Before the Dawn Came the Night

Before the dawn could pierce the horizon, the night embraced Einai with its dark, enveloping shroud. As he returned to the mortal realm, he found himself in a body that was not his own, a different appearance that felt foreign yet familiar. His new face, reflected in a pool of water, was a stranger's—a rugged countenance with eyes that burned with an intensity that belied his former self's gentle gaze. It was as if his identity had been rewritten from without, though the mind within remained undeniably Einai's.

He stumbled through the deserted streets of Weira, the world he once knew as Earth. Here, technology had never advanced beyond rudimentary mechanisms. The people of Weira lived in a medieval-like society, where swords and shields were the tools of protection, and fire was still the source of light. The absence of his body meant that no funeral had been held; he had vanished without a trace. Einai was a ghost in a world that had no place for him.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach, thirst parched his throat, and fatigue weighed down his limbs. With no money or possessions, Einai had to rely on his wits and resilience to survive. His goal was clear: to find the fragments of his soul scattered across this unfamiliar landscape. Each step was a struggle, each breath a reminder of his mortal frailty.

He moved through the night, guided by a faint memory of the place where he had died. The abandoned factory loomed in the distance, a silent sentinel of his past. The building was derelict, its windows shattered, and its walls covered in ivy. As Einai approached the spot where he had fallen, a sense of dread washed over him. The memories of that fateful night were still vivid in his mind—the despair, the fall, and the final moments of his life.

But something was different. There, etched into the crumbling stone of the factory wall, was a name: Elena Farkhous. His heart skipped a beat. Elena, his mother, who had abandoned him in his childhood, had left a mark here. The implications of her presence were staggering. Could she be connected to the scattering of his soul?

Determined to find answers, Einai set his jaw and began his search for Elena. He recalled her face—a distant memory of warmth and love that had turned to cold abandonment.