The rain tapped against the mana-glass windows of the Valen household — a quiet rhythm that danced with the hum of wardstones embedded in the walls. Outside, skyscrapers pulsed with leyline neon. Mana-taxis whirred overhead. Inside, it was peaceful.
Kaela stirred a simmering pot of spiritroot stew, the scent filling the warm kitchen. Her hair, white and soft like moon-kissed silk, framed her delicate face. Her violet eyes shimmered with gentle radiance.
Across the counter sat her brother, Kai, shirtless, barefoot, reading a system scroll containing battle records. His posture was casual, but every inch of him radiated tension — a storm barely leashed.
"You're supposed to be chopping mushrooms," Kaela said, not looking up.
"I am chopping," Kai replied. "With my mind."
"You're staring at combat logs."
"Observation is the first slice."
Kaela snorted softly.
A loud click echoed through the house.
The door slid open, and in stepped Alya Valen — their aunt, guildmaster of Silver Vow, and one of Archeline's elite dungeon explorers. She looked soaked but unbothered, her dusksteel cloak trailing mana-infused raindrops.
"Suit up," she said. "Mock Dungeon trial tomorrow morning. Class Silver. Don't be late."
Kai grinned. "That's the one with the Ember Minotaur, right?"
"Simulated core. Real pain," Alya replied. "Also, do not transform. The sim-core will shut down."
"Noted," Kaela said calmly. "No deification."
"Or dragons," Alya muttered, giving Kai a side-eye.
That night, the house was quiet.
Kai stood under the moonlight in the backyard, eyes lifted to the night sky. The stars stirred something in his bones — a restlessness, a longing.
Mana flowed through his spine.
For just a moment, his skin shimmered with draconic scales.
Only three hours a day. That was his limit. But when the form came, he felt… alive.
Across the house, Kaela sat in a meditation circle. Light gathered around her in soft spirals. Sigils floated like celestial petals.
[System Notification]
"Divine Sync at 82%. Deific Form accessible. Proceed?"
She exhaled and touched the locket around her neck.
"Not yet," she whispered.
Far above them, beyond the stars and sealed gates, in the depths of Mythralis, a god chained in starlight stirred.
His flame burned once more.
And the Realms would soon remember his name.
End of Chapter One