Elian couldn't breathe.
The man's hand rested lightly on his shoulder—but it felt heavier than anything he had ever known. His body refused to move, as if the air itself had turned solid around him.
"Let… go…" Elian forced out.
The man didn't tighten his grip.
He didn't need to.
"You're trembling," the man said calmly. "Is it fear… or is it the absence of your little voice?"
Elian's eyes widened.
"The wind…" he whispered.
Gone.
Completely gone.
For the first time since the attack—
He felt empty.
The man slowly removed his hand.
Elian staggered forward, immediately turning around, putting distance between them.
"Who are you?!" he demanded.
The man stepped out of the shadows fully now.
Tall.
Composed.
Unbothered.
Even the air around him seemed… still.
"My name," he said, "is not important to you."
Elian clenched his fists. "Then why are you following me?!"
A faint smile appeared.
"I'm not following you."
A pause.
"You walked into my domain."
Elian's heart pounded.
"Your domain…?"
The man gestured slightly to the forest around them.
"A place where the wind does not exist."
"That's not possible," Elian said quickly. "Wind is everywhere."
The man tilted his head.
"Not here."
Silence pressed in again.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Elian swallowed hard.
"What did you do…?"
The man didn't answer directly.
Instead, he took a step forward.
And the moment he did—
Elian felt it.
Nothing.
No breeze.
No movement.
No sound.
Even his breath felt… delayed.
"Do you feel it?" the man asked.
Elian's voice shook. "Feel what?"
"Power," the man said quietly.
Elian frowned. "This isn't power… this is—"
"Control," the man cut in.
Their eyes met.
"You rely on something external," the man continued. "A voice. A force that guides you. Protects you."
Another step forward.
"But what happens… when it's gone?"
Elian stepped back.
"I don't need it."
The lie came too fast.
The man noticed.
"Then prove it."
Before Elian could react—
The man raised his hand.
The ground beneath Elian cracked.
A force slammed into him—not wind, not air, but something invisible and absolute. It hit his chest like a wall, sending him flying backward into a tree.
"Gah—!" Elian gasped, collapsing to the ground.
Pain spread through his body.
"Get up," the man said.
Elian coughed, struggling to breathe.
"You're… insane…"
"Get up," the man repeated.
Something in his voice—
Wasn't anger.
Wasn't hatred.
It was expectation.
Elian clenched his teeth.
Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself back to his feet.
"I said… I don't need it…"
"Then fight."
The air tightened again.
Elian moved on instinct, throwing himself to the side as another invisible force struck where he had been standing. The ground split open, dirt and roots tearing apart as if crushed by something unseen.
His heart raced.
"I can't see it…" he thought.
"I can't hear it…"
"I can't—"
"Elian."
A whisper.
So faint he almost missed it.
His eyes widened.
"The wind…?"
"…listen…"
He froze.
"…not outside…"
Elian's breathing slowed.
"…inside…"
Something clicked.
The man attacked again.
But this time—
Elian didn't move blindly.
He felt it.
Not the wind.
But the shift.
The pressure.
The intent.
His body reacted.
He stepped back—just enough.
The invisible force brushed past him instead of hitting him directly.
The man stopped.
For the first time—
His expression changed.
"Oh?" he murmured.
Elian stared at him, breathing heavily.
"I don't need to hear it…" he said slowly.
"…to feel it."
Silence filled the forest again.
Then—
A small movement.
The air around Elian… trembled.
Just slightly.
Not from the forest.
Not from the man.
From him.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"So it begins…"
Elian didn't understand.
But he felt it.
Something inside him.
Something that wasn't gone.
Just waiting.
"What are you?" the man asked quietly.
Elian looked up.
For the first time—
There was no fear in his eyes.
"I don't know," he said.
A pause.
"…but I'm not running anymore."
The forest remained still.
But something had changed.
And the man…
Was smiling.