Chapter 1: A Spark of Awakening

A chill breeze swept through the back alley, ruffling Kaelen’s thin tunic as he knelt over a bundle of rough cloth and torn rations. The castle loomed above him, its stone walls casting long shadows that held him hidden in the corners. This was where he and his parents had lived, like dust caught in the edges of the kingdom’s grandeur. His father a stable hand, his mother a servant in the lower kitchens—barely noticed by anyone, and that had suited them well enough.

But everything changed the morning his world fractured.

A distant shout caught his attention. Kaelen’s heart thundered, the chill in his veins spreading as he realized the voices belonged to guards—coming toward him. His hands gripped the bundle tighter, his gaze darting around for a place to hide. They weren’t here to tell him about his parents’ absence or to dismiss him; he knew the guards too well. They were here to make sure he stayed quiet.

He bit down on his lip, forcing the panic down. He could feel something strange beneath his skin, a stirring, a prickle along his arms. He’d felt this sensation only once before—the night his parents had whispered frantically about his future, about his bloodline, and why he would need to learn to control himself. His mind raced back to those hurried words.

You may have the gift, Kaelen. The council will want you for it, if they find out.

It had been a mystery then, something he’d pushed from his mind. But here, in this moment, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they had known what was coming. He felt the world around him sharpen, details he’d once overlooked now glaring at him in stark clarity. It was as though the very air pulsed, alive with particles he had never before noticed.

“What are you hiding, Kaelen?” a low, rough voice cut through his thoughts.

One of the guards had closed in on him, his iron gauntlet reaching forward to grip Kaelen by the arm. Kaelen’s heart pounded, but in that instant, the prickle beneath his skin burst, a rush of warmth flooding his chest, as if something within him had awakened.

The world particles around him—the strange, almost invisible sparkles in the air—seemed to brighten, drawn toward him in a way he couldn’t explain. His vision blurred as colors and forms sharpened unnaturally, and a strange sense of awareness flooded his mind.

The guard’s hand froze mid-air. He staggered back, eyes wide, as if he’d felt a surge of energy radiating from Kaelen.

“What… what are you?” the guard stammered, his grip loosening.

Kaelen took a sharp breath, a strange calm washing over him as the warmth in his chest settled, like a new heartbeat. Energy heart, the words surfaced in his mind, unbidden. His parents had mentioned it once, an energy heart, a mark of mages who could sense world particles. The realization sank in as the guards stared at him in shock.

“Seize him!” the head guard shouted, breaking the stunned silence. “The boy’s awakened—he’s a mage!”

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Kaelen scrambled to his feet, a desperate instinct taking over. He knew they wouldn’t let him go; the council took in every mage with any potential, raised them as weapons. His parents’ warning repeated in his mind, louder with every step he took as he bolted from the guards.

He darted through alleyways, his pulse racing. He could feel the warmth in his chest, the energy heart that had somehow awakened within him, urging him on. He didn’t fully understand it yet, but he knew one thing: he was connected to something far beyond what he had known.

Hours later, Kaelen finally collapsed on the outskirts of the castle grounds, hidden by the thick trees. His heart was still pounding, but he was safe—at least for now.

The warmth in his chest pulsed faintly, as if alive, and he forced himself to breathe, reaching inward. As he focused, a shimmering window appeared before his eyes, filled with symbols and numbers he’d never seen before.

[Status Window]

Name: Kaelen

Energy Heart Rank: None (next rank: Novice)

World Particles Needed:

•Dark: 0/1000

•Light: 0/1000

•Space: 0/1000

•Mind: 0/1000

Skills: None

He stared in shock, his mind whirling. Four elements? He had heard of mages being blessed with one, sometimes—rarely—two. But four? He could scarcely believe what he was seeing. Dark, Light, Space, and an unfamiliar one labeled Mind. He didn’t know what any of them did, yet they felt as real as the pulse in his chest.

He remembered stories of powerful mages—conjurers who could manipulate flames, invokers who could summon lightning, and sorcerers who could command storms. But each of them had devoted their lives to mastering a single element. To have four was unheard of.

The excitement was short-lived. As the realization settled, he remembered his parents’ fate. If the council found out about his powers, they would surely control him, as they had controlled so many before. He’d heard the stories of mages taken by the council and twisted to their will.

The status window shimmered in front of him, a reminder of what he’d gained—and what he now risked losing. Dark, Light, Space, Mind. His fingers tingled as he focused, drawn to the word “Dark.” It was the only one that felt familiar, like a part of him that had always been there, just waiting to be awakened.

He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind, and felt the faintest trickle of energy flow into his chest, barely a spark. But it was enough. His energy heart pulsed, and a new message appeared in the status window.

Dark Particles Absorbed: 10/1000 (Novice Rank Required: 1000)

Ten particles. A fraction of what he needed, but it was a start. He could feel the power in those particles, the way they hummed in his chest, merging with his energy heart. The idea of absorbing more, of growing stronger, was both exhilarating and daunting.

But each of the elements would require a thousand particles just to reach the Novice rank. To gather that many would take time, patience, and a safe place far from the council’s prying eyes. And he knew that wouldn’t be easy.

The weight of the task settled on him, a heavy but thrilling burden. His parents had known, somehow, that this day would come. They had warned him, trained him in ways he hadn’t understood until now. They had prepared him to survive.

But he was alone, and the council wouldn’t rest until they had him. He had to learn control, to master this power if he was ever to be free. And as he stared at the status window, he made a silent promise to himself.

He would not be their weapon. He would not let them twist his power. He would become strong enough to break free from their control.

The pulse of his energy heart quickened, a faint but growing echo of power. This was only the beginning.

In the following weeks, Kaelen slipped into a hidden routine, retreating to the outskirts each night to absorb particles. He focused on the Dark particles first, the energy easiest to pull, resonating deeply within him. It took days to even reach a hundred, and each one left him drained, but he pressed on, his resolve hardening with every step forward.

The status window became his constant companion, and as the numbers slowly rose, a new message flickered to life when he passed five hundred:

Dark Skill Unlocked: Shadow Veil (Rank F) - Allows the user to blend into shadows for a short duration. Duration increases with each energy rank.

His heart leaped. A skill. He’d only seen the council mages wield them from a distance, using powers refined through years of training. This simple ability—the ability to hide himself—would be his first taste of true freedom.

With the Shadow Veil skill in his grasp, Kaelen knew he could finally escape the palace grounds entirely and disappear, evade the council’s eyes while growing stronger.

He looked down at his hands, feeling the faint trace of darkness that lingered there, his first taste of magic, raw and untamed.

One day, he would reach the Novice rank. He would gather enough particles to unlock skills in each element. And when he did, he would have the strength to face whatever lay ahead—whether it was the council, or forces beyond.

But for now, Kaelen took a deep breath and let the shadowy power cover him, melting into the night.