The veil of heritage

Chapter 1 - The moon

Night had fallen on the vast city of Timorville, plunging it into an eerie darkness. The full moon shone mysteriously, illuminating the deserted alleyways. Only Maël's panting breath, as he ran for his life, disturbed the leaden silence. He was out of breath, desperately looking for a way out of the immense forest that surrounded him. But he seemed to be going in circles, unable to find any way out.

Suddenly, he stopped short, convinced he was being watched. He felt a presence behind him, but when he turned around, he saw no one. An icy wind hit his face, almost taking his breath away. He closed his eyes to regain his composure, but not for long. Footsteps came closer and closer. Maël opened his eyes, suddenly aware of the unknown danger chasing him. Without a moment's thought, he resumed his frantic run, heading for the moon, which dimly lit his path.

The pursuer was still there, relentlessly stalking him. Maël ran with all his might, desperately looking for a way out. And at last he saw it: an exit, a door that seemed to lead to freedom. He slipped through, crossing to the other side of the forest in the blink of an eye. He stopped, panting, in front of a house he knew well. The place was familiar, but he was far from reassured. What would he find inside?

"Shit, it's my grandparents' shack," Maël grumbled, totally bewildered. He wondered how he'd ended up here and why. So many unanswered questions. Before he could find an answer, a whisper was heard.

"Maël," whispered a voice, icy and ominous.

Terrified, he turned in the direction of the sound. His heart was racing. What was going on here?

"Who's there?" he asked in a trembling voice.

In the darkness, he saw blood-red eyes watching him. He could make out a human figure approaching him, slowly, inexorably. Thanks to the moon's rays, he was able to identify the person. But as he approached, Maël didn't move, petrified with shock at seeing the person so familiar to him.

"Mother?" he whispered incredulously, seeing her before him. Then he felt another presence at his back. The person in question placed her hand on his shoulder. He froze. Who was this person? The mystery was complete.

Still in shock, he turned and saw his father standing there, too, but looking different, his face pale and his eyes dark black. Cold fear gripped him.

"Is this a dream? You can't be alive, you're dead!" exclaimed Maël in disbelief.

Maël's mother stepped forward and stood beside her husband. She smiled at her son, a strange, disquieting smile. Maël visualized his mother with a star-shaped scar at the bottom of her left eye. Both parents turned and headed for the mansion, leaving their child standing there, alone and distraught.

"Wait, don't go, I want answers," Maël pleaded, still confused, as he rushed towards the mansion and stopped at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for an answer. Calista and Mark stopped in front of the door and looked back at their son. Mark pointed south and said:

- Find the Raijū and you'll find the answers to all your questions.

With these words, they entered the manor, which closed immediately afterwards. Maël came to his senses and realized what had just happened. To unravel the mystery, he decided to listen to his father and headed in the direction he had indicated. He moved forward and found himself in a cemetery where a grave had been planted. He walked towards it, crouched down and brushed off the dust to see what was engraved on it.

"Maël Garcia 02 November 1999/ 08 March 2020."

Maël couldn't believe his eyes. How could this be possible? He looked at the date in his phone: 08 March 2019. How could he have predicted his death a year earlier? It remained impossible. He raised his head and saw a tall, bald man with a burnt face standing in front of him.

- Who are you?" asked Maël.

- HOC NON SOMNIUM," replied the stranger.

- Huh?" astonished Maël.

In his bewilderment, Maël saw the stranger pull out a wooden stake and rush towards him. He had no time to react as the bald man stabbed him. Maël found himself on the ground with excruciating pain in his chest. The man with the scar crouched down and Maël barely noticed that this person had a moon-shaped tattoo on his forehead. The stranger then laughed and withdrew the stake, constantly repeating the phrase:

- HOC NON SOMNIUM!!!

Before losing consciousness, Maël recalled the ignoble life he had lived after the death of his parents. He recited one last word before closing his eyes forever.

- I'm sorry, Alice.

"I'm still alive anyway!"