Ashe was holding a snake that had been cut open, its blood seeping into his nails. Then he cut it into several pieces and spread them on the smooth branches. Before roasting it, he had to take into account the smell of the blood.

He didn't know what animal might be drawn to the scent, or even a monster.

So he left the meat on the ground. With the help of leaves, he cleaned his hands as best he could, removing the excess smell. Then he climbed the tree and intended to wait for a few minutes.

There was silence. Nothing appeared, but out of caution, he waited another ten minutes. He held his sword in his hand so that he would be ready to defend his meal.

Fortunately, the snake's blood didn't seem attractive to any nearby animals. Ashe returned to his starting position and had to think about how to remain unnoticed before lighting the fire.

His teaching didn't miss this either. When he reached the ground, he found an impractical use of the sword. He dug the surface, first creating a vertical depth. At the end of it, he worked horizontally using his hand and made a small tunnel. This was where he was to light a fire and burn the snake. The sword was finding a new use, and with its help, he could use two methods.

The first was through sparks. For this, he had to find limestone or green clay. He would hit the material hard with his sword and use the sparks that were created to start a fire.

The second would be more laborious, and its success wasn't guaranteed. This was the reflection of sunlight. It was the reflection of sunlight, which the boy quickly ruled out.

For the first method, he had to find limestone or green clay. Given the geological structure of the forest, the latter would be easier to find. He also collected dry leaves and a few thin branches.

Ashe put what he learned into practice and started a fire with sparks. He moved it into a tunnel to quickly hide the smoke. Then he added raw branches to further limit its production.

Fifteen minutes later, he was holding the roasted meat and eating it deliciously.

'I wish I had salt,' he mumbled, resuming his journey.

The stop wasted more than enough time, and he set off for Zalindar. He walked all day again until it was dark, and his legs gave out. He dared not venture further, for the extra energy was necessary to survive in a difficult situation.

Even though the number of animals had increased, he hadn't come across any trace of the monsters. The areas around Dreadvale felt much simpler and safer compared to the outskirts of Zalindar. The city where the boy had grown up was protected from the appearance of monsters in its vicinity.

'I missed my bed, or at least a decent place to lie down.'

He adapted to sleeping on a tree, but it still wasn't pleasant.

Despite his grumbling, closing his eyes was enough to put him to sleep. He couldn't sleep soundly, but he was also able to rest in his wakefulness.

He felt hungry immediately upon waking. Not only that, but he ate only once a day and couldn't afford to take any more breaks. Ashe wanted to get through Draylock Grove quickly. The boy had to leave behind a large part of the snake and regretted it on an empty stomach. It was time for a new hunt, and he repeated the experience of the previous morning.

His routine life continued for several more days. One night, before going to bed, he looked through the book Avi gave him. He filled in a few blank pages and described his experiences. As he wrote in his diary everything that came to mind, that night Ashe slept with extraordinary peace.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The journey had taken longer than he had originally thought. Zalindar was farther away than his maps had told him. They lived in his head. His photographic memory was excellent, but he had to study them so often that he would have memorised them even without this ability.

[1226; 4; 17; 51]

The time remaining on the timer was ticking. Ashe also got used to his new life, yet he only wanted to get to the city as soon as possible.

[0.56% - 8.78%]

The fragment counter didn't move. It seemed that neither the boy nor the other people had discovered anything important.

On the other hand, his tiring journey paid off. At least he could see the high, 30-metre walls to which he was only a couple of hours away. He was in a low place near the mountain; the horizon seemed vast, and he couldn't see the end of it.

With increased enthusiasm, he quickened his steps and practically ran towards Zalindar. The majestic walls were getting closer every minute. They were also growing in size, and the boy was in a hurry to get inside. After half an hour, when he reached the height of the city, he had to stop.

It was his choice, really, but there was a trigger that made him do it.

He reached the edge of Draylock Grove and was poking his head into the misty trees. It wasn't thick enough to make him lose his way, but he had to slow down and be careful. He didn't want to accidentally leave the road and make it even more confusing.

In this fog, he heard a voice and slowed down. A cry that he wouldn't only not come to but would run away from. But there was something else about this voice that immediately piqued his interest.

They were fragments, colourful pieces floating in the air. Coming from different directions but converging on the same path. Before that, they stopped near the boy, as if trying to be visible to him. They were attractive not only in appearance but also in their purpose.

This was part of the prophecy. An unusual expression that was calling for Ashe.

No other Binder or sane person would have gone to it. Neither the sound nor the fragments flying toward it should be taken into account.

Ashe's situation was different. He had a covenant to the prophecy. His Mark, which changed his appearance, confirmed this. There was no need to talk about the future the fragments foretold. This was his fate and destiny, and he had no reason to run from it.

So the boy followed the fragments, which in turn guided him toward the sound.

He got closer, and the voice became clearer. It didn't sound like language—it sounded like an echo of forged, incoherent words. Its speaker seemed more natural than human. A boundless body trying to communicate with Ashe, but he couldn't decipher it.

He had to walk through the foggy valley, through the trees. Something he had been doing for the past few days, but the distance between the trees was much smaller. The plants became denser, and the boy struggled to get through.

Finally, it seemed that he passed all the trees. In the emptiness, he looked at the fragments left by the fog, which led to a cliff. However, this slope didn't seem to be real. It was more like a change in dimensions, caught between reality and illusion.

Ashe followed the fragments and climbed a small hill on the mountain. It wasn't steep, as if it had been specially designed for easy climbing. At its small peak, a new ridge began, and one could see a large cave there.

Darkened, the surrounding fog was gone, and the sound came from inside. The fragments rushed in until the boy had a good look at the entrance.

Without giving up, he followed them, and in the dark cave, he could only see fragments. They changed colours when they touched each other, but they never stopped. Ashe wanted to know where they were taking him, but he had to walk even further.

He didn't have to do much. Soon he saw torches burning on the wall, which burned with something more transparent than fire. The corridor was wide, at least ten meters, and the boy moved freely.

The depth was much greater, but it finally appeared.

Ashe approached the source of the sound. An enormous gate that completely blocked the path and fully swallowed up the fragments that come so far.

'And what do I do now?' the boy asked, using the light to search for the doorknob. He found nothing of the kind; his attention shifted to intricate carvings that mirrored the unknown patterns. The influence of the prophecy was felt on the metal frame. The runes were hard to see as if they couldn't even exist in reality.

The gate was waiting for something, and it wouldn't open until it received it.

'Then I must try something,' he said and touched the door with his hand. He felt a vibration and nothing more. It seemed alive, but it didn't react to his touch.

Ashe learned that some ancient objects required blood contact to activate. This was how the prophecy recognised people and then made a decision.

The boy took the sword, pressed his teeth together, and lowered it into the palm of his hand.

He pushed the sharp pain to the back of his mind. He placed his bloody hand on the door again.

This time, there was no vibration. Instead, the numbers in the boy's head were distorted, mixed up, and turned into chaos. He couldn't even tell what was happening. As the numbers blurred in his mind, he heard the sound once again. Only for a moment.

As a result, his vision went black, and his lifeless body fell to the ground.