The festival-like atmosphere lingered long after the incident with the thief.
The merchants returned to their stalls.
The villagers resumed their trading.
Laughter slowly replaced the tension that had settled over the square.
Yet I couldn’t relax.
Not because of the thief.
Because of Lady Elena.
Twice now, she had looked at me as though she could see something hidden beneath my skin.
Thankfully, she hadn’t asked any questions.
Unfortunately…
That didn’t mean she had stopped searching for answers.
The next morning, Ashwood awoke beneath a blanket of silver mist.
The caravan bustled with activity.
Horses were brushed.
Wheels inspected.
Crates reorganized.
Several merchants called out their final bargains before continuing their journey.
I helped Grandma Mira pack away the supplies we had traded for.
A sturdy iron cooking pot.
Several sacks of grain.
Fresh medicine.
And…
Three old books.
My eyes immediately settled on them.
One was a collection of herbal remedies.
Another recorded common beasts found throughout Asteria.
The last had no title.
Its faded leather cover was cracked with age.
“Where did this come from?”
Grandma smiled.
“Garrick gave it to me.”
“He said most merchants couldn’t even read it.”
I carefully opened the first page.
The writing wasn’t in any language I recognized.
Strange symbols filled every line.
Some resembled stars.
Others looked like flowing rivers carved into stone.
The moment my fingers touched the page…
Warmth spread through my chest.
Ancient Script Detected.
Archive Compatibility: Confirmed.
Translation Module: Partial Activation.
The unfamiliar symbols blurred before my eyes.
Then…
A single sentence slowly became understandable.
“The First Origin sleeps where heaven once touched the earth.”
I froze.
The letters returned to their unreadable state almost immediately.
Only that one sentence remained clear in my memory.
“What is it?”
Grandma noticed my expression.
I quickly closed the book.
“Nothing.”
“…I was just curious.”
She smiled without suspicion.
“Then keep it.”
“I doubt anyone else here would ever read it.”
After breakfast, I climbed the familiar hill overlooking Ashwood.
The mysterious book rested inside my backpack.
The village below was alive with activity.
The caravan would depart by noon.
If I wanted answers…
This might be my only opportunity.
A voice interrupted my thoughts.
“You’re avoiding the crowd.”
I turned.
Lady Elena stood a few steps behind me.
She wasn’t wearing the elegant cloak from yesterday.
Instead, she had exchanged it for simple training clothes, though the sword at her waist remained.
“I like quiet places,” I replied.
“So do I.”
She stepped beside me and looked over the village.
“For such a small place…”
“It feels peaceful.”
“It is.”
She nodded.
“Peace is surprisingly valuable.”
For several moments, neither of us spoke.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was…
measured.
As though each of us waited for the other to make the first move.
Finally, she asked,
“How old are you?”
“Twelve.”
“Hm.”
“And you’ve never left Ashwood?”
“No.”
“But you want to.”
I smiled faintly.
“Is it that obvious?”
She chuckled softly.
“The way you looked at the maps yesterday answered that question.”
She folded her hands behind her back.
“I was the same.”
“My first journey began when I was thirteen.”
“What was it like?”
Her eyes drifted toward the distant mountains.
“Terrifying.”
“…and beautiful.”
“I thought the world would become smaller once I started traveling.”
She laughed quietly.
“It only became larger.”
I listened carefully.
Unlike the stories told by wandering merchants…
Her words carried experience.
She continued,
“I’ve crossed deserts where the sand sings at night.”
“I’ve seen lakes that reflect tomorrow instead of today.”
“I once stood beneath a tree whose branches reached above the clouds.”
Every sentence painted another impossible image inside my mind.
The world truly was far stranger than I had imagined.
Then…
She suddenly asked,
“Have you ever heard of the Origin Ruins?”
My heartbeat skipped.
The Origin Core gave a faint pulse.
I forced myself to remain calm.
“I haven’t.”
She studied my expression.
“There are many forgotten places throughout the continent.”
“Most people believe they were built by civilizations that disappeared long before the current kingdoms existed.”
She paused.
“Some scholars call them myths.”
“My grandfather disagrees.”
“And you?”
“I believe myths usually begin with truth.”
At that moment…
The book inside my backpack became noticeably warm.
Not hot.
Just…
Aware.
Almost as if it recognized the conversation.
Ancient Keyword Detected.
Origin Ruins.
Archive Synchronization: 28%.
Additional Records Locked.
Unlock Condition: Discover First Origin Site.
My breathing nearly stopped.
First Origin Site?
There were multiple?
Before I could think further…
A loud horn echoed through the village.
The caravan was preparing to depart.
Elena glanced toward the square before looking back at me.
“It seems our conversation will have to wait.”
She reached into a small pouch at her waist and placed something into my hand.
It was a smooth bronze token engraved with a soaring hawk surrounded by a circle.
“The emblem of the Golden Road Trading Company.”
“If you ever reach Riverstone City…”
“Show this at any Golden Road caravan office.”
“They’ll know you’re a friend.”
I looked at the token in surprise.
“You barely know me.”
She smiled for the first time.
A genuine smile.
“Sometimes…”
“You don’t need years to recognize potential.”
Before I could respond, she turned and walked back toward the waiting caravan.
I stood silently on the hill, the bronze token resting in my palm.
Deep within my chest, the Origin Core pulsed once more.
For the first time…
It wasn’t reacting to danger.
It was reacting to destiny.
The bronze token felt unexpectedly heavy in my hand.
Not because of its weight.
Because of what it represented.
A connection.
Until yesterday, the world beyond Ashwood had been nothing more than stories told around a fire.
Now…
I possessed something that belonged to it.
I slipped the token into a small pouch beneath my tunic.
For some reason, I didn’t want anyone else to see it.
Not yet.
The deep blast of the caravan horn echoed through the village once more.
Merchants began loading the last of their supplies.
Children waved excitedly as horses were harnessed to the wagons.
Villagers gathered near the gate to say their farewells.
Grandma Mira stood beside me, smiling warmly.
“It feels quieter already.”
“They haven’t even left.”
She laughed softly.
“That’s how it always is.”
“The caravan brings excitement.”
“And when it leaves…”
“You remember just how peaceful Ashwood truly is.”
I watched Garrick climb onto the lead wagon.
His experienced eyes swept across the village one final time.
“Elder Rowan!”
“I hope we’ll meet again next autumn.”
Rowan inclined his head.
“You’ll always be welcome here.”
The old merchant smiled.
“Take care of that grandson of yours.”
“I have a feeling he’ll surprise us all someday.”
Grandma Mira glanced at me with a puzzled expression.
“What did he mean by that?”
I scratched the back of my head.
“I honestly don’t know.”
The wagons slowly rolled forward.
Wooden wheels creaked over the dirt road.
The guards took their positions along the caravan’s sides.
As the final wagon reached the village gate, Lady Elena looked back.
For a brief moment, our eyes met across the distance.
She raised two fingers in a silent farewell.
I returned the gesture.
Then the caravan disappeared into the forest.
The sound of wagon wheels gradually faded.
Ashwood became quiet once again.
That evening, Elder Rowan called for a village meeting.
Everyone gathered around the central fire.
“But it also brought news.”
His expression became serious.
“The northern frontier has grown unstable.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Rowan continued,
“Several villages have reported unusual beast activity.”
“Hunting parties have vanished.”
“Trade routes are becoming more dangerous.”
Hunter Milo folded his arms.
“Another beast tide?”
Rowan slowly shook his head.
“No.”
“Worse.”
“The attacks appear…
organized.”
The square fell silent.
Organized?
Beasts acting together?
Even I knew something about that felt wrong.
Rowan noticed everyone’s expressions.
“There are only rumors for now.”
“But we cannot become complacent.”
“The hunters will increase patrols beginning tomorrow.”
The villagers nodded.
No one argued.
Ashwood had survived one disaster.
No one wished to invite another.
Later that night, I couldn’t sleep.
Moonlight filtered through the cottage window.
The mysterious leather-bound book rested beside my bed.
Ever since Elena mentioned the Origin Ruins…
The Origin Core had remained unusually active.
I carefully picked up the book.
The strange symbols still covered every page.
Most remained unreadable.
Then…
A single page shimmered faintly.
The letters shifted before my eyes.
Slowly…
One paragraph became clear.
“When the First Origin scattered across the heavens, fragments fell into every corner of the world.
Those chosen by the Origin would walk paths unseen by destiny itself.”
Before I could read another line—
The text vanished.
The page returned to incomprehensible symbols.
Archive Synchronization: 29%.
Historical Records Partially Restored.
Warning: Information Incomplete.
“Chosen by the Origin…”
I whispered the words to myself.
Was that what I was?
Or was I merely someone who happened to inherit the Origin Core?
The difference mattered.
One suggested fate.
The other…
Choice.
I preferred the second.
A sudden knock echoed against the cottage door.
Three slow knocks.
Grandma Mira stirred from her room.
“Who could that be at this hour?”
I was already on my feet.
When I opened the door, Hunter Daren stood outside, his expression unusually grim.
“Elder Rowan needs you.”
“Now.”
“What happened?”
He looked toward the dark forest beyond the village walls.
“A patrol found something.”
“What kind of something?”
For the first time since I had known him…
I saw uncertainty in Daren’s eyes.
“Tracks.”
“But they don’t belong to any beast we’ve ever seen.”
Minutes later, several hunters, Elder Rowan, Milo, and I stood near Ashwood’s eastern boundary.
The moon illuminated the ground just enough to reveal deep impressions in the damp earth.
They looked like wolf tracks…
Yet each print was nearly twice the size of the Emerald Fang Wolf I had fought.
Even stranger…
The spacing between them was perfectly even.
Disciplined.
Deliberate.
Hunter Milo crouched beside the trail.
“They weren’t hunting.”
“They were marching.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Origin Sense expanded instinctively.
For an instant…
I felt it.
Far beyond the trees.
A faint wave of spiritual energy.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching.
The feeling disappeared before I could grasp it.
But the Origin Core reacted immediately.
Unknown Presence Detected.
Distance: Beyond Detection Range.
Threat Assessment: Impossible to Calculate.
Priority Directive Updated:
Grow stronger.
I stared into the endless darkness of the forest.
Somewhere beyond those trees…
Something had awakened.
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
I felt that the true story of my journey was about to begin.