The silver leaves whispered above Kael as he wandered from the meadow, the air thick with the scent of wildflowers and damp earth. His footsteps disturbed patches of soft moss and crushed tiny luminescent insects, their faint glow flickering away like startled fireflies.
The world of Eryndor was unlike anything he had known. The sky overhead shimmered with shifting hues of gold and violet, and the horizon rippled as if reality itself bent to the will of some unseen master.
Kael flexed his fingers, still marveling at the black blade that had formed with nothing more than a thought. It hovered in his hand, humming softly—an extension of his will.
He felt an itch in his mind—an urge to test his power further. Concentrating, he envisioned a cloak of midnight silk, light as a feather but strong as dragonhide. In an instant, it wrapped itself around his shoulders, cooling him from the warmth of the noonday sun.
Breathing deeply, Kael walked toward the distant silhouette of a village nestled beneath towering walls of polished oak. As he approached, the sound of muted voices drifted to him—prayers, whispered urgently beneath a golden sun-shaped emblem that crowned the gate.
Inside the village, life clung to fragile normalcy. Weathered faces glanced up from work, their eyes wary but not unkind. Children chased each other under the watchful gaze of stern elders, while merchants peddled their meager wares.
Yet everywhere Kael looked, he saw the shadow of fear. Every doorstep held offerings to Solvar—the Sun God—painted statues burned with incense, and hymns rose quietly, as if to ward off something terrible lurking beyond.
A guard, his armor battered and patched, approached Kael with cautious suspicion.
"Traveler," he said gruffly, "this land is not kind to strangers. The beasts grow bolder each moon. You'd do well to keep your head down."
Kael's silver eyes met the guard's. "What beasts?"
"Celestial spawn. Monsters born from the gods' power, twisted and wild. They kill without mercy."
Kael's lips curled into a faint smile. "Then I suppose I'm no stranger to such things."
That night, Kael found refuge in a quiet barn, surrounded by the scent of hay and animal musk. He sat cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes to explore the vast power that surged within.
A deep, resonant voice echoed again in his mind—the voice of the Void Beyond All Things.
The Fragment within you awakens, Kael. A seed of endless creation and destruction.
He felt the black mist stirring beneath his skin, tendrils crawling along his nerves like living shadows. It was cold but intoxicating, a hunger that longed to consume and remake all it touched.
Curious, Kael reached out mentally toward the essence of the barn's owner—a grizzled man named Joren, whose hands were rough with labor but skilled in craft. In an instant, Kael's mind flooded with memories, skills, and sensations: how to mend fences, how to sense the change of seasons, even the intricate art of forging iron.
He pulled back, astonished. "I can absorb skills…"
Suddenly, a roar shattered the stillness outside.
Kael leapt to his feet and ran toward the village square.
A celestial beast—smaller than the wolf but no less terrifying—rampaged through the crowd. Its scales shimmered with divine light, and eyes blazed with otherworldly fury. Villagers fled in panic, their prayers turning to screams.
Guards raised their spears, but the creature swatted them aside like twigs.
Kael's heart pounded. This is my chance.
He focused. Time slowed under his will. The beast froze, caught in an invisible prison crafted from thought alone.
The villagers gasped, disbelief and terror twisting their faces.
Kael stepped forward, hand outstretched. The black mist poured from his body, swirling around the beast like living chains. Slowly, the divine essence of the creature unraveled and was drawn into the void within him.
As the beast dissolved into shimmering dust, Kael felt a rush of power unlike any he had known. His muscles tightened; his senses sharpened. The world seemed brighter, sharper, more malleable.
Villagers stared, horror etched into their eyes.
A trembling voice hissed, "Heretic…"
Kael's grin was cold. If only they knew.