The night over the Veinwalker Compound was strange.
Not quiet.
Not loud.
Just… heavy.
A thickness hung in the air like unseen mist, as if the world itself understood that something had shifted something ancient, something sealed, something not meant to wake.
Khael walked alone through the academy courtyard, hands inside his pockets, lanterns flickering weakly against the breeze. Behind him, the warmth of the group dinner faded. So did the laughter. So did the momentary illusion of peace.
All that remained was the truth he could never tell them.
Kaom…
The name pulsed in his mind like a heartbeat.
Kaom, Guardian of the Ancient Shard.
One of the Five Primordial Giants.
One of the beings that the First Era sacrificed empires to seal.
A giant who willingly entombed himself to guard the shard he carried—
A shard that Lucere desperately needed.
Khael exhaled sharply.
This was never supposed to happen this early.
