The wind blew cold across the hills of Arkhaven, a small village forgotten by kingdoms and empires.
The houses were simple, made of stone and wood, and the children ran through the fields, unaware that the world outside was already ablaze.
But not all children were the same.
Draven Noctyros, only seven years old, walked among them.
His skin was darker than the moonless night, and his violet eyes shone even in the sunlight.
The other children kept their distance, not out of malice, but because something about him… seemed different.
Something wrong for the ordinary world.
He never cried. He never laughed the way the others did.
While they played tag and fought with sticks, Draven simply observed, attentive to everything: the movement of the leaves, the slightest sound of the wind, the tremor of the earth beneath his feet.
Inside his mind, the voice of the Great Sage spoke constantly.
[Environmental Analysis: Low Hostility]
[Threat Level: Minimal]
[Observation Recommended]
Draven didn't fully understand the voice, but he had learned to obey it without question.
It always knew what to do.
That afternoon, while exploring the woods near the village, Draven encountered something that would change his routine forever.
A wild, enormous, and wounded wolf blocked his path. Its red eyes gleamed with fury.
The village children would have run. But Draven… remained still.
He felt every muscle of the animal, every intention in its eyes.
The Great Sage spoke.
[Threat Level: Moderate]
[Enemy Strength: Greater than average human]
[Suggestion: Activate Armament Haki]
Draven frowned.
He had never truly used Haki, but something within him began to awaken.
Shadows rose around him.
A violet and black aura formed, and the nearby branches and leaves seemed to bend away.
The wolf lunged… and Draven intercepted it.
Not with ordinary punches or kicks.
But with a natural manifestation of power he didn't yet know how to control.
When the touch of his hand made contact with the wolf, a black glow coursed through the animal's body.
In seconds, it fell motionless, but not dead. Just subdued.
The shadows that now enveloped Draven moved like tentacles, trapping the wolf without harming it.
[Great Sage]
Result: Total control over initial dark energy
Growth potential: Extreme
Draven looked at his hands.
It was the first time he felt the true power within him.
When he returned to the village, no one noticed anything strange.
Except for a figure in the hills.
An old traveler in a black robe observed everything, without saying a word.
He murmured to himself,
"So… he finally awakens.
The First of the Shadow Race… was born in a suit."
Unbeknownst to him, Draven had taken the first step toward a destiny no one could comprehend.
The world was about to meet the Monarch of the First Shadow.