Chapter 57: A Quiet Day

For the first time in what felt like forever, Rin woke up without a strange memory attacking him.

No ancient battlefield, no mysterious voice, no System warning, no glowing symbols. Nothing.

Rin opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling.

"...That’s suspicious."

He waited. Nothing happened. Rin slowly sat up. Still nothing.

He looked toward the window. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Somewhere outside, someone was shouting at Vorak. Rin smiled.

"Okay. That’s normal."

He got dressed and left his room. The moment he entered the hallway, Selena nearly walked into him.

"Rin!"

"Morning."

She stopped.

"You look strangely happy."

"I’m having a normal morning."

Selena stared at him.

"That’s suspicious."

Rin pointed at her.

"Exactly what I thought."

She laughed.

"Come on. Everyone’s downstairs."

"Everyone?"

"Almost."

Rin followed her. The dining hall was already chaotic. Vorak was arguing with a servant about breakfast.

"I asked for six."

"You already had six."

"Six more."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because there aren’t enough."

Vorak looked genuinely confused.

"There are always enough."

Sol was sitting nearby, watching with the expression of someone who had accepted that this was simply his life now.

Lucien was reading a report. Noctis was drinking tea.

And Kaelith... was trying to pretend he wasn’t listening to everyone.

Rin sat beside him.

"Morning."

Kaelith glanced at him.

"Morning."

Rin reached for the bread. Vorak immediately shouted:

"RIN!"

Rin froze.

"What?"

"Don’t take that."

"Why?"

"I was going to eat it."

Rin looked at the bread. Then at Vorak. Then calmly took it.

Vorak stared.

"Rin."

"Yes?"

"That’s mine."

Rin smiled.

"Not anymore."

Selena burst out laughing. Lucien lowered his report.

"He’s learning."

Vorak pointed at Rin.

"You’re becoming evil."

Rin took a bite.

"I had excellent teachers."

Kaelith quietly smiled. Rin noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You smiled."

"No."

"You did."

Kaelith looked away. Rin grinned.

"Interesting."

After breakfast, Selena dragged Rin outside.

"I need your help."

Rin immediately became suspicious.

"With what?"

"Something simple."

"That’s what people say before making my life miserable."

Selena ignored him. They walked toward one of the smaller courtyards. There, several boxes had been stacked.

Rin stared.

"What are those?"

"Supplies."

"Why am I here?"

"Because I need someone to check them."

Rin pointed toward Lucien.

"He’s a general. He’s busy."

"Kaelith?"

"Busy."

"Sol?"

"Busy."

"Noctis?"

"Probably hiding."

Rin nodded.

"So I’m the victim."

Selena smiled.

"Exactly."

Rin sighed.

"Fine."

He opened the first box. Clothes.

Second. Medicine.

Third. Food.

Fourth. Something wrapped in dark cloth.

Rin stopped.

"What’s this?"

Selena frowned.

"I don’t know."

Rin carefully opened it. Inside was an old piece of metal.

Small. Broken. With a strange symbol carved into it. Rin’s expression changed.

The symbol was familiar but he couldn’t remember where he’d seen it.

Selena noticed.

"You know it?"

"No."

The bell didn’t ring. Rin was telling the truth.

He genuinely didn’t know. He turned the object over. There was a second mark underneath.

A small circle with a line through it. Rin’s chest suddenly became warm. He dropped the object.

Selena immediately crouched.

"Rin?"

"I’m fine."

The warmth disappeared. Rin picked it up again.

Nothing. Strange.

"Where did this come from?"

Selena looked through the papers.

"It was recovered during our investigation."

"From where?"

"The northern ruins."

Rin stared at her.

"The same ruins you told us about?"

"Yes."

Rin became quiet. Selena noticed.

"Something wrong?"

"I don’t know."

He placed the object back inside the cloth.

"Let’s show Kaelith."

Selena nodded. Kaelith examined the object in silence.

Lucien stood beside him. Vorak was eating something behind them.

Sol watched from across the room. Rin stood near the table.

"What is it?" Rin asked.

Kaelith shook his head.

"I don’t know."

Lucien looked closer.

"Neither do I."

Selena sighed.

"So much for our experts."

Rin laughed. Kaelith gave her a look. She smiled innocently. Then Lucien noticed something.

"Wait."

Everyone turned. He pointed toward the bottom of the object.

"There."

A tiny inscription. Rin leaned closer. Only two letters were visible.

A. E.

His heart skipped.

Aelion?

Maybe but before he could say anything—

the bell rang.

Ding.

Rin froze. Someone had spoken but not about the object.

Lucien had said:

"I’ve seen this before."

The bell. Rin looked at him. Lucien frowned.

"What?"

Rin didn’t answer. He had never heard the bell when Lucien spoke before. Something about that statement wasn’t true.

But what?

Lucien genuinely seemed convinced. Rin couldn’t expose his ability. He couldn’t ask directly. So he smiled.

"Where?"

Lucien thought.

"In a temple."

"When?"

"Years ago."

The bell didn’t ring. That part was true. Rin’s eyes narrowed.

So the lie wasn’t that Lucien had seen the symbol. It was something else.

Maybe he had seen something similar. Maybe he was mistaken.

Or maybe...someone had altered his memory too.

Rin’s stomach tightened. This wasn’t only happening to him. That evening, Rin walked alone through the eastern corridor.

He needed air. Too many questions. Too many strange connections.

The ancient memory. The feather. The System. The God.

The mysterious object and now Lucien’s strange statement. Rin leaned against the wall.

"At least nobody has tried to kill me today."

A voice came from behind him.

"Give it time."

Rin turned. Kaelith. Rin smiled.

"You really know how to make someone feel safe."

"I’m realistic."

"That’s your excuse?"

"Yes."

Kaelith walked beside him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Rin looked ahead.

"Everything."

"That’s too much."

"I know."

Kaelith was quiet. Then he said:

"You can start with one thing."

Rin looked at him.

"What?"

"What’s bothering you the most?"

Rin thought.

"The memories."

Kaelith nodded.

"Then start there."

Rin hesitated.

"I saw you."

Kaelith stopped.

"Again?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"You were..."

Rin paused. He didn’t want to say destroying worlds.

"...somewhere dangerous."

Kaelith studied him.

"Was I hurting you?"

Rin shook his head.

"I don’t know."

"Was I helping you?"

"I don’t know."

Kaelith smiled faintly.

"You’re very good at giving answers."

Rin laughed.

"Sorry."

"It’s fine."

They continued walking. After a while, Rin said:

"Do you want to know something strange?"

"What?"

"I feel like I knew you before."

Kaelith didn’t laugh. Instead, he looked at Rin.

"I feel that too."

Rin’s heart skipped.

"You do?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I don’t know."

Kaelith looked away.

"Sometimes when I look at you, I feel like I’ve forgotten something."

Rin became quiet.

"What?"

"I don’t know."

The answer was honest. The bell didn’t sound. Rin believed him and somehow that made the mystery even more frightening.

Because whatever connected them... neither of them had chosen to remember it.

They reached the balcony. The sun was setting. Rin leaned against the railing.

Kaelith stood beside him. Neither spoke. Then Rin quietly said:

"Maybe we don’t need to remember everything yet."

Kaelith looked at him.

"Maybe."

"Maybe some things can happen naturally."

Kaelith smiled.

"Like what?"

Rin shrugged.

"Friendship."

Kaelith nodded.

"Friendship."

Rin smiled.

"Don’t make it weird."

"I wasn’t."

"You were thinking something."

"No."

The bell didn’t ring. Rin laughed.

"Fine."

They remained there together.

No memories. No secrets spoken. No answers. Just the quiet evening and for once, Rin didn’t feel the need to chase the past.

He had the present. His brother. His friends. The fortress and Kaelith beside him. That was enough. For now.

Far away, beneath the ruins in the north, something moved.

The broken object Rin had examined earlier was not the only piece.

Deep inside the abandoned temple, another fragment of the same symbol rested beneath the stone.

And when Rin had touched the first piece... the second had awakened.

A faint golden light traveled through the underground ruins.

Then a voice whispered from the darkness:

"He’s remembering."

Another voice answered.

"Not yet."

Silence.

Then:

"Let him."

The light disappeared. And the ruins returned to darkness.

Neither Rin nor Kaelith knew but the past had begun moving again.