The sun remained high in the heavens, casting its golden rays upon the small village of Feren's Hollow. Tucked away in a distant valley within dense forests, the village had been left to the world outside for many centuries.
Things were uncomplicated here. Farmers tilled the lands, children ran about the streets, and seniors shared stories beside the fires at dusk.
It was in this same peaceful setting that a young man named Ryuu had been raised. He was sixteen and still hadn't determined his place in the world.
His hair was dark and short and fell messily around his face, and his storm-cloud-grey eyes held an unspoken intensity.
Ryuu was not like the other boys in the village. He did not have their charisma or physical prowess.
He worked in the fields every day, doing the day-to-day tasks that kept the village running, yet always hoping for something more.
Ryuu had always felt that there was something inside of him—a power or energy he couldn't quite understand.
It was as if a door was closed deep within his soul, and no matter how desperately he looked, he couldn't find the key.
The day began like any other. The villagers were busy preparing for the harvest festival, and the village was alive with activity.
Ryuu was working out in the fields, digging in the earth, his hands sore and filthy. As he worked, his mind, as it too frequently did, wandered to the strange dreams he had been having lately. Dreams that were filled with bright lights, distant lands, and a voice that spoke his name.
"Ryuu," the voice whispered in his dreams, always just out of earshot but insistent. "It's time to wake up."
But when he awoke, nothing remained but the feeling of void. Today, however, would be different.
The earth abruptly convulsed with a quake, throwing Ryuu to the ground.
The sound of the earth splitting filled the village air, and the heavens darkened, as if a storm was brewing in the heavens themselves.
Birds screamed in terror as they launched themselves into the air.
The ground rent open, and from the guts of the world, a seething vortex of power erupted, rending at the foundations of the earth itself.
The villagers shouted in terror and ran for cover as the air itself seemed to writhe and distort.
Ryuu, his heart pounding, stared at the strange event. He had no idea what was happening, but something deep inside of him began to stir. The voice from his dreams returned, this time with greater volume.
"Ryuu," it again shouted, but this time it was no whisper. "Awaken."
Unconsciously, Ryuu stepped ahead, his legs walking by themselves, as though drawn into the vortex. The world about him blurred, became indistinct, as he drew near.
His body spasmed, and a power he had never felt before surged through his veins. His hands trembled, and the ground beneath him seemed to roll with every step.
When Ryuu reached the center of the vortex, something incredible happened. A blast of light shot out from within him, an explosion of power that shook the village.
The villagers shouted in terror, but Ryuu felt an odd feeling of peace descend upon him. For the very first time in his life, he felt whole—complete.
The light broke apart, and the vortex collapsed into nothingness, leaving Ryuu standing by himself in the center of the now-still field.
His body continued to tremble, but it was no longer fear that had him in its grasp. It was something else—something powerful, as if a sleeping dragon had awakened inside him.
As Ryuu looked at his hands, he could feel a strange energy coursing through him.
The air around him crackled with electricity, and for a moment, it was as though time had stopped. His senses heightened, and he could hear every whisper of the wind, every murmur of a leaf in the trees, every beat of the villagers who stood in awe before him.
He had no clue what was happening, but it was clear that his life would never be the same.
His daydream was shattered by a voice that drew him back to reality. It was the voice of Elder Kaelen, the old man who had adopted him after his parents disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few years earlier. He was at the edge of the field, his weathered face etched with concern.
"Ryuu!" Elder Kaelen cried out, his voice shaking with a mix of fear and awe. "What have you done?"
Ryuu faced him, his mind spinning. He had no answer. He didn't understand what had happened, only that something inside him had been awakened—something that felt too great to be his own.
"I—I don't know," Ryuu stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to do this."
The villagers, still frozen in place, stared at him in a mix of horror and amazement. A few backed away slowly, but others were drawn in by the energy emanating from him.
Elder Kaelen took a step forward, his eyes slitting. "This… power you've unleashed, it's no ordinary magic. You must learn to control it before it kills you."
Ryuu's heart racing, "What… what is this? What have I become?"
Elder Kaelen's features eased, and he sighed heavily. "No accident, this. You are the heir to an old line, one long thought lost to the centuries. Your waking today is no chance event. Your powers are tied to the very fabric of this world."
Ryuu's mind spun. What did this mean? He had never quite been a part of the village, but now he knew his true identity was far more complicated than he could ever have imagined.
Elder Kaelen placed a hand on Ryuu's shoulder, his voice steady but urgent.
"You must go from this village, Ryuu. There are those in this world that will stop at nothing to acquire your power. The more time you spend here, the more you endanger others." He said.
Ryuu glanced around at the villagers, their faces scared and uncertain. His head reeled. Could he really leave behind all that he had ever known? Could he walk away from the only life he had ever had?
But deep down, Ryuu was aware there was no choice. He could no longer ignore the call within him. He had to discover what had awoken within him, and to do so, he would have to leave Feren's Hollow.
The elder's words were clear: "Your journey is just beginning, and there is much you must learn. You are not alone, but the path ahead will not be easy."
Giving a last look at the village, Ryuu turned and stepped into the unknown.