The boy stepped out of the river.
His clothes clung to his skin, dripping with water.
His steps were unsteady—
but his eyes… they burned with a color he had never known before.
Red.
Not the red of blood.
But a deeper red, like fire consuming him from the inside.
A flame that would not die.
Severin Duke Kairam.
The youngest son of Hyunkel Fang Kairam.
Born from a concubine whose name was forgotten the day she bore him.
He was never recognized.
No one expected him to succeed in the cradle of swords.
No one believed he could survive the Iron River.
But he did.
He survived.
He emerged.
Whispers spread quickly.
His mother wept with joy.
The servants whispered in relief.
Some were shocked that his frail body had endured.
And some even felt pleased at his return.
But the most shaken of all was Hyunkel.
For the first time, he felt excitement while watching the Awakening.
And his silence was what terrified them most.
---
That day, one after another, the children of Kairam stepped forward into the courtyard.
There was no cheering.
No applause.
Only silence.
Vanrik Fang Kairam went first.
His steps were steady, his face proud.
The son of the first wife, carrying his middle name like a banner.
Standing before the river, he declared:
"I don't seek acceptance. I claim my right."
Then he dove in.
Two minutes passed. Three.
He came back out.
A strong result.
Typical of a Fang.
The Dukes rarely lasted that long.
Next came Miryane Duke Kairam.
Only five years old.
Her eyes darted nervously.
Her small body trembled.
She stood before the river for a long time…
Then, as if facing a monster she couldn't escape, she finally entered.
After her came Kael Fang Kairam.
Youngest son of the second wife.
His lips curled into a smirk, his eyes searching for admiration.
"I'm only doing this because the rules demand it."
He dove in without hesitation, careless.
Then it was Ariel Fang Kairam.
Three years old.
The youngest of the first wife's children.
Despite her age, she was sharp.
She entered the water, and lasted three full minutes.
---
When the ritual ended, the courtyard emptied.
Almost.
Severin stayed behind.
Alone.
Sitting in the shadows.
He didn't speak.
He didn't blink.
He didn't even breathe deeply.
The siblings whispered his name, but he ignored them.
He wasn't the same boy anymore.
That night, while everyone else slept,
he sat again at the river's edge.
The same place he had drowned before.
This wasn't his first trial.
So why…
Why did it feel so new?
"Did the others feel this too?
Was I too young to remember last time?
Or… is this time different?"
He remembered.
Last time, he lasted barely a minute.
He couldn't even master half the Kairam techniques.
But this time—
This time was different.
"I won't remain a hunting dog.
I'll break the rusted chains around my neck.
Hyunkel… beasts… even the demon clans themselves—
I'll make the hunters my prey."
His small hand stretched out before his eyes.
His fingers trembled.
Not from the cold.
Something else.
Inside him, something was stirring.
Something alive.
Something not born in a womb—
but in the depths of the river.