The wind on the practice platform had gone unnaturally still. The late-afternoon sun painted the silver spires of the Academy in molten gold, yet the air felt colder, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Kael Saran stood alone, his fists clenched, eyes fixed on the pulsating bead of golden light hovering just above his palm. It was small—barely the size of a marble—but each pulse radiated an energy that made the skin on his arms prickle.
The God-Seed.
It had been silent since the day it lodged itself inside him, hiding from the probing senses of the instructors and the scanning crystals of the Academy. But now… it was awake.
The voice in his mind came without warning.
*You have lingered too long in the shadows, bearer.*
Kael froze. He could feel the words not in his ears but in the marrow of his bones.
"Who… are you?" His voice was a whisper.
*I am what they will fear. I am what they will seek. I am the inheritance they will kill to take from you.*
A tremor ran through the platform beneath his feet. The bead of light expanded, threads of golden energy wrapping around his fingers like living fire. Kael's heart pounded—not with fear, but with something sharper, hungrier.
The Seed's warmth spread up his arm, searing into his chest, his mind, his soul. Memories that were not his own flashed before him—endless starfields, cities floating above oceans of gas, warriors in armor that shone like constellations. Then came the screams, the blood, and the sound of worlds burning.
Kael staggered, gripping his head.
*Power,* the voice hissed, *is not given. It is taken. And once taken, it must be defended with everything—*
"—or it will be stolen," Kael finished, gasping. Somehow, he understood.
The glow dimmed slightly, enough for him to breathe again.
From the edge of the platform, footsteps approached. A familiar voice called out.
"Kael!"
It was Lira Veyra, her crimson Academy robes fluttering behind her. Her sharp eyes scanned the platform—and then landed on the bead of light in his hand. She froze.
"What… is that?"
Kael's mind raced. Lira wasn't just another student—she was the prodigy of Elder Selven, known for her mastery of detection techniques. If she had seen even a fraction of the Seed's true form, it wouldn't be long before the entire Academy knew.
"It's nothing," Kael said quickly, closing his fist. But even as he said it, the Seed pulsed violently, a wave of golden light spilling between his fingers.
Lira's eyes widened. "That's not nothing." She took a step forward. "Kael… do you have any idea what you're holding?"
Before he could answer, the sky split with a sharp crack. A spear of violet energy tore through the clouds, slamming into the Academy's outer shield. The barrier rippled, glowing under the impact.
Alarm bells rang through the campus.
Lira spun toward the sound. "Attack? Here?"
Kael's stomach dropped. He could feel the Seed's energy thrumming in sync with the incoming threat. Whoever—or whatever—was attacking wasn't here for the Academy. They were here for him.
The voice returned, colder now.
*Run, or fight. But choose now.*
Kael looked at the glow in his palm, then at the sky, where the barrier was already cracking under the next impact.
This was no random assault. The hunt had begun.