"The Dominion comes to measure worth."
"But darkness does not care for their scales."
Evening draped Brindle Hollow in gilded quiet.
Lanterns floated like tethered stars above the chapel courtyard. The entire village gathered—breath held, futures waiting.
Kaen stood with Aelis, Liora, and Rellan—four silhouettes breathing the same air, living different destinies.
Aelis squeezed Kaen's hand once.Her warmth felt like the only real thing left.
A Dominion Inspector rode into the courtyard—armor gleaming gold-white. A Dominion Scribe carried a sun-sigiled slate behind him.
The Inspector's voice held command, not comfort:
"Step forward when called. The Source will reveal your rank."
Not worth.
Not heart.
Not soul.
Rank.
The courtyard replied as one:
"The Source reveals what we are."
Kaen felt the words tighten like a rope around his throat.
The testing began.
A girl — Red. Sympathy in applause. A life of hard work.
A boy — Blue. Cheers. Stability. Acceptance.
Then—
"Rellan Veyra."
Rellan walked the dais like it was already his throne. Palm to the Resonance Vessel.
Pulse.
Pulse.
Purple.
Light fractured outward in violet arcs — rare, powerful, destiny-shaping.
The crowd erupted. The scribe's quill scratched with urgency.
Kaen stepped forward — hope aching in his chest.
"Rell, hey —"
Rellan didn't even slow.
Didn't look.
Didn't care.
He passed like Kaen was air.
Kaen's heart folded into something that bruised when touched.
Liora's cane tapped once beside him."He wanted you to feel that," she murmured.
Kaen pretended it didn't work.
"Liora Veyra."
Silence expanded.
She climbed the steps, fingers trembling toward the orb.
Gold exploded from the Vessel.
Wind rushed around her — a halo of motion.Lantern flames bent in reverence.
The Inspector inhaled sharply.
"A Windborne," he announced.
Rare.
Precious.
Liora's breath caught.Her eyes found Kaen.
He steadied her with one fragile smile.Her return smile saved him, however briefly.
"Kaen Veyra."
Silence again — but sharper.
Aelis's hand pushed gently at the base of his spine."Go," she breathed. "And remember — I chose you first."
Kaen climbed the steps.
Nightmare claws scraped his mind.
Please. Please not again.
His palm met the Vessel.
Cold.
Empty.
Dead.
Whispers turned into knives:
"Defect."
"No resonance?"
"Waste of space."
Kaen's fingers began to withdraw—
The Vessel flickered gold.
Gasps—hope—then—
The gold imploded.
Light collapsed into a devouring black.Lantern flames sputtered out.Wind choked mid-gust.
The Vessel turned void.
Kaen's reflection sharpened:White eyes. Eclipse halo.The world ending in his shape.
Hairline cracks spidered through crystal.
"He's… corrupted—""No… that's shadow—"
One voice shouted what everyone feared:
"Shadow-born!!"
The Vessel shattered.
Glass rang like broken prayer.
Children cried without sound.Parents dragged them away.
The Inspector recoiled — hand on his weapon.
"The Source rejects him," he declared."Record the anomaly."
The scribe's quill dug harsh ink:
DEFECTIVE — DANGEROUS — REPORT IMMEDIATELY
Kaen looked at the crowd.Every face had changed.
Not questioning.
Not curious.
Only fear.
Rellan stepped back like sickness clung to Kaen's shadow.
Liora reached for him —Kaen stepped away.He would not let her drown in whatever he was.
Aelis seized his hand.Her voice was iron hidden in silk:
"We're leaving. Now."
As they fled, the broken Vessel's runesstill glowed black like an eye refusing to close.
"The Dominion will not allow a monster to go unclaimed."