By the time morning came, the clan felt different. It wasn't something obvious at first glance. People still moved through the same paths, followed the same routines, and spoke in the same low tones. But beneath it all, something had shifted. Conversations were quieter than usual, often cut short when someone walked too close. Even the stronger members, the ones who normally carried themselves with confidence, seemed uneasy, as if something unseen was pressing down on them.
I stood near the edge of the training grounds, watching and listening, trying to understand what had changed. It didn't take long before I caught fragments of conversation drifting through the air.
"…Far East…"
The words were quiet, but they carried weight. I turned slightly, focusing on two clan members speaking a short distance away.
"…wiped out," one of them said.
"Completely?" the other asked.
There was a pause before the answer came. "…No survivors."
Something in my chest tightened.
Far East.
I didn't know why, but the name felt familiar. I had never been there, never seen it, yet the moment I heard it, something stirred deep inside me. It wasn't a memory—not exactly—but it felt close enough to one that I couldn't ignore it.
"…Why does that sound…" I began quietly, but the thought didn't fully form.
"…strange."
A cold breeze passed through the training grounds, brushing against my skin. For a brief moment, everything felt off—not in a way I could see, but in a way I could feel. Subtle. Unclear. Like something had already happened, and I was only just becoming aware of it.
"No survivors…"
The words echoed again in my mind, heavier this time.
I slowly clenched my hand, feeling a faint pressure build in my chest. It wasn't pain, and it wasn't fear. It was something I couldn't name.
"…Why do I feel…" I paused again, searching for the right thought.
Like I knew this.
The feeling vanished just as quickly as it had come, leaving only silence behind.
I exhaled slowly and looked around. Everything appeared normal again, almost too normal, as if nothing had changed at all.
"…Far East…" I repeated under my breath.
I didn't understand it, but something told me this wasn't the end of it. Somewhere far away, something had already begun.
And somehow… I was already part of it.