewer guesses.
And in this world…
Knowledge was often more valuable than strength.
Morning arrived beneath a sky painted with soft shades of gold.
The caravan had transformed the usually quiet village into something resembling a bustling marketplace.
Temporary stalls lined the central square.
Merchants displayed rows of polished weapons, farming tools, medicines, colorful fabrics, jewelry, dried fruits, and countless objects I couldn’t even identify.
Everywhere I looked…
Something was new.
Hunter Bran was already arguing over the price of a hunting knife.
Several children stared wide-eyed at a puppet show.
Even Elder Rowan wore an amused smile.
Ashwood felt alive.
“This is your chance.”
Hunter Milo appeared beside me.
“To see how large the world really is.”
I smiled.
“I intend to.”
The first merchant I visited sold maps.
Dozens of them.
Some showed only nearby regions.
Others stretched across entire kingdoms.
One old parchment caught my eye.
Its edges were worn, but the ink remained surprisingly clear.
“What map is this?”
The elderly merchant adjusted his spectacles.
“Ah…”
“That one is special.”
He carefully unfolded it.
Instead of roads…
It showed mountains marked with strange symbols.
Ancient ruins.
Spiritual veins.
Forbidden regions.
Places ordinary travelers never visited.
“An explorer’s map,” he whispered.
“Few understand it.”
I leaned closer.
Several symbols looked strangely familiar.
Not because I had seen them before…
But because the Origin Core reacted.
A faint warmth spread through my chest.
Ancient Spiritual Formation Detected.
Partial Recognition Complete.
Archive Match: 4%.
Before I could study the map further…
Someone reached across the table.
“I’ll take it.”
The voice was calm.
Confident.
And unmistakably familiar.
I looked up.
Amber eyes met mine once again.
The young woman from the caravan stood beside me.
She wore simple traveling robes of dark blue, yet everything about her carried an effortless elegance.
A slender sword rested at her waist.
Unlike the hunters of Ashwood, who radiated physical strength…
She possessed a quiet presence.
The kind that made the air itself seem calmer.
The merchant smiled nervously.
“Lady Elena…”
She glanced toward me.
Then toward the map.
“I know.”
Her voice wasn’t cold.
Nor was it warm.
It was simply…
certain.
“If he wishes to buy it, I won’t interfere.”
She paused.
“But if he cannot…”
“I will.”
The merchant looked between the two of us awkwardly.
I reached into my pouch.
Inside were only a handful of copper coins.
Not nearly enough.
The merchant named a price.
It might as well have been a mountain.
I let out a quiet sigh.
“I can’t afford it.”
The old merchant carefully rolled the parchment closed.
“My apologies.”
The young woman placed several silver coins onto the table without hesitation.
“I’ll take it.”
She accepted the map.
But instead of walking away…
She remained standing there.
Studying me.
Not my clothes.
Not my face.
Me.
As though trying to solve a puzzle.
Finally, she spoke.
“You’re unusual.”
My expression remained calm.
“In what way?”
Her amber eyes narrowed slightly.
“I don’t know.”
“…yet.”
For a brief second…
The Origin Core pulsed again.
Faster than before.
Warning.
Subject has sensed irregular spiritual fluctuations.
Probability of concealment failure: 3%.
The number was low.
But it wasn’t zero.
Lady Elena gave the map one last glance before turning away.
“We’ll meet again.”
It wasn’t a question.
It sounded like certainty.
As she disappeared into the crowd, I exhaled slowly.
I had come to the market hoping to learn about the outside world.
Instead…
Someone from that world had already begun taking an interest in me.
And somehow…
I couldn’t shake the feeling that this meeting was only the beginning.
Lady Elena disappeared into the sea of merchants, leaving me standing before the old map seller.
For several moments, I simply watched her retreating figure.
She never looked back.
Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew exactly where I was.
The Origin Core remained unusually quiet.
No new warnings.
No new notifications.
That silence made me even more cautious.
“Don’t worry too much about that map, lad.”
The old merchant chuckled as he packed away the remaining scrolls.
“I’ve seen that look before.”
I blinked.
“What look?”
“The look of someone who has discovered there’s a much larger world waiting outside his village.”
I smiled faintly.
“Is it that obvious?”
He laughed.
“To an old traveler?”
“Very.”
He reached beneath his stall and pulled out a smaller, newer map.
“This one isn’t nearly as special.”
“It only shows the Kingdom of Asteria and the surrounding provinces.”
He unrolled it across the table.
Riverstone City.
Silver Lake.
The King’s Road.
Wolf’s Pass.
Many of the places Elder Rowan had shown me yesterday were marked clearly.
“This one is affordable.”
I counted my remaining coins.
Barely enough.
After a brief hesitation, I handed them over.
The merchant nodded approvingly.
“A traveler without a map is like a hunter without eyes.”
I carefully rolled the parchment and tucked it into my backpack.
It wasn’t an ancient treasure.
But it was the first piece of the outside world that truly belonged to me.
The marketplace grew busier as the morning passed.
Hunter Bran proudly compared hunting knives with caravan guards.
Grandma Mira traded nearly all of her medicinal herbs before noon.
The children gathered around a storyteller who spoke of dragons that slept beneath mountains and cities built above the clouds.
Most of the stories were probably exaggerated.
Still…
Every tale reminded me how little I actually knew.
Ashwood had been my entire world.
Now I realized…
It was only a single page in an enormous book.
“Kael.”
I turned to find Elder Rowan approaching.
“I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
Before I could ask who, he led me toward the largest wagon in the caravan.
Several armed guards stood nearby.
Unlike ordinary mercenaries, their discipline was unmistakable.
Every movement was precise.
Every glance remained alert.
They weren’t protecting merchandise alone.
They were protecting someone important.
Standing beside the wagon was Garrick, the caravan master.
He greeted Rowan with a warm smile.
“My old friend.”
“You’ve aged another year.”
Rowan snorted.
“So have you.”
The two old men laughed before Garrick’s eyes settled on me.
“So…”
“This is the boy you’ve mentioned in your letters.”
I froze.
“Letters?”
Rowan looked slightly embarrassed.
“I’ve known Garrick for over twenty years.”
“When the caravan passes through, we exchange news.”
Garrick studied me carefully.
“There aren’t many children in villages this remote who ask for books instead of sweets.”
“You’ve made quite an impression.”
I bowed politely.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Garrick.”
His laughter echoed through the square.
“Good manners.”
“That’s rare these days.”
Before the conversation could continue, footsteps approached from behind.
Lady Elena.
She stopped beside Garrick without saying a word.
“This is my granddaughter,” Garrick said.
“Elena.”
“I believe you’ve already met.”
She gave a slight nod.
“We have.”
Her gaze lingered on me for only a moment before turning to Elder Rowan.
“Grandfather.”
“The formations around this village…”
“They’re interesting.”
My heart skipped.
Formations?
Ashwood had formations?
Rowan smiled knowingly.
“They’re old.”
“Older than the village itself.”
“Most have long since faded.”
Elena nodded thoughtfully but said nothing more.
The Origin Core, however, pulsed once.
Keyword Detected: Ancient Formation.
Archive Synchronization: +1%
Current Synchronization: 27%
Another percentage increase…
Simply from hearing those words.
Whatever the Origin Core truly was…
It had some connection to the forgotten history of this place.
The afternoon passed peacefully.
Merchants bartered with villagers.
Children laughed.
Musicians filled the square with cheerful melodies.
For a while…
It almost felt like a festival.
Then—
A loud shout erupted near the western stalls.
“Thief!”
A young man sprinted through the crowd, clutching a leather pouch.
Several merchants gave chase, but the crowd slowed them down.
The thief shoved villagers aside as he ran.
Straight toward Grandma Mira.
She never saw him coming.
“Grandma!”
Without thinking, I lunged forward.
At the same moment, the thief slammed into her shoulder.
She stumbled backward.
Time seemed to slow.
Before she could hit the ground, I caught her.
The pouch slipped from the thief’s hands and scattered silver coins across the road.
Caravan guards immediately surrounded him.
Within seconds, he was restrained.
The square fell silent.
Grandma Mira steadied herself against my arm.
“I’m alright…”
“I’m alright.”
But my heart was still racing.
I hadn’t been afraid of the thief.
I had been afraid of losing the only family I had left.
From across the square…
Lady Elena watched everything.
Her sharp eyes didn’t focus on the thief.
They focused on me.
More precisely…
On the speed with which I had moved.
A thoughtful expression crossed her face.
As if another piece of a puzzle had fallen into place.
She turned quietly toward her grandfather.
“The boy…”
“He’s hiding something.”
Garrick folded his arms.
“I noticed.”
Neither of them spoke again.
But I could feel it.
The curiosity in their eyes had only grown stronger.
And deep within my chest…
The Origin Core gave a slow, steady pulse.
Almost as if it, too, was waiting for the moment when the truth could no longer remain hidden.