New God(wheel of time)

Chapter 11: The Unseen PathThe next morning, the sun rose over Baerlon with a pale light, casting long shadows across the sleepy village. The chill of dawn still clung to the earth, and the air smelled faintly of dew. The sounds of the waking village—merchants setting up stalls, the clink of wagons, the murmured conversations of townsfolk—filled the air, but none of it reached the stillness that seemed to hang over the small group.

Moiraine, now fully armed with her cloak wrapped tightly around her, surveyed the gathered group of travelers, her sharp eyes noting each of their movements. Lan, her Warder, stood tall beside her, his sword ready. His eyes, always alert, scanned the horizon with his usual vigilance.

The boys—Rand, Perrin, Mat, and even the quiet, enigmatic boy who had appeared in their midst—stood near the entrance to the inn, ready to set out.

The boy, still nameless in Moiraine's mind, had kept to himself for the most part since their quiet evening. His presence, while not outwardly imposing, seemed to press on the very air around him. There was an unnatural stillness in the way he stood, his silver eyes glinting as he observed the world around him, as if searching for answers only he could see.

For the briefest of moments, he turned his gaze toward Moiraine, and though his face remained unreadable, she felt an odd sense of acknowledgment between them. He was waiting for something—an answer, a command, something that would guide him forward. Yet, he offered no request. Instead, he simply waited, his form like a stone statue, unshaken and unyielding.

"I don't understand," Rand spoke quietly, his voice carrying the burden of uncertainty. "Why is he coming with us?"

Moiraine glanced at him, her expression unreadable, before turning her attention back to the boy, who had yet to speak. His silence, his inability to answer basic questions, was growing frustrating, but there was something more—a presence about him that felt... ancient.

"I don't know," she replied slowly, her voice quiet but resolute. "But he will not leave us, whether we want him to or not. He is not someone we can simply ignore."

Perrin, who had been unusually quiet since their arrival in Baerlon, met Moiraine's gaze. "You think he's dangerous?"

"No," she said, and for the first time, there was a subtle warmth in her tone. "But he is something that none of us truly understand. He doesn't even understand himself. We must be cautious, but we cannot afford to push him away."

Mat, ever the skeptic, shot a glance toward the boy. "You say that, but he hasn't said much more than 'I don't know' since we met him. How are we supposed to trust him?"

Moiraine's gaze flicked toward the boy once more, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Sometimes the unknown is more trustworthy than the familiar. His presence is strange, but his power is undeniable."

At that, the boy seemed to stir, turning his gaze toward her. His eyes were calm, but there was something deeply unsettling about them—a knowing that didn't belong to someone who claimed to have no memory. As if he had seen beyond the world in which they all lived, to a place no one else could reach.

"I do not wish to be a burden," the boy said, his voice rich and deep, carrying an edge that felt almost timeless. "But I cannot leave. I am... tied to you all. To this path."

Moiraine raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his words. He was tied to them? His statement carried weight, as though it were more than a mere observation. His presence—his very essence—seemed to flow with something beyond their understanding.

"Then stay," she said with a firm nod. "But stay for the right reasons. We move forward as a group."

At that, Lan spoke for the first time since their brief exchange had begun. "We should leave now," he said in his usual quiet tone. "The longer we remain here, the greater the danger. The path ahead will only grow darker."

Moiraine agreed. She turned to the boys, her eyes sweeping over each of them. They were ready—no longer just villagers thrust into an uncertain future. They were now travelers on a dangerous path, with enemies lurking and dark forces stirring.

As they made their way toward the horses, the boy walked silently beside them, his pace even and steady. Moiraine couldn't help but feel the weight of his presence beside her. It was as though every step he took left an imprint on the air itself.

At the edge of the village, Rand looked over his shoulder one last time, as though trying to catch a glimpse of something he had left behind. "Do you think the Dark One will follow us?"

"No," Moiraine said firmly, her gaze unwavering. "But others will. And they will find us when we least expect it."

And that, Moiraine realized, was the truth of it. Whether they sought it or not, they were being pulled into something greater. The forces of the world were moving around them—forces that the boy, mysterious and new though he was, seemed to feel more than anyone else.

The winds had shifted, and no one could say what might come next. Not with the boy's presence so undeniably woven into their fates. Whatever he was, whatever he would become, it was clear that he was not simply another traveler. His path was as entwined with theirs as the Pattern itself.

The boy's voice broke the silence as they moved down the road, his words like a whisper carried on the wind. "I can help," he said softly. "I have the power to heal, to ease pain. To fix what's broken."

Moiraine's gaze sharpened on him, her senses instantly alert. "Healing?"

"Yes," he confirmed, his expression unreadable. "But it is more than that. I can do much more."

The others looked at him curiously, their wariness growing once again. Mat was the first to speak. "I've heard of healing powers before, but never like that. What's the catch?"

The boy only shook his head. "There is no catch. Only that which is broken can be fixed." His silver eyes met Moiraine's for a brief, telling moment. "And perhaps, it is you who needs the most healing of all."

The words hung in the air, weighty and uncomfortable. Moiraine glanced at Lan, but he said nothing. Instead, they all continued onward, the sound of their footsteps the only thing breaking the stillness.

But as they walked, Moiraine couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into something far more dangerous than they realized—something that even the boy's strange, unexplained power might not be enough to stand against.

And so, their journey continued, the road ahead darker than ever, with the weight of the world pressing down on them all.