Adam Hale was seven.
Seven was not a small number.
Seven meant the ground felt farther away. It meant his legs reached the floor properly when he sat. It meant when he ran, he didn't fall every time
–only sometimes.
That was progress.
He stood near the manor's front courtyard, boots scuffing polished stone as he shifted his weight again and again. The air was warm, filled with the gentle hum of energy grids buried beneath the estate. Adam couldn't see them, but he felt them–soft vibrations under his feet, steady and clam,
like a sleeping giant breathing.
Mama said the energy grids under the state never slept. They carried Light Qi, Heat Qi, and just enough Life Qi to keep everything comfortable. Adam didn't understand how that worked, but he knew one thing–
The manor always felt warm, even in winter.
The Hale Manor felt alive around him.
Layered stone walls rose high, smooth and cold to the touch, reinforced by metallic frameworks that faintly shimmered where Qi-binding lattices ran beneath the surface. Crystal panels caught the sunlight and bent it softly, scattering traces of Light Qi across the hall floating dust.
Adam liked that part best. Adam liked Light.
Beyond the gates, the sky was busy. Adam lifted his head and watched.
Sky-runners drifted through the air like metal fish, sleek and smooth, moving along invisible paths. Some were small, darting quickly from tower to tower. Others were long and wide, carrying people and cargo, their undersides glowing faintly with Magnetic Qi stabilizers and thin streams of Air Qi that rippled like invisible wings.
They never crashed. Never bumped. They just…flowed.
Adam imagined running on one.
He smiled. Servants passed behind him.
Maids moved in quiet lines, their steps soft, their movements precise. Some carried trays that hovered above their palms, supported by gentle Qi pulses. Others guided small service drones – round, humming things that cleaned crystal panels or adjusted Qi flow along the walls.
One maid paused to bow at Adam.
"Young Master." She said softly.
Adam nodded back, serious. He liked when they called him that.
Farther out, near the inner courtyard, gardeners adjusted floating irrigation rings, Qi filled water misting gently over rows of glowing plants. Adam knew some of those plants were rare. Mama said they grew better here because the manor's materials had been slowly enriched by Prima over hundreds of years..
Prima is everywhere, but it is more here in manor, Adam can feel it.
Whenever he goes to Lakeshore to play he felt a slight suffocation, like something in the air is missing, but after some time it vanished like butterflies.
He shifted his back again and looked back to the gates.
They were still closed. His brother should be coming soon.
Adam's chest felt tight–not bad tight, but the kind that came before something exciting.
He stood taller. Seven was big. Seven meant he could wait properly.
Adam stayed where he was.
Their courtyard stretched wide in front of him, paved with pale stone tiles etched with faint geometric lines. He didn't know what they were for, but sometimes, when the sun hit them just right, they glowed softly and made the ground feel… steady.
He stood near the center, facing the main doors.
They were tall. Very tall.
Made of layered alloy and crystals panels, reinforced by Qi-binding frames that ran along their edges like frozen lightning. Adam had once tried to count how many panels there were. He gave up halfway.
He rocked slightly on his heels. Waiting was hard.
Then he thought of his sister…
Adam excitement dulled a little.
He missed her.
She had gone far away–further than Lakespire, farther than anywhere Adam could imagine. Starpeak academy, the best place for healers in the world. That's what father said. That's what everyone said.
Kiran was already an Ascender.
F+ Rank.
At seventeen.
Adam didn't fully understand what it meant, but he knew it was special. Mama said most people reached that rank only in early twenties. That made Kiran a genius.
Just like him.
Adam smiled faintly as he thought.
He liked Kiran's hugs. He liked the way she always smelled tingly fresh,like rain after a long day. Most of all, he liked her Qi, she had called it once, laughing as it flowed gently through him, easing his tired legs after a day of running.
It always made him feel better.
Warm. Safe.
She was walking her own path.
Adam lifted his chin, pushing the thought aside. He was big now. Seven years old. Big boys didn't sulk.
Still…he hoped she would come back soon.
The sky-runners kept moving above, shadows sliding across the courtyard floor. Somewhere far away, a deep hum rolled through the air–one of the larger transports lifting off from the city's upper platforms.
Adam frowned. He didn't like waiting.
Just as he was thinking that maybe he could walk closer–just a little–the doors slid open.
Not fast. Smooth. Silent
Adam's head snapped up.
Voices drifted in. One was familiar. Deep. Steady.
Dada.
The other–
Adam's eyes widened.
That voice sounded… different.
Confident. Clam. Like it didn't need to be loud to be heard. There was something warm in it, but also sharp, like the edge of a blade that knew exactly where to cut.
His Brother.
Adam didn't move.
He listened.
"... some of the elders are still stationed around titnar." his brother was saying. "But most of them still live in orbital habitats around Byreon."
"Hm…" the other voice replied easily." Titnar orbit isn't forgiving. Long dark cycles make it worse. Ferox activity always rises there."
Adam blinked.
Ferox?
He did not know that word.
His father spoke again, slower this time. " A satellite station was hit two days ago in outer orbit. Tens of thousands died before evacuation was completed."
"It's not our responsibility," His brother replied in his tone even "That burden lies with the Terran Federation. They take an enormous share of taxes every single year– handling matters like this is precisely why it was formed." He paused briefly, the corner of his mouth tightening," …Everybody knows who controls the federation. I'm sure they'll see to it."
His father chuckled and said," We also have a seat there as well."
His brother replied " A seat in name only."
Adam's finger curled.
Tens of Thousands was a big number.
He didn't know how big–but he knew it was bigger than the people in manor. Bigger than most things he could imagine.
"The response was delayed," his brother said. There was no fear in his voice. Only focus. "Dark phase makes detection harder. Ferox moves better without light."
Adam swallowed.
He didn't understand most of it.
Titnar. Orbits. Stations. Ferox.
But he understood one thing.
Something bad had happened.
And it was far away. For now.
"I didn't get it," Adam thought, staring at the opening doors. "But I will. Dada says men understand things when they grow."
He nodded to himself. He would grow. Soon.
Footsteps entered the courtyard. Heavy ones.
Then lighter ones beside them.
Adam straightened as two figures stepped through the doorway.
His father walked first –broad-sholdered, dark-haired, his presence filling the space without trying. Beside him walked a younger man, tall and relaxed, wearing a faint smile that looked easy but sharp at the same time.
Adam's chest tightened. They had arrived.
And suddenly, waiting didn't matter anymore.
Adam didn't look at his father first. He looked at the other one.
The man–no, not man, Adam corrected himself big brother–stood just a little behind Dada. He was tall. Taller than Dada? Adam wasn't sure. His hair was dark, the same colour as Adam's own, and his eyes were sharp but warm, like they were always watching something interesting.
Their eyes met.
Adam froze.
That's him, Adam thought.
His brother looked exactly like the one in the holograms–but also not. They were flat and boring. This one was real. This one breathed. This one looked back at him.
Rowan's lips curved into a smile.
Not wide. Not teasing. Soft.
Like he was happy to see Adam even though they had never met.
Adam didn't smile back. He stared. Hard.
Rowan took a step forward, boots clicking lightly against the stone. Adam notices how he walked–easy, like the ground belonged to him. Like he wasn't worried about falling or slipping or anything at all.
He must be very big, Adam decided. Bigger than me.
Dada stopped beside Adam and rested a hand lightly on his shoulder.
"That' your brother." Evan Hale said calmly.
"Rowan."