The dawn mist lingered like a living breath, weaving through the towering trees of Eldenwood Forest. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the canopy, scattering gold across the moss-laden earth. Beneath the serenity pulsed a rhythm — faint, steady, alive. It was the whisper of resonance, the unseen energy that bound every living thing — beast, man, and spirit alike.
Through that mist walked a boy whose presence seemed to bend the quiet around him. His movements were neither rushed nor hesitant — every step measured, every breath controlled. His eyes, a deep gray flecked with faint silver, reflected both thought and purpose. He was not simply strong; he was aware — reading the flow of the forest like an ancient text written only for him.
This was Nox Vale, son of a forgotten soldier, raised in the small, mist-shrouded village of Eldenwood.
Among the villagers, Nox was seen as an enigma — calm where others panicked, analytical where others fought blindly. He didn't merely feel resonance; he deciphered it. The rhythm of a falling leaf, the hum of the ground beneath his boots — all part of an intricate pattern he could almost understand.
Following him with heavy steps was a boy of his age but opposite in every way.
Raven was a storm made flesh. Taller, broader, with eyes that burned like embers, he moved with raw, unrestrained energy. His resonance was wild, unrefined — an untamed flame that could both protect and destroy. While Nox embodied command and control, Raven was pure instinct and might.
"Still not saying anything?" Raven grumbled, swatting at a branch as they walked. "You've been silent since we left the village. Don't tell me you're meditating again."
Nox didn't turn. "Listening."
"To what?"
"The forest. It's… restless today."
Raven snorted. "All I hear is your nonsense and birds."
Before Nox could reply, a low growl rippled through the fog — deep, guttural, wrong. The air trembled. Birds scattered.
Raven's instincts flared instantly. A red glow shimmered faintly around his fists — the raw surge of his resonance. "Beast?"
Nox's gaze sharpened. "Minor shadowbeast. Recently formed. Its resonance is unstable."
From the mist emerged a twisted creature — wolf-like but distorted, its form flickering like smoke. Four burning amber eyes glared from its sleek head, and black energy bled from its claws, hissing where it touched earth.
Raven grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Finally, some fun."
"Wait," Nox commanded, voice even. "Its pulse is shifting. Don't charge blindly."
Raven, predictably, did.
With a roar, he lunged, energy bursting from his frame like a thunderclap. The creature met him mid-air, claws slashing — but Nox was already moving.
His hand traced faint lines through the air — invisible threads forming sigils only he understood. The resonance around the beast wavered.
"Step right," Nox said calmly.
Raven obeyed without question, pivoting just as the creature's claws carved through empty air. Nox's blade flashed — not striking flesh, but slicing through resonance itself.
A faint hum. Then silence.
The shadowbeast froze, its energy unraveling into silver wisps before fading into nothing.
Raven exhaled, panting. "You and your cursed timing…" He laughed. "I almost had it!"
"You almost lost an arm," Nox replied, sheathing his short blade. "Precision matters more than strength."
From the treeline came a slow clap.
Both boys turned. Eldran, the village head, emerged — tall, white-haired, eyes glowing faintly with quiet power. Even the mist seemed to part in deference as he approached.
"Balance," Eldran said softly. "Nox commands, Raven strikes. Two halves of a single rhythm."
Raven looked away, pretending not to blush under praise.
Eldran's voice deepened. "You both carry potential. But power without harmony collapses upon itself. Remember — resonance is not about dominance, but alignment. Mind, body, and will must act as one."
Nox bowed his head slightly in respect, while Raven nodded begrudgingly.
Eldran's gaze softened. "Tomorrow, we depart for Valdareth City, home of the Astralis Academy. There, your resonance will be measured and forged. The trials will test your spirit, your bond, and your resolve."
Raven grinned. "Finally! Time to prove who's stronger."
Nox gave a faint smile. "If you survive the entrance test."
Raven laughed — loud and wild — while Eldran chuckled under his breath.
But as Nox turned toward the horizon, where the forest thinned and the faint spires of Valdareth glimmered in the distance, something stirred deep within him. A pulse — quiet but persistent. It wasn't his own resonance. It was… something else.
Familiar. Distant. Calling.
He didn't understand it yet. But one day, that echo would decide his fate.