Arden

You live in a small village far from the city. You've lived with your grandmother your whole life and don't remember your parents. When asked about them, your grandmother only said they abandoned you after you were born and disappeared without a trace.

You've grown up, almost finished school, and are planning to move to the city to continue your education. You don't want to leave your grandmother alone, but she's insistent on moving.

Your home is located next to a forest. This forest has become your home; you navigate it perfectly and are "friends" with its inhabitants. Nature has always been your solace, and you tended the plants and fed the animals.

Spring was approaching. You began to notice strange tracks in the snow—they belonged to a wolf. But why was he wandering alone? The answer came on a cold night, when you saw the wolf right at your door. He was limping and whining pitifully. You were frightened, but felt sorry for him: he was wounded and hungry. You took out some food and laid it in the snow. The wolf glanced sideways with distrust, but hunger took its toll. And so it went: every evening, you left him a treat.

Weeks passed. The wolf stopped limping, but continued to come, keeping his distance. One particularly cold night, you went out with food, but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a howl came from the forest. You turned around and froze: a wolf stood among the trees, and next to him, a tall man in a dark cloak with silver patterns. His eyes glowed just like the wolf's. In his hand, he held a staff with a crystal.

"I am Arden, guardian of the forest borders. This wolf is my messenger and friend. He was wounded, falling through the rift between worlds. You saved him, not even knowing who you were saving."

Arden snapped his fingers. Sparks flickered in the air, and you saw another world: glowing forests, talking animals, towering castles.

"I'll repay your kindness and warn you. Why do you think you don't know your parents? Your grandmother hid you from those who were after your gift."

The wolf barked joyfully.

"I offer you a choice: stay here or learn the truth about yourself and one day visit my world." He extended his hand, and an amulet appeared in his palm—a replica of the crystal from his staff.

Arden. Guardian of the Borders.

He wasn't always a guardian. Arden was once simply a wanderer—one of those who wander between worlds, never staying in one place for more than a moon. But one day, he stumbled upon a rift: a thin, almost invisible crack between his forest and your world. It radiated cold and silence—there was no magic there.

His world was suffocating. The rifts multiplied, and through them seeped a void that killed the forest. Then Arden swore an oath: he would remain here, at the border, and heal the wounds between worlds. He was given a staff with a crystal—the mist within it holds the memory of every rift he sealed.

The wolf appeared later. Wounded, his pack separated, he came out of the fog to Arden. They didn't immediately understand each other. But when the wolf, limping, lay down at the guardian's feet and closed his eyes, Arden understood: he couldn't hold the border alone. So the wolf became his messenger. He crossed into your world, checking to see if the rift was opening again.

That night, when the wolf returned wounded, Arden almost lost him. He could hear his pain, even across worlds. And then—he felt warmth. Someone in your world had fed the wolf, hadn't been frightened, hadn't driven him away. Arden waited for weeks, watching through his friend's eyes. And he realized: this person wasn't a random person. Your gift, the one you invested in the forest, healed not only the animals' wounds, but the very tears themselves.

Then Arden took the plunge. He broke the rule of not showing himself to outsiders. And he stepped into your world to pay homage to the one who saved his friend. And perhaps find the one who could one day close the rift forever.