Chapter 6

Night fell over Liang with a deceptive serenity. The village, enveloped in silence, seemed the perfect portrait of peace, with stars dotting the clear sky and the full moon illuminating the rooftops of the houses. It was a tranquility that had always brought comfort to Castian, but that night, something felt different. The stillness seemed heavy, as if the air was thick with an invisible tension. Castian couldn't pinpoint why, but an unsettling sensation overwhelmed him.

After a long day working in the fields with his father, Castian lay down in his bed, hoping that exhaustion would bring him a quick and restful sleep. Instead, he found himself staring at the ceiling, feeling his heart race faster than usual. Each shadow cast by the soft moonlight seemed strange and threatening, as if they were shifting slightly, lurking.

He turned restlessly in bed. "Why am I so anxious?" Something within him screamed, but he didn't know what. Perhaps it was the weight of the decision he had made to leave. Or maybe it was something else-something he couldn't quite see but could feel crawling beneath the surface of the night's calm.

The wind blew outside, a light breeze that made the windows of his house tremble slightly. Castian got up, feeling incapable of staying in bed. He walked to the window and looked outside. The village appeared the same as always, but his instincts told him something was wrong.

He tried to shake off the thought. "I'm imagining things. I'm just nervous about everything." But the more he tried to ignore the feeling, the more it seemed to intensify. Castian gazed at the distant mountains that called to him. It was as if they were shrouded in a dark mist that hadn't been there before.

He sat on the windowsill, his arms crossed over the ledge, trying to find comfort in the familiar landscape. The moon shone above the mountains, its silvery light reflecting off the hills and valleys as it always did. However, in the distance, a faint shadow seemed to move. Castian squinted, trying to see better, but the vision disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"What was that?" he wondered, his heart racing. Perhaps it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. But his instinct warned him of something else. A wave of chills ran down his spine, and he couldn't help but think of Shen's words: "Sometimes, to discover who we are, we must get lost."

Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Castian?" it was Mei's voice, his mother.

He opened the door and saw that she too couldn't sleep. Her normally calm face bore a hint of concern.

"Mother?"  he asked, worried. "What's wrong?"

Mei stepped into the room slowly, closing the door behind her. She appeared hesitant, as if battling something within herself. Finally, after a long sigh, she approached her son.

"I can't sleep either," she said, her voice quieter than usual, as if she didn't want to disturb the night's silence. "There's something... something in the air tonight."

Castian frowned, sensing the same.

"I felt it too. Like if..." - he hesitated, not wanting to sound foolish. - "Like something is wrong, but I can't understand what it is."

Mei nodded, sitting by the window, her eyes lost in the shadows of the village.

"When I was younger," - she began, her voice cradled by distant memories, - "I had this same feeling before a big storm. It wasn't just the wind or the clouds; it was a feeling in the air, as if the whole world was holding its breath... waiting for something."

Castian listened in silence, absorbing her words as if they were bringing to light a truth he didn't want to acknowledge. What his mother was saying perfectly reflected what he felt. The night was too calm, and that calmness felt like a prelude to something greater.

"Do you think something is about to happen?" - he asked, his voice heavy with uncertainty.

Mei looked at him with a deep gaze, her dark eyes full of concern.

"I don't know, my son. But I know that changes always come after these nights of silence. And when they arrive, nothing will ever be the same."

Mei's words left a mark on Castian. He felt as if he were on the edge of an invisible precipice, where the next step he took could lead him into the unknown. He wanted to believe he was merely being influenced by his own fears, but something deep within his soul whispered that his mother was right.

At that moment, a distant howl echoed through the night. Castian and Mei exchanged quick glances. "A wolf?" It wasn't uncommon for animals to roam the outskirts of the village, but the sound seemed to come from farther away, almost as if it were emerging from the mountains.

Mei stood up, her body tense.

"It's starting,"  she whispered, without explaining what she meant.

Castian frowned.

"Starting? What is starting?"

She didn't answer immediately, only stared at him, her gaze full of emotion. Mei had always been a woman who valued peace, but that night, he saw a different tension in her. It was as if she knew something terrible was lurking.

"You felt that call inside you,"  she finally said.  "Something that wants you to leave, right?"

Castian was speechless for a moment. How could she know this?

"Yes... but how did you...?"

Mei closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"The same thing happened with your father before he left and returned years later, changed," she whispered, slowly opening her eyes. "This call is ancient, and it brings change. I believe that before dawn, something will happen that will alter the course of everything."

Castian stood up, his body now filled with a growing sense of urgency. He felt he needed to be ready. For what? He still didn't know, but with each passing second, the tension grew like a wave approaching.

The night, which had once seemed so serene, was now laden with omens. Castian and Mei remained silent, gazing into the darkness beyond the window. The howl of the wolves echoed again, this time closer.

"Mother, what do you think is going to happen?"

Mei looked at him again, and this time her voice came out with a mixture of sadness and acceptance.

"I don't know, my son. But I know this will be a decisive night. For you, for all of us. And whatever comes, there will be no turning back."

Castian felt a chill run down his spine, but at the same time, a determination grew in his chest. "The storm is coming."