Chapter 2: The Man He Used to Be
Chapter 1: The Name Inside the Ring
The homeless man froze.
His dirty fingers pressed harder against the engraving inside the ring, as if his mind was trying to outrun what his eyes were seeing.
Then—he whispered it.
“…Elias.”
The moment the name left his lips, the color drained from Madeline’s face.
The black SUV door slammed open.
The older man in the expensive suit rushed forward, ignoring traffic, ignoring the stunned crowd.
“DON’T SAY THAT NAME!” he shouted.
But it was too late.
Elias staggered back as if the ground had shifted beneath him. His breathing turned uneven, sharp, broken. His hands trembled violently now—not from cold, but from something deeper.
Memory.
Fragments.
A woman’s laughter.
A burning house.
A child crying.
And Madeline… standing in white light, calling his name.
His knees nearly buckled.
“You…” Elias whispered, staring at her now like she was both a ghost and a wound. “I know you.”
Madeline’s voice cracked.
“It’s coming back, isn’t it?”
The older man grabbed her arm hard.
“Stop this right now,” he hissed. “You have no idea what you’re unlocking.”
But Madeline didn’t look away from Elias.
“I had to find you,” she said softly. “Even if you were like this.”
Sirens began to echo faintly in the distance.
Elias suddenly clutched his head, dropping to one knee.
May you like
And then—
Everything went black.
