Part 1
Rain hammered the wooden rooftops of Valdoren, a small village hidden among the mountains of the kingdom of Arkania. Droplets struck the stone roads and formed little streams that flowed down toward the Emerald River, while thick fog blanketed the forest surrounding the village.
For most of its inhabitants, it was an ordinary morning.
The blacksmiths were already making their hammers ring.
The bakers were pulling the first loaves from the ovens.
Children ran barefoot beneath the eaves, trying not to get too wet.
But for nineteen-year-old Kael, that morning carried a strange weight.
He had woken before dawn with his heart pounding.
The same dream again.
A gigantic tree with silver leaves.
Seven lights revolving above its branches.
And a voice too indistinct to make out, repeating a single sentence:
"Find me before the shadows awaken."
Every night was the same.
Every night, the voice sounded a little closer.
Kael slowly sat up on the old wool mattress. The small room had barely one window, through which he could see the rain striking the glass.
He placed a hand over his chest.
His heart was still beating far too fast.
"That damn dream again..." he muttered.
He dressed in a linen shirt, dark pants, and a simple cloak to protect himself from the rain. Before leaving, he picked up a small, weathered leather notebook and a quill.
He was an apprentice mapmaker.
While other young men dreamed of becoming knights or mercenaries, Kael traveled across mountains, rivers, and trails, drawing maps for merchants and travelers.
He liked discovering paths no one else knew about.
He always said maps didn't just show places...
They also kept secrets.
He went down the wooden stairs.
The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the entire house.
His mother was stirring a pot over the fire.
"Good morning."
"You barely slept again," she said without even looking at him.
Kael smiled.
"Is it that obvious?"
"You have the same look your father used to have when he spent entire nights watching the stars."
Those words filled the kitchen with silence.
His father had disappeared ten years earlier during an expedition to the Black Mountains.
No one had ever seen him again.
They had found only his backpack... completely empty.
After that, no one ever spoke of it again.
"I'm going to Liria Forest today," Kael said, trying to change the subject.
His mother stopped stirring.
"Not again."
"I just need to finish a map."
"People say animals have been disappearing."
Kael smiled calmly.
"People also say there are ghosts in the mill."
She shook her head.
"Promise me you'll be back before nightfall."
"I promise."
He grabbed a piece of bread and an apple, then stepped out into the rain.
Liria Forest was beautiful even beneath the storm.
The enormous trees looked like natural columns supporting an endless ceiling of green leaves.
The air smelled of wet earth.
Small animals fled through the underbrush while the songs of unknown birds broke the silence.
Kael moved forward, marking routes in his notebook.
Every so often, he looked up to orient himself using ancient rock formations.
He had learned the method from writings his father had left behind.
After nearly two hours of walking, he found something strange.
A trail.
It didn't appear on any of his maps.
He crouched down.
The tracks were fresh.
But they didn't belong to any horse.
They had three enormous claws.
"How strange..."
He followed them, curiosity getting the better of him.
The path descended between enormous roots and led to a perfectly circular clearing.
Then he saw it.
At the center stood a colossal tree.
It was far larger than any other tree in the forest.
Its trunk was white as marble.
Its leaves gleamed with a silvery hue.
Kael felt a shiver run through him.
It was exactly like the tree from his dreams.
He took a step back.
"It can't be..."
The wind vanished.
The birds stopped singing.
The entire forest fell into absolute silence.
Then...
The roots began to emit a faint blue glow.
A light slowly climbed the trunk.
Then another.
And another.
Seven lights revolved around the tree.
The same seven lights he had seen every night for months.
Kael felt the air leave his lungs.
A voice arose inside his head.
It didn't come from the forest.
Nor from the wind.
It seemed to be born from the deepest part of his own soul.
"At last, you've arrived... Aether Bearer."
Kael took a step back.
"Who are you?"
He received no answer.
Instead, one of the roots began to slowly open.
As if the tree were breathing.
Inside was a small stone pedestal.
Resting on it was a crystal sphere the size of an apple.
Inside it, a tiny galaxy made of light seemed to spin.
Kael knew he should leave.
All of this was impossible.
But some unknown force urged him closer.
He slowly extended his hand.
The instant his fingers brushed the sphere...
An explosion of light engulfed the entire forest.
Thousands of images raced through his mind.
Wars.
Dragons.
Cities suspended above the clouds.
Oceans illuminated by gigantic creatures.
Seven figures wreathed in fire, watching him from a throne of stars.
And finally...
A man.
He wore black armor covered in glowing cracks.
His eyes were completely golden.
He was smiling.
But that smile held no peace.
It radiated hunger.
"I found you..."
The sphere shattered.
Kael fell onto his back.
Excruciating pain shot through his left arm.
He screamed.
His skin began to glow.
Slowly, a Mark appeared.
Seven intertwined lines forming a symbol he had never seen before.
Before he could understand what was happening...
A roar shook the forest.
It wasn't the roar of a wolf.
Nor a bear.
It was much deeper.
Much older.
The trees began to shake violently.
Something enormous was advancing among them.
And for the first time in his life, Kael realized that he was completely alone.
To be continued in Part 2...