Kael's first memory was the bitter wind cutting across jagged stone. The mountains had no mercy. Life had no mercy.
He had been five when his mother died, taken by greedy soldiers from a distant lord who wanted gold, leaving him alone amidst the peaks. He watched from the shadows as they struck her down, powerless, a tiny boy against the world.
[System Alert: Primordial Dragon Legacy Detected – Potential Awakening.]
Kael didn't understand the warmth stirring in his chest, the pulse of something ancient and powerful within him. He only understood pain. Hunger. Survival.
Every day, he hunted and climbed. Every night, he curled into rocky crevices to escape predators. Each struggle sharpened his body and mind.
By ten, Kael could climb cliffs that adults faltered on. By twelve, he could trap wolves twice his size. And in the deepest shadows, golden scales flickered for an instant under his skin a spark of the dragon within.
Kael never smiled. He never cried. His eyes were sharp, cold, and unreadable. Only in rare moments, when he imagined the distant future, did he allow himself fleeting thoughts of companionship or the women he would one day meet. But that was far away. For now, he endured, alone.
[System Update: Dragon Form Awareness Level 1 – Hidden Power Increasing.]