Backstory: When They Were Still Just "Luce" and "Cae"
Setting:
The slums of Arlithe, a decaying city built on ancient magical ley lines, torn apart by civil war and infested with cursed magic. Orphans and outcasts gather in hidden underground zones, away from corrupt mage lords and mercenaries.
When Luce and cae First met; Luce was 10 and Cae was 8 years old. For some reason... They had rivality from that day on.
So... What did atchuly happened, that lead them to hate each others?
Lets find out, shall we?
Lucien, already hardened by loss, was surviving alone by trading relic scraps and stealing from black market mages. One night, he found Caelan passed out near a collapsed sanctuary, clutching a broken talisman and bleeding from his arm—a botched ritual mark.
Lucien almost walked away. But something in Caelan's dazed eyes stopped him—an eerie calm. Like he didn't care whether he lived or died. Lucien was Allmost confused and pity of the boy before him before he masked the look with his usual ugly smirk.
After a look Stears, Lucien made a final decision and dragged him to safety. Fed him. Shared his stolen bread.
"You owe me now. So stay alive." Lucien said.
"Then don't leave me." Caelen said, just Stearing blankly at Lucian. Wondering if there's really something under that ugly smirk of Lucian.
From that night on, they were inseparable. Allmost amazing, isn't it? That's where the story begun.
Both boys were Cursed-Born — children born on the "Eclipse Veil," a rare celestial event that grants them a fragment of dangerous magic. The Order of the Moonfang hunts such children to use or eliminate them.
Lucien's Curse: The ability to manipulate shadows and bind spirits—but the more he uses it, the more it eats at his soul and memories.
Caelan's Curse: Perfect vision through darkness and veils—he can see through illusions and barriers, and hit anything from any range. But every time he kills, a piece of his heart freezes.
They swore to never use their curses unless their lives depended on it.
When they were around 13, a bounty was placed on Cursed-Born children in Arlithe.
During a midnight escape attempt, Lucien distracted the guards using forbidden shadow magic. In the chaos, he was nearly killed—and he made Caelan run with a blood oath charm, forcing him to flee.
Lucien was captured and presumed dead.
Caelan was found days later by a secretive organization that "rescued" him—but in reality, they erased his memories, honed his curse, and trained him to be a sniper assassin under a new name.
Lucien, however, survived. Scarred and broken, he clawed his way into the underworld, building power not for vengeance—but to find Caelan.
He never forgot.
They once carved a small rune into a silver coin and swore:
"If the world forgets us, this won't."
Lucien kept it.
Caelan dreams of it sometimes, with no idea why it hurts.