Chapter 1: The Cursed Dawn
Scene: The village lies in ruins, charred wood and ash drifting in the pale dawn light. Kael crouches amid the wreckage, scavenging what little remains.
Kael (narration): "Another morning. Another village burned. The world doesn't care if you live… and neither do I."
Footsteps echo from behind. Kael tightens his grip on a dagger, shadows creeping along his arm like living smoke.
Voice: "You shouldn't be here, stranger."
Kael turns, eyes cold, tendrils of shadow writhing around him.
Kael: "Neither should you… if you value your life."
A brief fight ensues. Kael is swift, precise; the stranger falls unconscious. Kael surveys the ruins, expression calculating.
Kael (narration): "Survival isn't mercy. It's the only rule."
Kael steps into the mist, shadows clinging to him, a silent predator moving through a dying world.