BOOK 1: BEYOND THE ICE WALL - Chapter 6: The One Who Watches (by Clive J. Welan)
Chapter 6: The One Who Watches
The night wind on the rooftop felt colder than it had below. Eljireh sat leaning against a large metal ventilation unit, while Quianna stood near the edge, peering down into the alley. Flashlight beams still moved below. Two agents of the Global Council were checking every corner.
“Damn,” Quianna whispered.
“They’re not leaving.”
Eljireh looked up at the sky. Thin clouds drifted slowly, opening small gaps between the stars. For a few seconds, he said nothing. His mind was full. The massive map beneath the library. The names of lands that had never appeared in any history book.
Arkae Dominion.
Pelagian Seas.
Leviath Wildlands.
It all felt like a dream. But he knew it was real. Elias Corvin would not have risked his life for something that wasn’t true. Quianna finally sat beside him.
“We need a plan.”
“Eljireh.”
She looked at him.
“We can’t stay hiding on rooftops forever.”
Eljireh nodded slowly.
“I know.”
“Then what?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he stared out at the city. The lights of the night. Cars still moving through the streets. People walking home from work. Everything looked normal. Yet in reality… the world they knew might only be a fraction of the truth. Quianna studied his expression.
“You’re thinking about something.”
“Eljireh.”
He took a deep breath.
“I’m trying to understand it all.”
“Understand what?”
“Why.”
He turned to her.
“Why they’re hiding that world.”
“Why Elias chose to trust us.”
“Why all of this is happening now.”
Quianna shrugged slightly.
“Maybe because you ask too many questions.”
Eljireh gave a faint smile.
“Maybe.”
But deep in his mind, there was another question.
One he didn’t say out loud.
If EL truly watches over this world…
why does He allow all of this—
the lies, the greed, the suffering—to continue?
He looked up at the sky again.
Silently, he spoke within his heart.
EL…
If You truly see all of this…
why are You silent?
The wind grew stronger. There was no answer. Only the vast, quiet sky.
Several kilometers away, At the university stadium, nearly empty. The field lights were still on. A man stood alone at the center of the running track.
Pierre Nyota.
Tall. Athletic. Sweat clung to his shirt after a long night of training. He bent forward slightly, hands resting on his knees. His breathing was heavy. But not from exhaustion. Something felt… wrong. The ground beneath him seemed to tremble. Pierre lifted his head. The vibration was subtle. But he could feel it. Like a pulse deep beneath the earth. He looked down at the track beneath his feet.
“What…”
He straightened. The vibration stopped. Pierre frowned. He had felt this before. Several times over the past few months. As if the earth itself were speaking… in a language he couldn’t understand. He shook his head.
“Maybe I’m just tired.”
But before he could walk away, his phone vibrated. A new message. From an unknown number. He opened it. One sentence.
“If the earth calls to you… it is because your blood remembers where it belongs.”
Pierre stared at the screen.
“What?”
He looked around the empty stadium. No one. Only the night wind sweeping through the empty stands.The message had no sender. And yet, something inside him felt… it was not a coincidence.
Back on the rooftop, The flashlight beams below finally began to fade. The Global Council agents returned to their vehicle. The engine started. The car slowly pulled away. Quianna exhaled in relief.
“Finally.”
Eljireh stood.
“This is our chance.”
“We need to move before they come back.”
Quianna nodded.
“Where do we go?”
That was the difficult question. Eljireh thought about the only clues they had. The map. The names. The hidden world. And one place that might hold answers.
“Eljireh?”
He looked at Quianna.
“We need to go back to the university.”
“What?”
“Are you serious?”
“Eljireh, they’ll be looking for us there.”
“Maybe.”
“But there’s one place they might not think of.”
“Where?”
Eljireh remembered something Elias had said.
Some people protect the truth. Others carry it forward.
He looked at Quianna.
“Valthera Observatory.”
Quianna frowned.
“The astronomy lab?”
“Eljireh, that belongs to the advanced research faculty.”
“Why go there?”
“Because if the world truly has a boundary…”
“…the first people to notice it would be those who study the sky.”
Quianna considered that. Then she smiled slightly.
“You know…”
“Eljireh.”
“The longer I know you…”
“…the more convinced I am my life is going to become extremely dangerous.”
Eljireh smiled faintly.
“Mine too.”
They began descending the fire escape along the side of the building. The night city welcomed them once more. But now, they knew something almost no one else in the world did. The human world… was not the whole world. And somewhere far beyond the White Rim… something ancient was moving. Something that had been waiting. Waiting for humanity… to finally uncover the truth. And when that happens… nothing will ever be the same.
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