The sky had never shown fear before.
But tonight, it did.
Aryn Vale stood solitary on the shattered rooftop of a forgotten building, eyes fixed on the moon as it slowly faded. The eclipse had started—earlier than anyone expected. The wind had stilled, as if the earth itself was holding its breath.
People said eclipses were rare.
Old tales warned of them.
Aryn didn't buy into myths. He trusted only one thing: survival.
At seventeen, life had taught him a harsh truth: the weak don't last. He worked hard, trained harder, and kept himself unseen. No friends. No enemies. No ties.
Yet tonight, something stirred within him.
His chest felt tight—not pain, but a force, like a door trying to open from the inside.
Thump.
His heartbeat thundered too loud.
Aryn clenched his hand. "Focus," he whispered.
Then it began.
The moon was fully cloaked now. Darkness engulfed the city—but it wasn't night. The world turned dull, as if all color had drained away. Streetlights blinked and died. Distant sirens wailed, then cut off suddenly.
And then—
A voice.
Not from above.
Not from below.
From inside him.
"After one thousand cycles… the seal weakens."
Aryn stumbled back. "Who's there?!"
Silence.
The air before him fractured—splitting open like silent glass breaking. A black symbol burned into existence, hovering inches from his face. It pulsed, alive.
His mind flooded with visions:
—A throne forged from shadows
—Seven figures kneeling, faces twisted in fear
—A man towering over them, eyes empty and absolute
And then—
Chains.
Endless chains wrapped around a radiant core… and that core was him.
Aryn screamed, falling to his knees.
The symbol struck his chest.
Pain exploded through every nerve. Memories surged—childhood, hunger, solitude—being drawn, weighed, judged.
"Compatibility confirmed."
"Supreme Authority: Dormant."
"Awakening initiated."
The rooftop fractured beneath him.
A shockwave burst outward, shattering windows far and wide. Deep below, under ancient ruins and sealed temples, seven eyes opened simultaneously.
Each whispered the same word.
"…Impossible."
Aryn collapsed, unconscious.
The eclipse ended. The moon returned to its usual glow. The city lights flickered back to life.
People would call it a strange night.
They were wrong.
That night, the balance of the world shifted.
And in the shadows, the Supreme Power had found its vessel once more.