Chapter 2 – The Mortal Dawn
Darkness… silence… then the faint sound of a heartbeat.
Kael's consciousness floated in a sea of warmth. No chains, no divine battlefield, no betraying gods. Only stillness. Then—light.
He gasped. Air filled his lungs—weak, shallow, mortal. His silver eyes snapped open, only to blur. The world was enormous, shapes bending above him.
"A boy!" a woman's voice cried, trembling with joy. "He lives!"
Kael blinked up at a tired yet radiant face. A mortal woman, her hair dark and tangled with sweat, cradled him against her chest. Beside her stood a man with calloused hands, tears streaking his cheeks.
"Welcome to the world, little one," the man whispered. "You'll be called… Eryndor."
Kael froze. Eryndor? His lips couldn't form words, his divine voice now reduced to infant cries. He wanted to roar that he was Kael, God of Balance. Yet when sound escaped his throat, it was only a fragile wail.
And so began his life, not as a god, but as a mortal child.
---
Years passed.
The village of Breya was small, hidden in the shadow of vast mountains. Eryndor grew as any child would—but not entirely.
Strange things happened around him.
When he cried as a baby, lamps flickered with silver light.
When he touched water, ripples glowed with faint starlight.
Beasts of the forest never attacked the village; they lingered at its edge, bowing their heads when Eryndor passed.
Villagers whispered. Some called him blessed. Others, cursed.
At night, when no one could see, Eryndor sat beneath the stars and pressed a hand against his chest. He could feel it—the faint echo of his true self. Not gone, merely… sealed.
"Balance endures," he would whisper, words no child should know.
---
On his tenth birthday, it happened.
The village elder brought a mage from the city to test the children's magical affinity. Each child placed their hand upon a crystal sphere; it would glow to reveal their element—fire, water, earth, air, or if fortunate, light.
When Eryndor's turn came, the mage smiled kindly. "Do not fear, boy. The crystal reveals the truth of your soul."
He placed his hand on the crystal. For a moment, nothing. Then—
The sphere exploded into shards of silver flame and shadow. A pillar of light and darkness surged skyward, splitting the clouds. Villagers screamed. The mage staggered back, eyes wide with terror.
"This… this is not mana," he stammered. "This is—impossible."
Eryndor stood frozen, the fragments of the crystal glittering around him. His body trembled, but his eyes shone with ancient memory.
They will come for me, he thought. The gods of this world will feel it… just as the betrayers did.
And in the far-off heavens, a pair of divine eyes opened.
"The Balance… has returned."