39th of Dawnspire, Year 920,476 A.E.
The boy's footsteps echoed against stone as he walked the long ancestral hall of House Aurelith. On either side, portraits in carved wooden frames stared down at him — stern faces of men and women who had once carried the family banner.
To the right, his mother's line: dark-haired, sharp-eyed, their gazes like blades.
To the left, his father's kin: silver and gold, their bearing regal, almost celestial.
Between them hung banners of royal blue and black, embroidered with the crest of two beasts locked in eternal opposition.
Even at five years old, Valrion felt the weight of those eyes.
He tugged at his father's sleeve. "Where are we going?"
His father's voice was calm, but firm. "We are testing your Primacules."
Valrion blinked. "What's that?"
"Think of it as a foundation," his father said, glancing down at him. "Every one of us is born with Primacules. They measure your body's potential and power before Awakening. Some are weak, some are strong. But they decide how far you can climb."
A white-robed scientist nearby leaned forward, his voice eager. "If density is high, young lord, your body may grow thirty… perhaps forty times stronger than what you are now."
Another added quickly, "Even the average person is already twenty times stronger, faster, and sharper than the old athletes of Terra. But with strong Primacules… your ceiling rises much higher."
Valrion barely heard them. His eyes had wandered to the end of the hall.
Two portraits loomed larger than the rest — towering figures of his bloodline's peak. One was a silver-haired warrior, his scythe gleaming like a crescent moon. The other was a dark-haired titan, his eyes blacker than night, holding a chain tipped with a short blade. Both were impossibly handsome, broad-shouldered, armored in designs that seemed more essence-forged than steel.
The boy slowed, staring at them, his chest tightening with a feeling he couldn't name.
His father stopped between the two frames. Without a word, he pressed a hidden panel in the stone. The wall hissed and split apart, gears whirring as runes flickered to life.
The chamber beyond glowed with crystal light — a vast underground laboratory filled with instruments, essence conduits, and a single crystalline orb resting on a pedestal at the center.
As Valrion entered the chamber, his eyes widened at the unfamiliar machines and glowing crystals. Conduits hummed faintly, etched with runes that pulsed like veins of light. To him, it was less a laboratory and more a maze of wonders.
At the center, a man in white robes bowed deeply.
"Lord Kaelus. Lady Nymerra."
Kaelus inclined his head. "How are things looking, Arveth?"
Head Scientist Arveth adjusted a set of crystal tablets and replied smoothly, "Preparations are nearly complete, my lord. Do you wish to begin at once, or wait for Lord Kaelen, Lord Darian, and Lady Selendra?"
"They'll be here shortly," Kaelus said. His voice was calm, but the faint tension in his jaw betrayed his anticipation.
While they spoke, Valrion tugged on a scientist's sleeve. "Why are Primacules so special?"
The man chuckled softly. "They make us more than we were. They slow our aging, and with it, our maturity. On Colossara, we aren't considered adults until we've lived one Grand Year. That's a hundred years to lesser worlds." He leaned closer, lowering his voice as though sharing a secret. "And they make us stronger. Faster. Smarter. Without them, humanity would have perished long ago."
Valrion's eyes lit up. "That's cool!" he shouted, darting off between the tables — and promptly knocking over a tray of instruments with a loud clatter.
"Valrion!" Kaelus barked. "Be careful!"
Before the boy could protest, the chamber doors creaked open. A regal old man entered, a swaddled infant in his arms. Behind him trailed three figures, each tall and poised, their presence filling the room.
The head butler bowed. "Lord Kaelus, I have brought the young masters and lady."
Valrion grinned and waved. "Brother Kaelen! Brother Darian! Sister Selendra!" He paused, sticking out his tongue. "Or should I say, 'Grumpy, Stern, and Bossy'?"
Selendra rolled her eyes, Darian snorted, and Kaelen merely gave a tight smile, but none of them missed the glimmer of mischief in their younger brother's eyes.
Before the moment could stretch, Arveth turned back toward Kaelus. "It is ready."
Valrion froze, his earlier excitement replaced by a nervous flutter in his chest. Arveth extended a hand toward him. "Come, young lord."
He looked at his mother and father. Nymerra gave a reassuring smile; Kaelus nodded once, steady and firm.
Valrion stepped forward to the pedestal. The orb before him pulsed faintly, waiting.
Arveth's voice dropped to a solemn tone. "Pick up the needle, and give a drop of blood. The Lens will do the rest."
Valrion swallowed, reaching for the needle.
The chapter ends as the orb flickered with the faintest glow, shadows bending toward it.