Lord of the realm

Chapter 254: A son she never had

The voice was clearer now, more insistent.

And with it came images.

Flashes of memory that weren’t hers, couldn’t be hers, but felt absolutely real.

A village, small, rustic, and surrounded by forest. She was younger in this vision, or memory, or whatever it was. Wearing simple clothes, her hair longer, her hands rougher from manual labor.

And there was a boy.

Six, maybe seven years old, with dark hair and eyes that seemed too aware for his age. He was laughing, running toward her with arms outstretched, and she was catching him, lifting him, and spinning him around while he giggled with pure joy.

Mother, he called her in the vision.

Mother, look what I made!

He held up something carved from wood. A small bird, crude but recognizable, clearly made with a child’s limited skill but infinite effort.

And she felt love. Overwhelming, absolute, unconditional love for this boy who called her mother.

But that was impossible. Martha had no children. Had never wanted children, had focused her life on career and research. She didn’t have maternal instincts and didn’t have memories of raising a son.

Yet the memory felt real. More real than her actual life, more vivid than her own past.

More memories flooded in. The boy was growing older, becoming a young man. Conversations by firelight. Moments of laughter and sorrow. A bond so deep, so close, that the idea of separation was physically painful.

They were mother and son. Not just biologically, but in every way that mattered. Connected by love that transcended normal family ties.

And then the memories turned dark. The boy was older now, maybe seventeen or eighteen, and he was leaving. Going somewhere dangerous. She was begging him not to go, pleading with him to stay safe and to come back to her.

He promised he would, promised he’d return.

But something went wrong. Something terrible happened, and he was taken from her. Taken away where she couldn’t reach him, couldn’t save him, and couldn’t even say goodbye.

The grief was crushing.

Absolutely.

The kind that hollowed out everything inside and left only emptiness.

Martha. I’m here. I’m still here. Please find me.

The voice pulled her from the memories, back to the present. She was standing now, though she didn’t remember getting up. Her tent flap was open, and she was staring out into the darkness of Kreeshan Valley.

She should go back to bed. Should dismiss this as a stress hallucination, altitude sickness, or something rational and explainable.

But her feet were moving. Carrying her out of the tent, past the sleeping camp, toward the western edge of the dig site.

She walked like someone in a dream, her conscious mind screaming that this was insane while her body simply obeyed the pull she felt in her chest. The voice, the memories, the overwhelming certainty that someone she loved desperately needed her help.

The moon was nearly full, providing enough light to navigate by. She moved past the excavation grids, past the equipment staging area, into the rocky terrain that they’d mapped but not yet fully explored.

And there, in the cliff face that formed the valley’s western wall, she saw it.

A path.

Narrow, barely wide enough for a person to walk through sideways. Cut into the rock with precision that suggested tools rather than natural erosion. It had been there the entire time, right in front of them, but somehow they’d never noticed it. Every survey, every mapping session, and every visual inspection had missed this obvious passage.

This way. Please, Mother. This way.

The voice was stronger now, more urgent. And that word ’Mother

She’d never been anyone’s mother. But in this moment, she knew with absolute certainty that she had been.

That somewhere, sometime, she’d loved a boy with everything she had.

That he was calling for her now.

That he needed her.

Martha entered the passage.

It was tight and claustrophobic, forcing her to turn sideways and shuffle through. The rock walls pressed against her shoulders and her chest, making breathing difficult. Several times she almost turned back, almost gave in to the panic of enclosed spaces.

But the voice kept calling.

Kept pulling her forward.

The passage twisted and descended, following the natural faults in the rock but shaped by deliberate intent. Whoever had made this path had wanted it hidden, wanted it accessible only to those who knew exactly where to look.

After what felt like hours but was probably only fifteen minutes, the passage opened.

Martha emerged into a space that made her breath catch.

It was a chamber. Natural, formed by ancient natural processes, but clearly discovered and utilized by someone. The ceiling was perhaps thirty feet high, supported by natural pillars of stone. The floor was relatively flat, worn smooth by time or water or both.

And at the far end of the chamber stood a wall.

Not natural rock. This was constructed. Massive blocks of stone fitted together with precision that suggested origin energy manipulation or technology beyond anything she’d seen. Each block was easily ten feet on a side, and they rose from floor to ceiling in a barrier that completely sealed off whatever lay beyond.

The wall itself was covered in symbols. Not writing exactly, but marks that seemed to pulse with faint light. They were origin energy constructs, she realized. Active ones, still functioning after however many centuries they’d been placed here.

This was a seal.

A barrier specifically designed to keep something contained.

Martha approached slowly, her archaeologist’s training warring with the primal fear that made her want to flee. She placed her palm against the wall, and the stone was cold. Unnaturally cold, drawing heat from her hand, making her skin ache within seconds.

I’m here. Right here. Please, help me.

The voice was directly on the other side of the wall now. So close. Separated by perhaps three feet of sealed stone and origin energy barriers that she had no idea how to breach.

"Who are you?" Martha whispered.

"Why am I hearing you? Why do I have these memories?"

Because you loved me. Because I loved you. Because some bonds transcend time and reality and even death itself.

Tears were streaming down Martha’s face now, though she didn’t understand why.

She was crying for someone she didn’t know, mourning a loss she’d never experienced, and feeling a love that wasn’t hers but felt more real than anything in her actual life.

"I don’t know how to help you," she said.

"I don’t understand what’s happening. I don’t know who you are or why I feel like I’ve known you forever."

You will. When the time comes, you’ll remember everything. You’ll understand. Just please, don’t give up on me. Don’t stop searching.

"What’s your name?" Martha asked desperately.

"At least tell me your name."

But the voice was fading now, withdrawing, leaving only echoes in her mind.

Remember me. Please. Remember...

And then silence.

Martha stood alone in the chamber, her hand still pressed against the impossibly cold stone, tears drying on her cheeks. The memories were fading too, becoming indistinct, like dreams upon waking. She could remember feeling them but not the details, recall the emotions but not the specific moments.

Except one thing remained clear: the absolute certainty that someone behind this wall needed her. That breaking through this barrier was the most important thing she would ever do.

That she’d been drawn to Kreeshan Valley not by academic curiosity or archaeological ambition, but by a connection that transcended her understanding of reality.

She examined the wall more carefully now, her training reasserting itself. The stone blocks were fitted perfectly, with no mortar or binding agent visible. The origin energy symbols pulsed in patterns that suggested layers, multiple seals, each one reinforcing the others.

She didn’t know what to do as she watched the symbols on the wall. Her mind felt like throbbing with heavy pain, she moved back, catching her head.

For now, she decided to return and come back tomorrow.