FRAGMENTS
960 Words
Chapter 7
Morning came slowly to the quiet village.
Mist clung to the mountains like a thin veil, drifting lazily through the trees as the first rays of sunlight slipped over the horizon. The world felt calm, untouched by the noise and urgency of cities far away.
Inside the small wooden house, the girl was already awake.
She had not slept well.
The strange pain in her chest had visited her several times during the night, never strong enough to leave her breathless, yet persistent enough to keep her from falling into deep rest. Each time it appeared, it carried the same unsettling sensation — as if something buried within her was trying to reach the surface but could not find its way.
She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her hands.
They looked ordinary.
Slender fingers. Smooth skin. No scars that could tell a story of who she had been.
Yet when she flexed them, a faint, unfamiliar sensation traveled through her body — not pain, not weakness… something else. Something distant.
Like an echo.
She lowered her hands slowly.
“Who was I…?” she murmured to herself.
The question lingered in the quiet room with no answer.
A soft knock came from the door.
“Are you awake, dear?” the old woman’s gentle voice asked.
“Yes.”
The door creaked open, and the old woman stepped in carrying a small tray. Steam curled softly from a bowl of warm porridge.
“You should eat something before the medicine,” she said kindly, setting the tray on the small table beside the bed.
The girl nodded, offering a faint smile.
“Thank you.”
The old woman studied her carefully for a moment. There was concern in her eyes, but also patience. She had lived long enough to know that some wounds were invisible.
“Did the pain come again last night?” she asked softly.
The girl hesitated before answering.
“…Yes.”
The old woman sighed quietly but did not look surprised.
“It may take time,” she said. “Your body has suffered a shock. Sometimes the body remembers things before the mind does.”
The words settled into the air between them.
The body remembers before the mind.
The girl lowered her gaze to the steaming bowl in front of her.
Remember.
If only it were that simple.
After breakfast, the old couple decided to walk into the nearby market street again. Though the village was small, people from neighboring areas often passed through to trade or visit relatives. There was always a chance someone might recognize the mysterious young woman.
Before leaving, the old man paused near the doorway and looked back at her.
“If you feel strong enough, you can walk around the courtyard,” he said. “Fresh air might help.”
She nodded politely.
“I will.”
Once they left, silence returned to the house.
For a long moment, she remained inside, listening to the distant sounds of village life — dogs barking, the faint rumble of a motorcycle somewhere down the road, voices carried by the wind.
Eventually, she stepped outside.
The courtyard was small but peaceful. Wildflowers grew along the wooden fence, and a narrow stone path wound its way toward the small gate. Beyond it stretched quiet farmland and distant mountains.
She walked slowly, careful with each step.
The sunlight felt warm against her skin. The breeze carried the scent of soil and green leaves.
It should have felt comforting.
Instead, a strange unease lingered in her chest.
Halfway across the courtyard, the pain returned.
Not sharp.
Not sudden.
Just a deep tightening beneath her ribs.
She stopped walking.
Her breath slowed as she pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
The sensation pulsed once… twice…
Then—
A flash.
For the briefest moment, the world around her seemed to fade.
Wind roared in her ears.
The scent of earth vanished, replaced by something colder — something ancient.
Stone.
Incense.
And voices.
Many voices.
Angry voices.
“You must seal her before it’s too late!”
“She cannot control it anymore!”
“The prophecy—!”
The vision shattered instantly.
The courtyard rushed back into existence.
The girl staggered slightly, grabbing the wooden fence to steady herself. Her heart pounded wildly against her ribs.
“What… was that…?”
Her voice trembled.
The memory — if it was a memory — had lasted less than a second.
But it felt terrifyingly real.
She stood there for a long time, breathing slowly until the dizziness faded.
When the old couple returned later that afternoon, they found her sitting quietly beneath the shade of a small tree in the courtyard.
“You came outside,” the old woman said with a warm smile.
The girl nodded.
“The air felt… nice.”
The old man studied her face carefully.
“You look pale,” he said.
She hesitated.
“There was a moment earlier… where I felt something strange.”
Both of them immediately grew attentive.
“Strange?” the old woman asked.
The girl struggled to explain.
“It felt like… a memory. But it disappeared before I could see anything clearly.”
The old couple exchanged a glance.
The old man sighed quietly.
“That may be a good sign,” he said.
The girl looked at him, confused.
“Good?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It means your mind is trying to heal.”
Heal.
The word sounded hopeful.
But deep inside her chest, something stirred again — not pain this time.
Something darker.
Something waiting.
And far away, in the vast world beyond the quiet village…
Fate was already beginning to move.
- Writer
