The sound of the church bell had not yet faded when a thin mist began to blanket the ancient city atop the highlands. In a narrow, dark alley, a man in a black cloak came to a stop. His eyes, hidden beneath the hood's shadow, gazed toward the north.
> "The First Mark has awakened."
The whisper rang like a chant through the damp stones and cold air. In his hand, he held an old scroll, bearing the same symbol now etched into Kael's altar. But at the edge of the mark, a red dot had begun to glow faintly — a sign that something had connected.
---
Back at the same old church, Kael sat alone in a corner of the prayer room. He hadn't been able to sleep since that night. Though Father Eluon had yet to say much, Kael knew… his life had changed. He could feel it.
"What exactly is the Mark…?" Kael whispered to himself.
> "It is the Hidden Light among Shadows," a voice answered in his mind, faint… but real.
Kael froze. This wasn't the first time he'd heard that voice. But this time, it felt… close. As if it came from within, not from without.
---
Elsewhere, deep in the city center, a secret meeting was underway. Seven cloaked figures sat in a circle within a dark chamber, lit only by a strange blue flame.
> "The Mark has risen."
"Is it the sixth or seventh?"
"No. It's the first — Core One. And we are late."
One of them struck their staff on the ground. "Then… it is time to approach the Shadow. The one unaware of who he truly is. Before the Light consumes all Plans."
---
The Mark.
It is not mere magic. It is a structure — the bones of reality in this world. There are seven "Cores." Each Core is a path of power and fate, and Kael… had just awakened one of them.
But the world will not let it go unnoticed.