Chapter 13 – The Man with the Ember Eyes
🌒 The Night Splits
The moon was half-hidden behind drifting clouds when Ved heard it.
Not footsteps. Not wind.
Something more primal: intention.
Saya's body shifted. She was already moving before the leaves rustled.
> "He's here."
The sword on Ved's back felt heavy, as if pulled by unseen weight.
From the darkness, the masked man stepped into view.
Burnt-wood mask. Loose black robes. No visible weapons.
But his presence struck like thunder in still water.
> "Name?" Ved asked.
> "None," the man said. "I am here for your truth."
He took a step forward. The ground under his feet cracked, though he had no visible energy.
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⚔️ No Warning, Only Silence
The masked man blurred forward.
Ved's hand moved instinctively—not like a trained swordsman, but like something remembered.
He parried.
Just barely.
The masked man grunted.
> "Not Murim style. Not Wudang. Not Hua. Not even structured."
> "So where… did you learn this?"
Ved didn't answer. Because he didn't know.
He had no master. No lineage.
Only dreams.
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🩸 Clash of Two Unknowns
The duel was short—only a few exchanges. But intense.
The masked man used minimal movements. Precise. Economical.
Ved's style was unpredictable, even to himself. A single turn, a sideways slash, and something pulsed beneath his skin.
> "Why do I know this form?"
As if guided by an echo, Ved stepped in—then out—his foot twisting in a way that should not have worked, yet it did.
His sword struck the man's mask.
A crack appeared.
The man stepped back, breathing heavier.
> "Enough."
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🔥 The First Recognition
The masked man pulled off the cracked mask.
He was older than Ved expected. Gray at the temples. Scars on the neck.
But his eyes still glowed faintly.
He bowed his head—not in defeat, but in acknowledgment.
> "You're not ready."
> "But you're already changing."
He tossed something toward Ved.
A half-burnt talisman with the word "अग्नि" (Agni) etched in red ink.
> "Follow the flame when it appears."
> "You'll find the man whose silence burns louder than war."
Before Ved could speak, the man vanished.
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💭 Saya's Warning
They sat by the dying firelight.
Saya watched him.
> "He knew about Aryavart."
Ved nodded. He held the talisman like it weighed more than steel.
> "What was that technique you used?" she asked.
Ved looked at his hands.
> "I… don't know."
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🌌 Somewhere Far
In a sealed chamber deep inside a forgotten sect, an elder sat meditating.
His third eye opened slightly, sensing the flow of distant energy.
> "The heir has moved."
> "The wheel is beginning again."
Behind him, a mural depicted two warriors:
One dressed in white with a bow,
The other in gray with a sword.
Both looked up at a being cloaked in blue light, a flute in his hand, and a smile too ancient to describe.
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