The Call of the Mountains
Kian’s life was simple. He lived in a small village hidden deep in the mountains, where the air was always cool and the sky often shrouded in mist. At sixteen, he spent his days fixing old books in the village library, a job that kept him quiet and mostly alone. The villagers knew him as the shy bookkeeper, but Kian often felt a restless yearning. He longed for something beyond the mountains, a life outside the quiet routine he had grown accustomed to. His parents had disappeared when he was very young, leaving only a leather-bound journal filled with strange symbols and a note that read: “When the mountains call, you must listen.” Kian had read those words countless times, but they never made sense. What did they mean?
One stormy night, when the wind howled and the rain hammered against the windows, Kian heard something strange. A deep, resonant hum echoed through the valley. It wasn’t thunder, and it wasn’t the wind—it felt like something ancient, something coming from the mountains themselves. Gripping his journal, Kian felt an unexplainable pull toward the sound. He couldn’t ignore it.
Without thinking, he grabbed his cloak and stepped into the night. The rain soaked him instantly, but he followed the hum through the forest, driven by something he couldn’t explain. The sound seemed to guide him, leading him to a hidden waterfall in the woods. Behind the waterfall, a cave beckoned, its walls glowing with the same symbols from his journal.
Kian stepped inside, his heart racing. The air was thick with energy, and the hum grew louder. He felt as if the cave was alive, pulsing with some ancient force. Reaching out, he touched one of the glowing symbols. The moment his fingers made contact, everything around him shifted.
He stood in a vast, ancient temple before a massive door, covered with the same glowing symbols. A voice whispered in his mind: “The choice will come again.”
The vision faded as quickly as it had come, and Kian found himself back in the cave. His hands trembled as he opened his journal, and to his astonishment, a map appeared on the pages. The map was illuminated in a soft glow, and it traced a path through the mountains, leading to an unknown destination. Beneath the map were the words: Follow the path.
The next day, Kian packed a small bag and left the village. The call of the mountains was undeniable. The path on the map was clear, and he knew he had to follow it, though he didn’t understand why.
The journey was harder than he anticipated. The terrain grew steeper, the air thinner, and the weather harsher as he ventured deeper into the mountains. On the second day, exhausted and unsure, he stumbled upon a small cabin tucked away in a secluded valley. A warm light flickered from the windows, and Kian knocked hesitantly on the door.
A woman opened it. She was tall, with piercing eyes that seemed to see straight through him. “You’ve come,” she said.
Kian was taken aback. “Who are you?”
“My name is Lyra,” she replied, stepping aside to let him in. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?” Kian asked, his confusion growing.
Lyra handed him a flask filled with a silvery liquid. “Drink this. It will help you understand.”
Kian hesitated but drank. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, everything changed. His surroundings blurred, and he saw a vision of himself standing beside Lyra, helping a traveler who had been wounded. The memory felt real as if it had happened to him before.
When the vision ended, Kian was breathless. “What was that?”
“Your past,” Lyra said calmly. “You’ve lived this journey before, many times. You always come to the same place.”
“Why?” Kian asked.
“To find the door,” she replied, her voice heavy with meaning. “And to make the choice.”
Kian continued his journey, but now, everything felt different. The world around him seemed more vivid, more alive. Along the way, he met others who seemed to know him, though he had never seen them before. Darian, a carefree adventurer, recognized the symbols in Kian’s journal and decided to join him. Then there was Mira, a traveling bard whose songs stirred something deep within Kian, as though they were tied to forgotten memories.
Together, they pieced together the truth: Kian had lived many lives, each one leading him to the same destination—the door in the mountains. And each time, he had sealed the door, keeping the great power hidden away. But now, for the first time, Kian had the chance to make a different choice.
“What’s behind the door?” Kian asked one evening as they camped by the fire.
Mira’s expression grew serious. “Power. Power that could change the world, for better or worse. That’s why you’ve sealed it in the past.”
“What happens if I open it?” Kian asked.
“You will be changed,” Darian said, his voice low. “And the world will be changed with you.”
The map finally led them to an ancient temple carved into the mountain itself. The air was thick with an invisible energy, and the hum that had followed Kian for so long was now deafening. The temple was silent, yet alive with power. In the center stood the door. It glowed faintly, the same symbols covering its surface.
As Kian approached, memories from his past lives flooded his mind. Each time, he had come to this door, and each time, he had chosen to keep it shut. He had given up his chance for freedom, for the good of the world. But this time, something felt different.
Kian turned to Mira and Darian. “What if I choose to open it this time?”
Mira nodded. “Then the world will change, and so will you.”
With a deep breath, Kian placed his hands on the door. He pushed, and the heavy stone creaked as it began to open. A bright, blinding light poured out, and for a moment, Kian thought the world itself might shatter. But instead of destruction, he felt warmth, a deep peace filling him, as if the power behind the door was becoming a part of him.
When Kian stepped outside the temple, the mist that had always shrouded the mountains was gone. The sky was clear, the air fresh, and the landscape stretched out before him, vibrant and alive.
“It’s done,” Kian said softly.
“What happens now?” Mira asked, her voice filled with wonder.
“We live,” Kian replied with a small smile. “For the first time, we truly live.”