The sun dipped low over the Stormound fields, painting the sky gold. Kael sat on the old wooden fence, legs dangling, chewing on a piece of grass like he owned the place. His muscles ached from thirty days of Grandpa's "torture training," but instead of complaining, he wore a satisfied grin.
For the first time in years, he felt… strong.
Grandpa leaned on his staff nearby, watching quietly. Grandma set a pot to boil on the stove inside, humming faintly. It was almost peaceful. Too peaceful.
Kael sighed dramatically. "You know… I think I'm ready."
Grandpa raised a brow. "Ready for what? Another beating?"
Kael pouted. "No! Ready to leave. To actually fight monsters. To see Eatheria. I mean, what's the point of training if I just sit here chasing chickens and breaking dummies?"
Grandpa's eyes narrowed, but Kael pressed on, voice more serious than usual.
"Monsters are still out there, right? They killed Mom and Dad. They're killing others, too. I can't just… stay here forever. I've got these gloves, and they chose me, or cursed me, or whatever. I don't want to waste that."
For once, Kael didn't smile. His hands clenched the fence, the gloves hidden beneath bandages.
Grandpa studied him for a long moment, silent. Then he sighed. "You're still a fool. Loud, reckless, and far too fond of your own voice."
Kael blinked. "…Thanks?"
"But," Grandpa continued, "you've grown. Thirty days ago, you would've run from a goblin. Now, you might even stand a chance against something bigger."
Kael's grin returned instantly. "So that means I can go, right?"
Grandpa didn't answer. Instead, Grandma appeared with a tray of steaming stew. Her smile was soft, but her eyes worried.
"You're too much like your father," she said quietly. "He wanted to leave too. To protect people. It cost him everything."
Kael's chest tightened, but he forced a lopsided smile. "Then I'll do it better. I'll live, I'll fight, and I'll come home to brag about it every single time."
Grandpa snorted. "You'd better. Or I'll drag your soul back just to beat it again."
Kael laughed, standing tall. For once, he wasn't joking. His heart pounded with determination, not nerves.
"I'm leaving soon," he said. "Eatheria's huge, and it's not gonna save itself. Besides—" he stretched his arms wide, the gloves humming faintly beneath their wrappings—
"—someone's gotta show those monsters what real chaos looks like."
The wind carried his words into the horizon.
For the first time, Kael Stormound wasn't just a boy dreaming of adventure.
He was ready to chase it.