POV: Kael Darkflame (Age: 0)
He did not remember light.Only the cold. And the shaking.And a voice — not like his mother's. Lower. Hardened. Tired.
"Another one abandoned," it muttered.
The skies above the lowest realm were a permanent gray, thick with ash and clouds that never wept. The scent of iron and fire lingered in the cracked dirt. No birds sang here. The only cries were those of beasts — or worse, of people trying not to become their prey.
And in the middle of it all, an infant boy with midnight hair and a dimly pulsing locket around his neck lay in a half-collapsed basket by the roadside, just outside the stone-walled outskirts of the settlement called Gravedge.
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POV: Garron Ironclaw
He'd seen his fair share of corpses — warriors, farmers, even orphans — in his old life.
But not like this.
The baby was silent. Not crying. Not fussing. Just... watching him.
Garron scratched at the scar across his jaw, half-hidden by his wild beard. The massive man wore blacksmith leathers, one arm sleeved in enchanted stone — a relic from the war he'd survived two decades ago. His eyes, sharp as hammered steel, narrowed at the baby's glowing red irises.
"That's no normal brat," he muttered, crouching.
The villagers whispered behind him.
"Demon-born."
"Throw it into the Spinal Maw."
"Leave it to rot."
Garron didn't answer. He stepped closer. The infant didn't flinch, only kept watching — eyes steady, intelligent.
Then the locket flashed.
Garron's system reacted instantly.
[WARNING: Proximity to Sealed High-Class Artifact — 'Abyssal Locket of the Fallen Lineage']Do you wish to inspect?>> Y/N
Garron blinked.
What the hell kind of child…?
He accepted the prompt.
Artifact Interface — Abyssal Locket
Class: Unknown
Status: 92% Sealed
Effect (Active): Bloodline Suppression, Fate Veiling
Effect (Passive): Growth Lock — 12% leak tolerance
Binding: [Kael Darkflame]
Trace Signature: Divine Realm — Celestial Grade Threat Detected
Emergency Tag: "In death, we planted you in ash. Grow, son of shadows."
He stood slowly.
"Get back to your huts," he growled to the watching villagers. "Or pick up a hammer and try me."
None of them moved. None dared.
He knelt again and scooped the child up into his thick arms.
"You've got the eyes of someone who's already lost something."
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POV: Kael (System – Internal Activation)
The world was shapes and warmth and voices. But beneath it, something else was stirring.
System Interface Initializing...— Core Stabilizing...— Environment Set: Realm Level 1 (Low-Survival Zone)— Host Energy Signature Detected: [Dark Flame Bloodline – Suppressed]— System Sync: 17% Complete...
A pulse ran through Kael's tiny body, like a second heartbeat. His fingers twitched.
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POV: Elara (Far North of Gravedge)
From the ridge above the cliff path, Elara watched Garron take the child into the village.
The locket had responded to someone — chosen. That was unexpected. Fortunate.
"I'll be watching," she whispered.
Behind her, a shadow moved — a beast formed of bone and frost. Her familiar. Her blade, for when the time came.
But she didn't act.
Not yet.
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POV: Lyra Darkflame (Highest Realm – Celestial Cradle)
A week passed.
In the highest realm's central tower, Lyra slept under sheets woven from blessed stardust. She was never cold, never alone — but never held by the arms that gave her life, either.
A golden-robed priestess peered down at her.
"Such peaceful sleep," she whispered. "Blessed child. Born of unknown lineage, yet… so radiant."
The system glyph above Lyra's crib flickered.
False Lineage Imprint: Celestial House of Eravell (Status: Secure)
Real Bloodline: Masked
Memory Seal: 100% Integrity
Lyra stirred.
And in her dreams — there was a boy with red eyes.
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POV: Garron Ironclaw (One Month Later)
The forge burned hotter than usual today.
Little Kael had grown quickly. Too quickly.
Garron set down his hammer and wiped sweat from his brow.
The boy was sitting upright already, crawling faster than most children could walk. Watching. Always watching.
He wasn't normal — but he wasn't wrong, either.
Not a demon. Not a monster.
Just... waiting for something to return to him.
Garron wasn't the sentimental type, but something about the boy unnerved and intrigued him.
He tapped his own system to check the boy's presence again.
Passive System Reading – Proximity: Kael
Threat Level: Undetermined
Growth: Accelerating (Anomaly)
Bloodline Aura: Dormant – Stable
Soul Type: "Unknown — Consuming-Class Core Detected"
System Sync: 41%
Awakening Projection: Age 12 — Trigger Required
He grunted. "Twelve, huh?"
"Let's see what kind of fire you carry by then, brat."
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POV: Kael (Infant — Internal Dreamscape)
Inside his sleep, something moved.
Dark wings.
Chains.
A scythe floating in an endless void of stars.
And a voice.
His voice.
Older. Colder. Wiser.
"I'll carve my name into the world with the bones of gods."
And then it was gone.
But not forgotten.
End of Chapter 3