"—Kael… wake up, darling.—"
A mysterious voice echoed.
He slowly opened his eyes, and then he saw her... his mother.
But it wasn't really her… something felt empty. It was just a dream, and yet it felt so real. A warm atmosphere surrounded them — Kael being caressed by his mother, his little sister beside him.
Their father was practicing with a wooden sword in the distance.
His father looked at him.
"—Kael! Come and train!"
"—Coming!—" Kael replied, excited.
He ran toward his father, who handed him another wooden sword. They began to train together.
Kael was about six years old. He came from nobility — the greatest noble house in Edrion, the land of "royalty."
His father was the King himself, known for his strength. He wielded the Spirit of Wind, mastering it to such an extent that he was feared by neighboring nobles.
His mother, on the other hand, possessed the Spirit of Gravity — also a formidable force.
So then… why didn't Kael inherit a spirit as powerful as his parents'?
Or rather, why didn't he receive a spirit at all?
Simple. He came into the world from nothing. His birth was not planned by the universe. That's why, when his mother found out she was pregnant, the entire family was confused.
When he was born, he carried no DNA from either parent. He was unique.
The same thing happened with his little sister. Both of them were like discarded fragments of the universe — errors in its design.
But their family kept it a secret.
When they were born, they simply acted as if nothing strange had happened.
They saw them as a blessing — a gift from the universe itself. And so, they were raised as a real family, because after all, their mother did give birth to both of them, so they were family.
When they grew older, their parents told them the truth.
They were still children — so neither Kael nor his sister gave it much thought.
After all… they were happy.
"—Faster!"— his father demanded.
Kael was exhausted, but he kept going, a wide smile stretching across his face.
The wooden swords clashed again and again, but it didn't matter.
Kael knew spending time with his family was precious, so he cherished the training.
But then… the sky turned black.
The great courtyard, once covered in vibrant green grass, began to burn.
Screams of fear, of pain, and despair echoed through the air.
Kael trembled — he didn't know what was happening.
"—KAEL, GRAB YOUR SISTER AND RUN!"
Kael's eyes snapped open.
He turned to his sister and held her tightly, ready to flee. She was crying, and so was he.
Explosions shook the mansion. Screams, the clash of weapons, bodies on the ground. Blood. So much blood.
And then, someone stepped in front of the two siblings.
A knight, gripping a massive sword with both hands. He raised the weapon and brought it down in a wide arc toward Kael.
He barely dodged it, still holding his sister in his arms.
But he wasn't fast enough to escape.
The knight knocked them both down.
Kael, consumed by desperation, tried to grab his sister again — but the knight was faster.
He picked her up.
He only wanted her.
He carried her in his arms and began to leave.
"—SELENEE!!" Kael screamed in anguish.
He stood up — but the knight was already gone…
"—D-DAMN YOU!!!"
In that moment, Kael awoke.
He was drenched in sweat, nauseous.
He lay on a cot, inside what looked like a small stone hut.
But then he noticed something.
Something pulsed beneath Kael's skin.
A sharp heat traveled from his hip upward, igniting every nerve along his side.
He gasped, clutching at his ribs — and froze.
Black lines were etching themselves into his flesh.
From his right hip, a winding pattern began to rise along his ribs.
It wasn't ink — it looked like smoke trapped beneath the skin, a living shadow glowing faintly crimson.
Scales, black as the abyss, formed the body of a creature — a dragon.
Its shape twisted slowly, as if it were alive… as if it slept… but could awaken.
The mark was not still.
It slithered, slow yet relentless, guided by an invisible will.
It crossed his chest, crawled down his arm, wrapping around his muscles like a coiled beast.
And then—
It reached his hand.
On the back of it, right in the center, the lines merged into a circular symbol.
A dark spiral, blacker than the night, pulsed once — like a heart.
Kael stared at it, breath trembling.
He didn't know what that mark was.
It wasn't a tattoo, and for a spirit's mark… it was far too large.
But something deep inside him screamed one truth.
This was only the beginning.