Five figures sat around a low campfire. Above the black-and-red coals, a spit slowly turned, crackling and releasing bitter smoke. Some unknown creature's meat roasted over the fire — the flesh dark crimson, laced with dull fat that dripped and hissed as it hit the flames. The scent was sharp, metallic with a bitter tang — and yet, it made them hungry.
The wind, rolling down from gray clouds that looked washed with ash, barely stirred the edges of their cloaks. There was no sun in this world — only a thick, ever-dim light leaking from the clouds themselves. It gave no warmth, only enough visibility to see shapes and silhouettes.
Shadows from the fire danced across their faces, warping their features: noses looked longer, eyes deeper, and sometimes their faces resembled masks carved from wood. No one spoke. Only the fire's crackling, the whistle of wind, and the scent of meat filled the silence.
— Pass the skewers. The meat's ready, — one of them said quietly, not lifting his head as he reached toward the fire.
— Here, — another replied, tossing metal rods with sharpened tips. They landed with a dull clang against the stones by the fire.
— Hey, Lein, — a voice called. — You want yours with fat or without?
— Without, — Lein answered curtly, without looking at the speaker.
«Tch. Didn't even get far before they caught up...»
He still couldn't believe how quickly they had found him. He'd hoped to disappear, to vanish into the endless plains beyond the city. But not even half an hour had passed before Lenar caught up to him — the Shadow Scout whose footsteps were quieter than breath. These people weren't openly cruel, but their gazes spoke louder than threats: one more escape, and you'll regret it.
Now, as if mocking him, they had invited him to dinner. Lein didn't want food, didn't want company. But against their persistence, he had neither the strength nor the will to resist.
«Fine. To hell with all this. Right now, I need to find out the truth. The princess knows Raine… or did someone else slip up? I'll deal with that later.»
He took a skewer, snapped off a piece of meat with effort, and cautiously put it in his mouth.
Beneath the crisp, roasted crust was juicy, dark flesh, smoky and vaguely reminiscent of wild boar. Lein chewed slowly, silently.
— Well then, now that we've more or less cleared the air, — he said, setting the skewer aside and sitting up straighter, — care to share your secret? How did you awaken powers... without forming a core?
Elisa — a woman with a cold, observant look in her eyes and a straight-backed posture, sitting closest to the fire — paused for a moment. Smoke slid across her face, and in that instant, her lips curved into a faint smirk.
— Are you sure we're not Beyonders? — she asked with a sly squint.
— I'm sure, — Lein replied sharply. — You don't have cores. Which means you're not them.
— Then why can each of us use powers that only they should have?
— That is the mystery, isn't it? But you know what? I think the answer's sitting right in front of me — all four of them.
— You're right, — Ed interjected. He was sitting nearby, arms crossed over his knees. His armor was dark and matte, almost smoke-stained, and the visor of his helmet muffled his voice, turning it into a low echo. — We're hiding a lot. But you already know too much... and you're the old man's student. That makes you one of us.
He paused, then continued:
— I think you have the right to know.
He glanced at Elisa. She nodded — heavy, silent.
Ed stood up, adjusted the shoulder plates of his armor, and stepped closer to the fire.
— Look, kid… we're not actually from this place. We came from another... uh, planet? Not sure that's even the right word.
Lein opened his mouth, then closed it again. He was surprised — no, he was stunned.
— W-What do you mean, another planet!? There are other planets!?
Ed shrugged.
— Honestly, I don't know. I'm not even sure if this is a planet or just some... fragment.
Lein looked around, searching for any sign that this was a joke. Unfortunately, every face around him was serious and grim.
— So what exactly is this fragment of yours?
— It's... hard to put into words.
— Try anyway! — Lein insisted.
Ed sighed. He glanced again at Elisa. She smiled slightly and nodded.
— Alright, — he exhaled and began, — It all started with portals, — said Ed. — They just started... appearing. First one. Then another. We had no idea what they were. But all of them led to different worlds. Different stories. We called them Story Fragments. And over time, we found that some of these worlds were connected — somehow. Like they were different chapters of a world that once existed.
— At first, they seemed harmless. We explored them. Each one was different. Some were peaceful, even beautiful. But over time, things changed. Fragments started releasing catastrophes — monsters, disasters, things that wiped out cities. Maybe even whole countries.
He paused, letting that sink in.
— And unfortunately, once a fragment opened, it couldn't be closed... not until everything inside had come out. Monsters, mainly. Only after the last one emerged would the fragment vanish on its own.
— But eventually, — Ed continued, — people found a workaround. If someone entered the fragment before it activated, it would lock shut a few seconds later. That way, nothing could get out.
— The catch? — he sighed. — Once it closed, no one else could get in. That meant it had to be handled by a full team — and if that team died, the fragment would reopen for someone else. Each fragment only allowed five people in, max. And we also noticed... the story inside never repeated. Not once. If a team failed, the next team faced a new version.
— Our scientists — you'd probably call them sages — believe that each fragment recreates a real catastrophe that once happened. We're sent in to change the outcome. To fix history.
— Apparently, fragments also have levels. From the first... up to the eighth. The higher the level, the worse the disaster. And passing each level strengthens our core. If you're wondering, Lein... we're in a first-level fragment right now. Just imagine what's waiting in level two... or three...
At that moment, Elisa coughed softly — a signal to stop.
Lein grew silent, thoughtful. Then he asked:
— What about the princess? I mean... do you take over people's bodies?
The white-haired mage, Kai, smiled.
— Well... yes and no. We take their roles, but the bodies remain ours. The thing is, you people — the ones inside the fragment — subconsciously forget what the real version looked like, how she acted, or where her powers came from.
— Sometimes you notice something's wrong, but your attention slips away seconds later. See… the truth is, the "real" princess never existed. If you asked the king when she was born, he'd forget the question halfway through.
Kai leaned in slightly, voice lowering.
— That's why you're special, Lein. While everyone else overlooks the strange details, you confront them directly. You ask questions. That's why we wanted to talk to you. And your mentor, Raine… He knows the truth too. At least part of it. That alone is rare.
Lein said nothing for a long moment. Finally, he asked:
— So your mission in this… fragment… is to kill the dragon?
The group fell silent. Then the "princess" herself finally spoke:
— Actually… not necessarily.
Even her own teammates looked surprised.
— Did you all take a few too many hits to the head? — she snapped. — Yes, killing the dragon is one goal. But not the only one. The real reason we need to kill it... is to stop it from destroying Dusk City.
— And why must we protect the city? Because someone important is here. Someone who must not die, under any circumstances.
Her tone sharpened.
— It's a fact. There've been plenty of idiots who killed civilians. Sometimes they got lucky and still cleared the fragment. But when they killed the key person, the whole thing failed — and the monsters got out into the real world.
— If we can protect that person, we can complete the fragment. Simple as that.
The others nodded slowly, absorbing her words. But Lein, after a moment's thought, shook his head.
— Something doesn't add up.
— What? — Elisa asked, surprised.
— Let's say you're right. You save this "key person" by hiding them somewhere. But if you do that... how can they carry out whatever action made them "key" to begin with?
— Sorry?
— I mean, the person must do something to be important, right? But if you hide them, you stop that from happening. And besides... your sages say these events already happened once. That means the "key person" already died — and yet history continued. So why should it matter now?
— No. I think there are no key people. Not in this fragment. Not in any of them. Just failure... or lies.
Three of them nodded, slowly agreeing with Lein's logic.
«Strange… Then why you, Lein? Why were you marked by the story? Why does it want me to…» — Elisa frowned again, troubled by the thought.
— So, you really think we should kill the dragon? — Elisa asked.
— Of course, — Lein replied firmly.
The five of them sat in silence for a while.
Then Lenar, the Shadow Scout, finally broke it:
— Enough talk about fragments. Let's eat again! I seasoned the meat differently this time!
Lein and the others left the heavy topic behind and turned back to their meal — the same grilled meat Lenar had spoken about so eagerly. Lein chewed slowly, savoring each bite. The meat was truly excellent: tender, smoky, rich with spice. It practically melted on his tongue. And the juice — thick, salty, and fragrant — stung his tongue with its intensity.
After the satisfying meal, Lein decided to return to the cave. He said goodbye to the group.
— See you around, Lein!
— Later, kid.
— Till next time!
— …
Elisa, of course, said nothing — lost in thought after Lein's words.
He had a lot to think about too. Though he hadn't voiced it, they all sensed what was weighing on him.
«If they really kill the dragon… What happens to us? Do we just... vanish? They said we're illusions… Am I an illusion? Why does that sound so stupid? And more importantly… what about Raine?»
Unfortunately, no one knew the answer.
And no one would ever find it.
Perhaps.
Lein reached the familiar lake and stopped. After a few seconds, he covered his face with his hands.
— Damn bastard... he still managed to twist everything around... — Lein muttered.
He remembered the question he had asked: how they could use powers without creating a core.
And that bastard Ed had flipped the whole conversation — never answering the one thing that truly mattered.