Chapter 1

“Kara, bring the boy. It is time.” A cold voice echoed out within the darkness, making the air tremble.

“As you wish, master,” came the reply. This voice was nothing like the other; it was reminiscent of rusty iron being dragged across the ground.

This place was deep beneath the surface in the heart of the northern reaches of Kavaron. The darkness and silence were ever unchanging. No living man had ever set foot here.

Yet now, heavy footsteps echoed through this ancient place of vast halls and great caves.

“Are you certain this is what you want, Bael? The boy is young, but he is one of us. He has never left since he fell down here. Can you really bear to let him go?” A third voice echoed out. This one was ancient, and although a might on Bael’s level couldn’t be felt, it was more dignified.

“Hmph. Of course I don’t want him to go, but Kael has been here long enough. We have taught him what he needs to know about the world above. And with the powers that boy possesses, who can stand against him? Kael was made for darkness. He's a complete natural: the greatest talent I have seen in thousands of years. Do you really think I will let any harm come to the boy? I call him my son!” By the anger that seeped through Bael’s voice, an unknown might filled the air, which shook in a way that could be felt.

“Don’t be angered by my words, brother. That kid is dear to me as well. After all, he sees me as his uncle. I suppose you are right; he is able enough to go outside. But while few will be able to harm him, what about the light magi and the templars? They despise our race and those associated with us.” The dignified voice had turned quite submissive, placating even.

“Azog, you should know better than mentioning those ants in my presence. If harm ever comes to Kael, I will destroy the world above. Even if the gods then descend, I would butcher them like pigs.” As Bael’s voice boomed through the dark chamber, the walls began to shake.

Azog was speechless for a moment. “I didn’t know you cared this much for the boy. Very well. I suppose you have made sufficient preparations. Let us await Kael. After all, he can be considered the son of demons. I look forward to his coming to the world above and how he upturns its foundations.” Azog chuckled before turning silent.

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Further inside the fathomless darkness in a small chamber lit by cold-looking blue flames, sat a boy in a chair. Although tall for a thirteen-year-old, he looked frail. The ends of his gray hair draped his shoulders. His face looked soft yet angular at the same time. He was dressed in a black robe of fine cloth both functional and warm.

From a distance, all that was peculiar about Kael was the color of his hair. But there was something else which made him unique. His left eye had no pupil. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see through this eye; it worked fine, and so it could be reasoned that, somehow, his entire pupil must be pure white. Sitting there reading, he was unaware that this day was the day he would be stepping out of a familiar world and into a new life.

Someone knocked on the chamber’s door. Kael looked up from his book, a little puzzled. ‘Who could’ve come for me? Nothing ever changes down here, but I hope I can do something other than read today.’

“Young Master Kael, may I enter? The master requests your presence in the grand chamber.” This voice was as rough as nails scratching across stone.

“Kara? What does father want? I'll be there, just hang on a moment!”

What could his father want? Kael placed the book in one of the many bookshelves lining the dimly-lit walls. He had finished reading them all a long time ago.

By now he knew most of them by heart, and his favorite, which he was holding at the moment, was a guide to the continent of Kavaron. While reading it, he had often let his imagination run wild. After all, there wasn’t much that existed down here. Nothing ever changed, but for some reason, Kael still liked the dark: he always had. Perhaps it was because he’d become able to see in the dark after having spent the last eleven years in it.

How he had arrived at this place, that Kael didn’t remember. His earliest memory was of the first time he had heard his father's voice, how it had made the air tremble, and how he hadn’t been frightened by it. As he grew older, he got to know the rest of his family: his uncles and the many servants who lived in these halls. It was odd how they never did much other than sleep.

The exception was the time they had spent with Kael. They had always been glad to help him whenever he had a question. Where knowledge was concerned, his family members were like bottomless oceans, and this he knew after having asked them questions about every topic he had ever come across. As a result, he was himself a deep pool of knowledge.

Kael didn’t know why they were so different from him: they just were. And they differed from each other too. Some were the size of small mountains, while others had many heads, and a few even looked like the animals he had read about in his books. But there was one thing they all had in common. They cared for Kael, and it was all that mattered to him.