Chapter One: The Fireborn
Alden sprinted down the mossy slope, his boots slipping more than once, though his grin never faded. His chest heaved—not from exhaustion, but from excitement.
In his hand was a small pouch, inside it a strange crystal seed he had found by the riverbank. It shimmered faintly blue, as if holding a star inside.
"If this really grows, I'll be rich!" he thought with a laugh.
Alden was no one special—just a seventeen-year-old boy from the village of Liora, tucked on the edge of the great Asteria Forest. Farmers, hunters, and merchants made up most of the humble settlement. Yet beyond the forest, legends whispered of things far older than villages and kings:
The Gate of Light.
It was said that deep within Asteria, hidden among endless trees, stood a gate of pure white crystal. Long ago, thousands of years in the past, it had opened, bridging the world of men with that of the Aetherians—the mighty beings of the elements: fire, water, earth, wind, light, and shadow. Some Aetherians were guardians. Others… destroyers.
But all of it was only myth. Or so the villagers claimed.
Alden was not so sure. For as long as he could remember, there was something different about him. Heat always lingered beneath his skin, as if embers coursed through his blood. When angered, sparks sometimes flared from his hands. Because of this, children avoided him, whispering that he was cursed.
Only one person had stayed by his side: Lira.
"ALDEN!"
A sharp voice broke through his thoughts.
A girl with silver hair ran toward him, her basket full of blue asters clutched tight. Her face was flushed, her eyes narrowed in frustration.
"You ran off from work again, didn't you?" she scolded.
Alden held up his hands defensively. "Not this time! Look what I found."
He pulled the pouch open and showed her the glowing seed.
Lira's eyes widened, her irritation replaced with alarm. "Where did you get that?"
"By the river, near the forest. Beautiful, isn't it?"
She shook her head, her expression tightening. "No, Alden. This isn't just a seed. It's a core stone. They only form from pure energy. I've read about them in my grandfather's books… They appear when the veil between worlds begins to crack."
Alden froze. If she was right, then the old stories weren't just bedtime tales.
Before he could reply, the ground trembled beneath them. Birds scattered from the forest in panicked flocks, and the sky darkened as though the sun had been swallowed.
From deep within Asteria, a blinding column of white light erupted, stabbing the heavens. The sound of an immense thunderclap followed.
Alden and Lira exchanged a look, both pale.
"That came from…" Lira whispered, "…the Gate of Light."
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Chapter Two: Whispers in the Dark
That night, chaos reigned in Liora. The village elders gathered in the square, voices raised in heated debate about the strange light. Some cried it was a divine omen, others a curse.
Alden could not sleep. He sat by the window of his small wooden home, staring at the fractured moon above. The crystal seed lay beneath his pillow, pulsing faintly as if alive.
"Does this… have something to do with me?" he thought.
Sparks flickered across his palm unbidden.
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
"Child of Fire… your time has come."
Alden jolted upright, his heart pounding. He spun around the empty room.
"Who's there?" he hissed.
"We await you. Beyond the Gate… your blood will unseal the chains."
The air grew icy. The shadows in the corner of the room stretched unnaturally, slithering like liquid. From within the darkness, two red eyes ignited, staring directly at him.
A form coalesced—smoke made flesh, a being of shadow that hissed as it advanced.
Alden stumbled back, too shocked to even scream.
"You are the key… and the key must be broken."
The shadow lunged—
—but the pouch beneath his pillow burst with a flash of blue light. The shadow shrieked and dissolved into nothing, leaving only the stench of burnt metal.
Alden collapsed to the floor, trembling. He clutched the glowing seed to his chest.
Nothing would ever be the same.
---
Chapter Three: The First Guardian
By dawn, Lira was at his door. Her face was pale, her silver hair damp with dew.
"I heard it too," she said softly.
Alden blinked. "You… what?"
"The voice. The shadows. They're awakening."
Alden stared, his mind reeling. "You're saying you—"
"I'm not just an ordinary villager, Alden." Her gaze held his firmly. "My blood carries the Aetherians' gift. My grandfather was the last Wind Guardian."
The room seemed to tilt. Alden wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but the memory of the shadow's red eyes kept his mouth shut.
"And you never told me because…?"
"I wanted to live normally," she admitted. "But normal is gone. The Gate is opening sooner than anyone predicted. And you—" she reached out, gripping his wrist—"you are the Fireborn. The only one who can stand against the Shadow King."
Alden's throat went dry. Fireborn? Shadow King? These were names from stories, not real life.
Before he could speak, a long, dreadful horn blared outside. Shouts erupted.
They rushed to the window. From the direction of the forest, thick black fog was spilling outward, rolling fast toward the village. Shapes writhed within it.
Lira's grip on his wrist tightened. "There's no time. We must go."
"Go? Where?"
"To the Gate of Light."