The morning sun slowly rose above the Royal Capital.
Inside his room, Saksham stood in front of the mirror. The cool breeze entered through the open window, gently moving his black hair.
Slowly, he raised his head.
His reflection made him freeze.
His right eye glowed a deep crimson red, while his left eye shined with a mysterious violet light. Strange golden symbols rotated inside both pupils.
Saksham touched his face.
"These eyes..."
Even after waking up, he still couldn't believe what had happened last night.
The strange energy.
The mysterious dream.
The voice that called his name.
Everything felt real.
Suddenly, a familiar sound echoed in his mind.
DING!
A blue screen appeared before him.
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DIVINE SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Unique Skill Unlocked:
Divine Eyes of Fate
Abilities:
• See mana flow.
• Sense nearby danger.
• Observe hidden emotions.
• Predict enemy movements for a short time.
Current Mastery: 1%
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Saksham stared at the screen.
"Divine Eyes of Fate..."
A strange feeling filled his heart.
He could somehow tell that this was only the beginning. These eyes held a far greater power that had not yet awakened.
Knock! Knock!
A voice came from outside.
"Young Master, His Majesty wishes to see you."
It was Orion.
Saksham took a deep breath.
"I'll be there."
A few minutes later, he walked through the palace corridors and entered the Royal Throne Hall.
King Alexander sat on his throne.
Beside him stood Captain Leon and Archmage Valerian.
The moment Saksham entered the hall, everyone became silent.
Valerian's eyes widened.
"Those eyes..."
Captain Leon instinctively placed his hand on his sword.
Even the king slowly stood up.
"What happened to you, Saksham?"
Saksham explained everything.
The strange dream.
The sudden awakening.
The appearance of his new eyes.
After hearing his story, the king became serious.
Archmage Valerian slowly walked forward.
"I have lived for more than a hundred years, but I have never seen eyes like these."
He raised his staff.
"May I test them?"
Saksham nodded.
A small fire spell appeared above Valerian's hand.
But suddenly...
Everything slowed down.
Saksham could see it.
Thousands of tiny mana particles were moving inside the flames.
Every movement.
Every flow.
Every detail.
Without even thinking, he raised his hand.
The fire spell instantly split apart and disappeared.
Silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even Saksham looked shocked.
"I... I didn't cast any spell."
Archmage Valerian's hands trembled.
"Impossible..."
He had never seen anyone destroy a spell simply by seeing its mana structure.
King Alexander's expression darkened.
At that moment—
BANG!
The doors of the throne hall suddenly opened.
A palace guard rushed inside and fell to one knee.
"Your Majesty!"
"What happened?" the king asked.
"There has been an attack!"
Everyone froze.
"The border village of Aeris has been completely destroyed."
Captain Leon's eyes widened.
"Destroyed? By whom?"
The guard swallowed nervously.
"There were no survivors."
The entire hall became silent.
The guard slowly raised a black piece of cloth.
"Our scouts found this."
At its center was a strange symbol.
A crimson eye surrounded by darkness.
The moment Saksham looked at the symbol—
AAAH!
A terrible pain exploded inside his head.
He fell to his knees.
Images suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Burning houses.
Screaming people.
Dead bodies everywhere.
A dark figure standing in the sky.
Two glowing red eyes.
Then...
A terrifying voice echoed in the darkness.
"I have finally found you..."
The vision disappeared.
Saksham breathed heavily.
Cold sweat covered his entire body.
The king hurried toward him.
"Saksham! What did you see?"
Slowly, he raised his head.
His crimson eye glowed brighter than ever.
"I... I saw the one responsible."
Everyone waited.
Saksham's voice trembled.
"He... wasn't human."
Silence filled the throne hall.
At that moment—
DING!
Another blue screen appeared.
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HIDDEN QUEST ACTIVATED
The Shadow Has Awakened
Objective:
Investigate the destruction of Aeris Village.
Reward:
????
Failure:
The darkness will spread.
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Saksham stared at the screen.
For the first time in a long while...
He felt fear.
Because deep inside his heart, he knew something.
The enemy who had appeared...
was connected to his destiny.
And to these mysterious eyes.
Far away, in a dark castle hidden beyond the mountains, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
A deep voice echoed through the darkness.
"So... the child of fate has finally awakened."
The figure slowly smiled.
"Prepare yourselves."
"The game begins now."
To be continued...