It was a pale morning in the palace of Darkul when all the trainee children were summoned to the Black Hall. There, beneath the eyes of the stone statues representing the ancestors of the Empire, General Volkron stood reading the orders of the upcoming mission.
"You will all be sent to the region of Manako, located in the continent of Aeron. A field training mission in a strange land, full of magical creatures, scattered tribes, and living threats. Whoever survives will return with a new status… and whoever falls, will be forgotten."
Whispers began to spread among the children.
The continent of Aeron was known for being a turbulent blend of diversity. A loose alliance of kingdoms, with different races, beliefs, and even ways of understanding magic. Its inhabitants — humans, demi-humans, and hybrid creatures — lived together in fragile harmony. No single authority ruled them, but rather a constant balance between power and fear. And Manako was its most unstable region.
⸻
The night before departure, Rain was summoned to the eastern wing — the wing of Empress Astelar, the current emperor's second wife.
He hated this wing… cold, sterile, as if the air itself refused to be breathed.
He entered and found her standing before a mirror of midnight glass, brushing her silver-gray hair. She didn't turn around.
"Do you know, Rain," she said calmly, as if discussing the weather, "that I suggested your execution the day you arrived?"
He didn't reply.
"They said you were a shadow, that you were the emperor's son… But nothing about you resembles us. Not the blood, not the faces, not even the silence you're so good at."
He finally said:
"You care about the blood… because you're afraid it isn't pure."
She turned, her eyes blazing:
"I only fear what I cannot control. And you… no one controls you."
Rain stepped closer, slowly:
"Fear is the weakest form of control."
She smiled, then gestured toward the door:
"Go, shadow. Let the forest devour you. Or reveal your truth."
⸻
On the morning of the mission, the children gathered on the back of the black carrier — a magical ship descending along the celestial tracks.
Among them were:
Karlas, the arrogant one, wielder of metallic body magic.
Neva, the cold one, the young sharpshooter with air magic.
Rendar, the silent genius, skilled in reading plans and decoding messages.
Rain sat apart from them, watching the clouds part to reveal the glowing green peaks of Manako, and its forests in a thousand colors — as if nature itself had lost its mind.
⸻
When they landed in the heart of the region, the humidity was suffocating, and the air was full of sounds that didn't belong to this world.
The accompanying commander said:
"Your mission: survive for seven days. Each team chooses a leader. Communication is limited. Attacks… are allowed."
At that moment, Rain looked toward the forest. Something in it was calling to him.
But this time, it wasn't the shadow that spoke.
It was the earth itself… whispering, as if it knew who he truly was.