There was nothing.
No light, no sound, no existence — only endless emptiness.
Then, a crack tore through the void. From it, a single golden droplet emerged. The moment it appeared, a vast explosion shook the nothingness… and from that chaos, existence was born.
Billions of years passed. On a planet named Elix, life began to flourish. Yet the crack had not vanished. From it, once again, something slipped through — this time, not golden but a darkness deeper than the void itself, and yet brighter than the stars. The strange being drifted silently through space, its destination certain: Elix.
Time moved forward. Humanity evolved, building kingdoms and forging civilizations. During the Crimson Era, in the mighty kingdom of Fhiola, a woman named Krim Windlock carried a child in her womb. Three months before her expected delivery, the mysterious entity reached Elix. Guided by some unseen force, it entered Fhiola… and then her very home. Without warning, it slipped into Krim's body, fusing with the unborn child.
A sudden, stabbing pain tore through her stomach. She screamed, clutching her belly.
"Bert!" she cried. "I felt something… sharp. Should we go to the doctor? What if something is wrong with the baby?"
Her husband, Bert Windlock, pale with panic, rushed to her side.
"Yes! We're leaving right now!"
They hurried into their carriage and raced to the Chamber of First Light, where healers and white mages attended childbirth. After Krim was admitted, a white-robed mage reassured Bert.
"There is no need to worry…"
But before he could finish, an attendant rushed in. "Mage, the woman has delivered! A boy — born just now!"
The mage hurried to Krim's chamber while Bert waited outside, trembling with anxiety. Minutes later, the mage returned.
"Both mother and child are safe," he said, "though the child is weak. He was born three months early, after all. Still, there is nothing to fear. We will observe him for a week or two. As for Krim, she may be discharged tomorrow."
Relief washed over Bert's face. He bowed deeply, thanking the mage.
Yet the mage did not reveal everything.
He had sensed something strange — something he dared not put into words.
And so, the child was born — fragile, innocent… yet carrying within him a darkness that would one day shake the world.
Outside the chamber, Bert clenched his fists, whispering to himself with trembling resolve:
"I don't care how weak he is. He is our son — and I'll protect him, no matter what."