The two of them walked along the dirt path leading away from the crater, the forest around them alive with the sound of morning birds. Kairo trailed slightly behind Ayla, his thoughts tangled in fear and awe. Every few steps, his hand flexed unconsciously, as though testing whether that shimmering blade of light might spring back into existence. But it didn't. Only the faint tingling in his veins reminded him that it had been real.
Ayla moved with quiet confidence, her cloak brushing the grass, her staff slung across her back. She hadn't spoken since they left the clearing, and the silence weighed on Kairo until he couldn't bear it anymore.
"Why me?" His voice cracked slightly. "Out of everyone in the world, why did that shard pick me? I'm not a fighter. I don't know anything about prophecies or wars. I'm just—just Kairo."
Ayla stopped, turning to face him. The early sun lit her pale hair, making it look like strands of silver fire. Her eyes, steady and piercing, studied him for a long moment before she replied.
"Destiny doesn't choose the strongest or the most prepared," she said. "It chooses those who need to awaken. And you, Kairo, have been asleep for far too long."
He blinked, taken aback. "Asleep?"
"You've lived your life staring at the stars, haven't you? Dreaming of something greater, yet never reaching for it. The shard saw that hunger, that silent question inside you. And now, it demands an answer."
Kairo frowned, unsure whether to feel insulted or inspired. He opened his mouth to argue, but a shout from the village fields cut him off.
They hurried toward the sound, breaking through the trees to find a group of villagers gathered in panic. At the center of the commotion stood Ryo Kaiden, Kairo's childhood friend, fists clenched, standing protectively in front of a group of children. Opposite him loomed a dark-cloaked figure, one of the Eclipse Order's scouts who had not retreated last night.
"You're not touching them," Ryo growled, his stance wide, his fiery brown eyes blazing with defiance.
The cloaked figure hissed, raising its blade. Kairo felt his stomach drop. He had never seen Ryo face a weapon before. His friend was brave—recklessly brave—but bravery alone would get him killed.
"Ryo!" Kairo shouted, sprinting forward.
The figure lunged, blade slashing down. Ryo dodged narrowly, his fist striking the enemy's chest with a crack. The figure staggered but didn't fall. Its unnatural strength far outmatched any human.
Kairo's heart hammered. Sparks of light flared in his hands again, but doubt gripped him. What if it failed this time? What if he couldn't call the blade?
Then Ayla's voice rang sharp and clear: "Trust it. Don't think—feel it!"
Kairo closed his eyes, forcing the fear down. The memory of the shard's warmth filled him, and light surged once more. The half-formed sword materialized in his hands, humming with raw power.
He charged, intercepting the cloaked figure before it could strike Ryo again. Their blades clashed—steel against starlight—and the force shook the air. With a desperate cry, Kairo pushed forward, the energy flaring so bright it seared the ground. The enemy shrieked, dissolving into a mist of shadows that scattered into the wind.
Silence fell. The villagers stared, wide-eyed. Ryo turned slowly, his expression shifting from shock to a grin so wide it nearly split his face.
"Kairo… you've been holding out on me!" Ryo laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "What was that? Some kind of secret training? Or—wait, are you secretly a hero this whole time?"
Kairo shook his head, still trembling, the blade fading from his hands. "I don't even know what I am anymore."
Ayla stepped forward, her gaze lingering on both boys. "He is the Starbearer," she said firmly. "And if you value your lives, you'll keep that truth hidden from those who would use it against him."
Ryo's grin faltered, replaced with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Starbearer? What's going on, Kai?"
Kairo sighed, glancing at Ayla, then back at his oldest friend. "I'll explain everything. But if what she says is true… then this village isn't safe anymore. Not for me. Not for any of you."
A tense silence followed. The weight of the truth pressed on Kairo's chest. Leaving meant abandoning the only home he'd ever known. But staying meant dragging everyone he loved into danger.
Ryo crossed his arms. "Then I'm coming with you. Don't even try to talk me out of it."
Kairo blinked. "Ryo—"
"No arguments," Ryo cut him off, his voice steady. "We've been through everything together. If you're walking into danger, then I'm walking there too."
Ayla's lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't protest. Instead, she looked at the two boys with something almost like approval. "So be it. The path ahead is perilous, but it's better faced with allies than alone."
Kairo's heart swelled with both fear and gratitude. His journey had barely begun, yet already he wasn't alone.
Far above them, the sky darkened for just a moment, as though something vast shifted among the clouds. Somewhere, in a fortress of obsidian and fire, the Eclipse Order's masters stirred, sensing the shard's awakening.
The world's first ripples of destiny had begun.