The bells of Solvane's royal city tolled, their sound rolling out across the hills and the salty air of the Azureveil Sea. The city was small, hardly more than a fortress with houses clustered around its wooden walls, but it stood proudly against the horizon. Its name was Solvantis, the heart of the Sunchaser line and the seat of the kingdom.
Today, Solvantis was awake with a rare excitement. Villagers had come from the banks of the River Liora, from the scattered fishing huts along the coast, and from the edge of the Verdant Shroud forest. For most of them, today was not a market day or a festival—it was the coronation of their new king.
Kael Sunchaser, barely sixteen, walked through the stone-pillared hall still under construction. His ancestors had dreamed of a royal city worthy of their line, but stone was scarce, and timber easier to cut. Half of the great hall's roof beams were new and pale, the other half dark and weather-worn. This was Solvane's wealth: incomplete, patched, and carried by the strength of its people rather than the splendor of its gold.
The Sunchasers had ruled here for less than a century. Their line began with Count Aldric, Kael's great-great-grandfather, a high Diviner who had led a band of fleeing families through the Spine of Dawn. He read the stars, the wind, and the fate that led them to this isolated coast. His son, Sir Daelen, the first Sky Knight, built Solvantis and expanded its reach. Kael's grandfather, Lord Roderic, grew the kingdom further, pushing villages along the River Liora and carving fields from the hills.
But now Roderic was gone—vanished into the Spine of Dawn with a band of retainers, never to return. Kael's father, Sir Elric, had died at the hands of the Ashfang tribe in a border raid. Only Kael remained, the last heir of the Sunchaser line.
The priests of the Sun God stepped forward, their woolen robes patched and plain. They carried no gold, no jewels. Instead, they bore a polished shell from the kingdom's sacred snails, once used as currency. Its spiral glistened in the torchlight as they placed it upon Kael's palm.
"You are the light of Solvane," the elder priest intoned. "May the Sun God watch you, Kael Sunchaser. May you guide your people through shadow."
Kael bowed his head. As the shell touched his hand, a sudden heat pierced his skin. His vision blurred. When it cleared, he saw it: a faint mark, a circle with rays like a small sun, glowing on his palm.
Gasps rose through the hall. Some called it a blessing, others whispered of omens.
But Kael knew better. Memories not his own surged within him. Ships with white sails, charts of vast oceans, farms that fed thousands, stone bridges, towers, even cannons—all of it flickered in his mind like another life.
And then, clear words appeared:
[touched thing : Snail shell ; current state: polished, stable ; potential usage: currency, alchemy base, rune ink base ; suggestions: combine with river salt powder to increase rune stability]
Kael almost dropped it. No one else seemed to hear, but the words echoed in his thoughts, steady and sharp.
The ceremony ended without grandeur. Solvane was poor. The feast was no more than black bread, salted fish from the Azureveil, and weak ale. Yet the people cheered for him, for a boy who carried the Sunchaser name.
That night, Kael sat in the garden behind the hall, where herbs grew wild among broken stones. He pressed his palm to the soil. The mark lit again.
[touched thing : Coastal soil ; current state: sandy, low fertility ; potential usage: barley and hardy roots ; suggestions: mix with Liora river clay for stronger yield]
He plucked a sprig of wildleaf, a bitter herb like thyme.
[touched thing : Wildleaf ; current state: healthy, common ; potential usage: food seasoning, weak fever cure ; suggestions: combine with boiled ashroot for stable healing draught]
His chest tightened. So this is the gift. I can see the truth of things. If I use it well… perhaps I can raise Solvane beyond hunger and fear.
At dawn, Kael stood with his council. It was not a circle of nobles, for Solvane had none beyond his blood. His advisors were survivors: Commander Daren, scarred captain of the militia; Old Renn, elder of the river villages; and Mira, the lone knowledge keeper who recorded history in the Chronicles of Solvane.
"You are king now, Kael," Daren said. "Our borders weaken. Tribes raid our flocks. The sea raiders strike our coast. We have no Sky Knight to protect us. What will you command?"
Kael hid his trembling hand behind his back. His heart told him to speak of armies and war. But his mind, stirred by the sun mark, spoke of fields.
"We will begin with the land," Kael said firmly. "The soil near the coast fails us. Mix clay from River Liora into it. We will make it richer. Then sow hardy grains. Our people must not starve."
The elders exchanged wary looks. Mira tilted her head, ink-stained fingers clutching her scrolls. "And how do you know this, Your Majesty?"
Kael forced a faint smile. "My grandfather's lessons," he lied.
Later, he walked the harbor. The boats of Solvane were pitiful, little more than rafts bound with tar, their sails patched and thin. He laid his hand on one hull.
[touched thing : Fishing boat ; current state: worn, fragile ; potential usage: nearshore fishing ; suggestions: reinforce with pine tar, frame with mountain oak for safer sea reach]
Kael's thoughts stirred. If I can strengthen these boats, if I can teach them to build larger ships… the Azureveil will not be a barrier. It will be a road.
He turned toward the horizon where the sea stretched endless and blue. Beyond lay islands where the raiders came, and perhaps lands unknown. His past life whispered of ages of discovery, of men who carved empires from waves.
But today was not for sailing. Today was for survival. Solvane's fields were too small, its walls too thin, its warriors too few. He would begin with food, with order, and with rebuilding the strength his grandfather had left behind.
Still, when he raised his palm, the faint sun mark gleamed. Somewhere beyond the Spine of Dawn, his grandfather's fate waited. Somewhere across the Azureveil, new lands and enemies stirred.
Kael Sunchaser clenched his hand. "One day, Solvane will rise," he whispered. "But for now, one step at a time."
And the sun on his palm burned faintly, as if in answer.