Chapter One: "Awakening of the Aura"
The morning was grim. Crimson clouds blanketed the skies above the quiet village of Loren. In the center of the market square stood a seventeen-year-old boy, his black hair tousled and eyes dark as coal. His name was Raizel, a simple blacksmith's apprentice — unaware that this day would alter the course of his life forever.
The steady clang of hammer on anvil echoed as steel bent beneath his will, slowly taking shape into a sword. Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the eastern edge of the village. The ground trembled. Fire burst into the sky. Screams erupted in the distance.
Raizel dropped the half-forged blade and rushed out of the forge. What he saw turned his blood cold.
Shadowy figures cloaked in flowing black armor marched through the flames, their blades glowing with a dark, pulsing aura. Villagers ran in all directions, some cut down where they stood. These were not bandits. They were aura warriors — and powerful ones.
"What the hell is going on?" Raizel whispered, fists clenched. He had heard legends of aura users — warriors who could channel their life energy through their weapons. But never had he seen one with his own eyes. Until now.
From the smoke, one of the dark warriors turned toward him. Their eyes met. A wicked smile curved beneath the warrior's helmet.
In that instant, something stirred inside Raizel.
A warmth. A pulse. A spark.
His right hand burned, and the unfinished sword he had dropped moments ago trembled — then flew to his grasp as if summoned.
Raizel's body moved on instinct. Aura, unseen and untrained, surged through his veins.
The war had come to Loren. And Raizel… was about to awaken.