Kael learned the world through shadows. Every crack in the village wall, every whisper of wind through the trees, every flicker of candlelight in a distant window became his teacher. He moved silently through alleys, observing the people who had rejected him, learning their habits, memorizing their routines.
Food was scarce. He scavenged what he could—stale bread, scraps of meat, anything hidden behind locked doors. Hunger sharpened him, honed his senses, and made him cunning. Pain became familiar, loneliness a companion. By the time he was ten, he had perfected the art of invisibility in a world that refused to see him.
Yet, not all hearts were cruel. One girl, blind from birth, found him one day while he hid in the forest's edge. She called him by name—though he had never told her—and spoke to him as if he were no different than any other child.
"I see you," she said softly. "Even if my eyes cannot, I know you are here."
Her name was Liora, and she became his first true friend. With her, Kael experienced a fragment of warmth and belonging. She laughed easily, sang to the wind, and shared stories of stars that told secrets. Liora taught Kael that sight was not the only way to understand the world, and that even those who seem powerless can hold great strength.
It was during these days of hidden companionship that Kael first noticed his own strangeness. A shadow would stretch toward him, bending unnaturally, following his moods. A flicker of light would glow from his hands when he healed a wounded bird or soothed a frightened animal. At first, he thought it was his imagination—but the feeling was undeniable: he was different.
The villagers' fear of him only grew. They blamed him for every misfortune: a failed harvest, a sick cow, a child's fall. Kael learned to hide his abilities, fearing punishment, knowing that discovery could bring wrath beyond their words. Still, even in concealment, he felt power stir within him, wild and untamed.
One evening, as the sun bled across the horizon, Kael wandered deeper into the forest than ever before. The trees whispered secrets older than his village. Shadows clung to him like old friends, and the wind carried voices he could barely understand. In that moment, he realized that rejection had not made him weak—it had made him vigilant, resilient, and ready.
And somewhere, far beyond the reach of mortal eyes, something waited. Something ancient, something patient, something that had watched him grow. Kael did not yet know it, but the first step toward fulfilling the prophecy was about to arrive in the form of a stranger cloaked in midnight.
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