The morning after his encounter in the cave, Renjiro awoke to a world that felt different, as though everything around him had shifted. Golden light streamed through his window, casting familiar patterns on the walls, but an unsettling hum lingered beneath the surface. A strange energy filled the air, buzzing at the edge of his senses. He sat up slowly, the memory of the blue crystal vivid in his mind, the pulse of Lumina still echoing in his veins.

Outside, the village seemed unusually quiet, almost as if it, too, was holding its breath.

Renjiro shook off the unease and prepared for his day. Heading to the forge, he hoped the familiar routine would ground him. The rhythmic clang of hammer on steel had always brought him peace, but as he stepped into the warmth of the forge, even that comfort felt distant as if it no longer belonged to him.

"Strike harder, Renjiro," Satoshi's voice called out from the other side of the room, gruff and commanding, but distracted.

Renjiro nodded, gripping the hammer tightly. He raised it, the weight of it familiar in his hand, but as he brought it down onto the steel, something went wrong. The metal beneath it didn't bend or shape like it should—it shattered. Cracks webbed across the steel, and shards of metal scattered across the workbench like pieces of brittle stone.

Renjiro froze, staring at the broken steel. His heart raced, his mind whirling in disbelief. He glanced at the shards and caught his reflection in a piece. His breath caught. For a brief second, his eyes—his own eyes—had flickered blue.

He blinked, but the memory clung to him, gnawing at his mind.

"What just happened?" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the crackling fire.

His hands trembled as he set the hammer down. He looked toward his uncle, but Satoshi hadn't noticed, too absorbed in shaping his own piece of metal. Renjiro took a slow, deep breath, trying to steady himself, but the strange, restless energy inside him refused to quiet. It felt like something within him was waiting to burst free.

That evening, as the sun dipped low behind the mountains, Renjiro met Kaelan at the outskirts of the village. The two friends walked along the dirt path, the cool wind brushing against their skin, carrying with it the familiar scent of pine and damp earth. Renjiro had been silent most of the walk, his thoughts swirling with the events of the day. He couldn't keep it to himself any longer.

"Something strange happened today," Renjiro said, breaking the silence. His voice was low, uncertain.

Kaelan raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "Strange? That's not like you. You're usually the steady one."

Renjiro shook his head, his voice more serious now. "At the forge… the steel, it broke. Shattered like glass. And my eyes—" He hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby. "They turned blue. Just for a moment."

Kaelan's smirk faded, replaced by confusion. "Blue? Are you sure? Maybe you were just tired."

"I know what I saw," Renjiro said firmly, though uncertainty gnawed at him. He looked down at his hands, half-expecting them to glow again. "Ever since the cave, something's been… different. I feel different."

Kaelan opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of footsteps interrupted them. From the trees emerged three older boys, thugs from a neighboring village. They were known for picking fights, especially with those they thought wouldn't fight back. Their grins were wide and malicious.

"Well, well, look what we have here," the leader of the group sneered, stepping forward. "The little village boys out for a stroll."

Renjiro's stomach dropped. Kaelan, always the quicker of the two to act, stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Leave us alone. We don't want any trouble."

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"Too late for that," the leader growled, lunging forward. In an instant, he grabbed Kaelan by the collar and hoisted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. Kaelan struggled, his legs kicking in the air, but the other boys only laughed.

Without thinking, Renjiro moved to help, but one of the thugs shoved him to the ground with ease. He hit the dirt hard, pain shooting up his side. "Stay down, kid," the thug warned, looming over him.

A hot surge of anger flared in Renjiro's chest, burning away the fear. As he lay on the ground, panting, something inside him snapped. The air around him seemed to tremble, the earth vibrating beneath his fingers. His fists clenched, and the dirt began to shift, tiny pebbles lifting from the ground. Sparks of blue Lumina crackled between his fingers, faint at first, but growing stronger with each breath. The energy hummed in his veins, coiling and ready to explode.

"Let him go," Renjiro said, his voice low, trembling with something he didn't fully understand. His eyes flickered again—blue light casting faint shadows across the dirt.

The thugs, too busy taunting Kaelan, ignored him. But Renjiro's anger surged hotter, more powerful than before. He thrust his hand forward, and without knowing how or why, the energy shot from him. A crackling wave of blue Lumina erupted from his palm, and the thug standing over him flew backward, crashing into the trees with a force that left everyone frozen in shock.

For a moment, the world stood still. The remaining thugs stared at Renjiro, their faces pale with fear and disbelief. Kaelan, still held in the air, gaped down at his friend, speechless.

"What… what was that?" Kaelan stammered, his voice thick with confusion.

Renjiro's breath came in ragged gasps, his mind reeling. His hands trembled, the faint glow of Lumina still fading from his skin. He had wanted to protect Kaelan, but not like this—not with whatever power had just erupted from him.

"Let's get out of here!" one of the thugs shouted. They released Kaelan, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground, before scrambling into the trees, their bravado shattered.

Kaelan collapsed onto his hands and knees, coughing. He looked up at Renjiro, wide-eyed. "Renjiro! What did you do?"

Renjiro didn't answer. He couldn't. His hands were still shaking, his heart pounding in his chest. Without a word, he turned and bolted, his feet carrying him deeper into the woods, away from the village—away from Kaelan, away from what he had become.

The forest grew thick and shadowed as Renjiro raced between the trees, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get away. Away from the chaos he had unleashed, away from himself.

As he ran, something caught his eye. Skidding to a stop, Renjiro stared at the figure half-hidden in the underbrush—a man, lying still on the forest floor.

Renjiro approached cautiously, his heart still racing. The man wore tattered armor, his chest barely rising and falling with shallow breaths. But it was the symbol on his armor that made Renjiro's blood run cold. The blue crest—a phoenix, just like the one he had found in the woods. The mark of the Azeron Guardians.

The man's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, his gaze locked with Renjiro's. His voice was weak, barely a whisper. "They're coming… You need… to leave."

Renjiro knelt beside him, his pulse quickening. "Who's coming? What do you mean?"

The man struggled to push himself up, but his strength failed him, and he collapsed back to the ground. Renjiro, acting on instinct, lifted the man's arm over his shoulder and began dragging him toward the village, his mind racing with questions.

Back at his home, Renjiro laid the man down on a mat near the hearth. The stranger's breathing was shallow, but Renjiro could now see the weariness etched on his face, the bruises on his armor telling stories of battles fought and lost. His eyes, though dim with exhaustion, were bright and piercing.

"You… you're a Luminarian," Renjiro whispered, awe creeping into his voice. "One of the Azeron Guardians."

The man's gaze met Renjiro's, and something unspoken passed between them. "You're… like me," the man rasped, his voice laced with surprise. "I sense Lumina within you."

Renjiro frowned, glancing down at his hands. "What are you doing here on your own? There's no one around for miles."

The man exhaled slowly, his face grim. "I didn't know there was a village here. But it doesn't matter. You're all in danger. You need to leave… now."

Renjiro's heart raced. "What danger? What's coming?"

Before the man could respond, the door swung open, and Satoshi entered. His face was a mixture of shock and confusion. "Renjiro… who is this man? How did he get here?"

The Luminarian, his strength waning, spoke before Renjiro could reply. "The boy… needs to come with me. Back to the Blue Clan. He's one of us… He needs training, or he won't survive what's coming."

Satoshi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Training? What are you talking about?"

Renjiro hesitated. Slowly, he lifted his hand, and a faint glow of blue Lumina pulsed in his palm, shimmering softly in the dim light. "This," Renjiro said quietly. "I think… I think I'm like him."

Satoshi stared at his nephew in silence, unable to speak. The boy he had raised, was far more than he had ever imagined.