The sky split open like a wound. Violet lightning tore through the night, and the entire earth trembled beneath the clash. Two figures faced each other in the middle of a field of ruins: Kaelith Nalagon, last protector of the worlds, and Zerakan, the Celestial Being from beyond.
Their blows were cataclysms. Each strike of their weapons fractured the ground, each cry of will made the air quake like a storm.
— "You will save nothing, Kaelith," growled Zerakan, his eyes blazing with hatred. "This world will rot and be reborn in my image!"
Kaelith panted. His body bore a thousand wounds, but his eyes remained unshaken. He raised his hand toward the sky, summoning a forbidden energy.
— "Then I will prevent you from ever being reborn, even if it consumes my life."
A golden seal rose into the air, weaving light and ancient runes. Zerakan roared and unleashed one final strike: the Tempest of Annihilation, a black hurricane capable of reducing two nations to dust. But Kaelith forced his battered body to complete the ritual.
The light of the seal engulfed Zerakan in a scream that echoed across centuries.
Before darkness claimed him, Kaelith whispered:
— "One day… my Riten will be reborn. And so will you… Zerakan."
Then his body stiffened, consumed into a statue of stone, eternal guardian of that vow.
Kuzari, Capital of the Kingdom of Kirina – Present Day
The clamor of the marketplace always woke Kaen. The cries of vendors, the pounding of hooves on cobblestones, the mingled scents of spice and sweat… all of it was part of daily life in the great city of Kuzari.
Sitting on the steps of a fountain, the young man watched the crowd with a vacant gaze. His black hair fell in rebellious strands across his face, masking golden eyes that gleamed with a strange light whenever they caught the sun.
Kaen had always been different. His mother had died the day he was born, leaving behind a strange rumor: the child carries unstable energy. Since then, he had lived on the margins — between odd jobs and street brawls — never truly finding his place.
That morning, he was still weighed down by a recurring dream. Golden flames, an unknown warrior, and a voice repeating the same phrase:
Protect the seal. The time will come.
Kaen shook his head to chase away the feeling.
— "That damned dream again…" he muttered.
The Incident
A rumble suddenly shook the square. The passersby screamed and scattered as a group of five men in dark coats appeared. Their eyes glowed with a cruelty almost feral.
— "By order of the Haseidan, this zone is ours!" one of them shouted.
In his hand materialized a strange weapon: a translucent spear surrounded by a crimson halo. It was not metal. It was a ñinkû in Shiki, a spirit-forged awakened weapon.
The bystanders fled in terror. Kaen stood frozen, heart pounding. He had never seen anything like it.
The criminal struck his spear against the ground, releasing a shockwave. Stalls exploded into fragments. A child nearly got crushed by debris, and without thinking, Kaen lunged forward and pulled him away.
In that instant, Kaen's entire body ignited with an unfamiliar heat.
The Awakening
A golden light burst from his chest. Around his right hand, the outline of a weapon began to take shape — an incomplete blade, vibrating as if searching for its true form.
— "Wh… what is this…?!" Kaen staggered, unable to comprehend.
The spear of the criminal came down on him, but the golden light repelled the strike in a resounding burst. The impact hurled the attacker backward.
The other men recoiled in shock.
— "Impossible… this kid… he awakened a ñinkû?!"
Kaen trembled. His hand still burned, the light pulsing like a foreign heart. The power faded as quickly as it had come, leaving his body drained. The criminals exchanged wary glances, then retreated into the shadows of the alleys.
The Watching Shadow
Gasping for breath, Kaen clenched his fist. He understood nothing. But deep inside, he knew his life had just changed forever.
From atop a bell tower, a hooded figure observed the scene. A deep voice murmured like a prophecy:
— "The Riten has chosen its bearer…"
The fig
ure turned and vanished.
— "The time of the Celestials approaches once more."