My name is Kael, and I was born in the far south of Aetherveil—
in a district people only mention when they need something to blame.
Ashreach.
And deep inside Ashreach lies Coalmarsh, a city drowning in soot and the acrid taste of burning metal. A city where shadows linger longer than the people who cast them, and every alley feels like it wants to swallow you whole.
That's where I grew up.
Where the Ashborn live.
Where the world pretends we don't exist.
Everyone else calls us blights, trouble, filth—whatever word makes them sleep at night.
And maybe some of us believed it too.
But not me.
We Ashborn were forbidden from crossing our blackened iron gates.
Barred from the noble streets.
Denied the chance to join the three knight orders of Aetherveil:
Arcanist Knights.
Primal Knights.
Elemental Knights.
The kingdom's proud protectors.
Symbols of honor.
And for people like me?
A dream we weren't even allowed to imagine.
No Ashborn had ever become a knight.
At least… that's what I had always been told.
But rules have a funny way of bending around stubborn people.
Even if I wasn't allowed to leave Ashreach, I always found a way.
Sometimes through loose planks.
Sometimes under the gate.
Sometimes over it.
Depends on the day. Depends on the mood.
Today?
I was in the mood to explore.
So I went to the capital—Solflare—again.
"Ashborn!"
The shout cracked through the air like a whip.
An Arcanist Knight had spotted me, blue aether-light flickering across his gauntlets.
More appeared.
Chasing.
Shouting.
Boots striking the ground like thunder.
Instinct took over.
So did my legs.
I sprinted, leaping onto the nearest roof, feeling the tiles tremble beneath each landing.
The wind stung my face, burned my lungs—yet a grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Rooftops were the only place I felt free.
Still, the word Ashborn lingered in my chest, sharp and sour, like a warning I'd grown used to ignoring.
I slipped through narrow gaps, cut across old warehouses, and finally returned to Coalmarsh unseen.
Home.
"Where have you been again, Kael?"
My mother stepped in front of me, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
"Don't tell me you went to the capital again."
I shrugged. "I got bored here. So yes, Mother. I went to the capital."
Before she could erupt, I added quickly,
"It was beautiful. And… I dream that someday we'll live there too."
She froze.
Fear? Hope? Both? Something unreadable flickered in her gaze.
Then she pulled me into a tight embrace, hands trembling against my back.
"Kael…"
Her voice cracked, but she said nothing else.
---
The next morning, sunlight leaked through our patched roof.
I stepped outside, stretched my arms, and inhaled Coalmarsh's metallic air.
"Wow! It's a great day to explore Aetherveil!"
"Then let's explore!"
Bram's voice boomed from outside.
He grinned at me—wild, reckless, exactly my kind of friend.
So off we went.
Sneaking into Solflare.
Hiding behind crates, walls, and shadows.
Then we saw him.
A lone Ashborn boy, gripped by the collar of an Arcanist Knight.
"What are you doing here, cockroach?" the knight growled.
"Who told you you were allowed here?"
"N-no one…" the boy stammered.
"I just wanted to see Aetherveil…"
"Oh? You want to see Aetherveil?"
The knight smirked, glancing at his companions.
"We can give you a tour."
They released him—walking as if guiding a guest, though every step felt wrong.
Bram and I followed quietly, hearts pounding, eyes tracking every movement.
The knights led him farther and farther until they reached a ridge overlooking the kingdom.
"Do you like the view?" one asked.
"Yes," the boy whispered.
"That's good," the knight said.
"Because it's the last time you'll ever see it."
A sudden kick.
The boy's scream vanished into open air.
Bram gasped.
The knights' heads snapped toward our hiding place.
We ducked behind trees.
Branches whipped our faces.
Our hearts pounded in our ears.
Footsteps approached—closer, heavier—
Run.
We bolted.
Dirt filled our lungs.
Tiles rattled beneath our feet.
Knights shouted behind us, their armor clanging like a storm.
"There!" one roared.
"If I catch them, I'll destroy them completely!"
We climbed rooftops.
I felt the city under my feet—the familiar angles, the safe spots I could land on without thinking.
Bram kept up, but his breath was ragged.
"Close the gates!" a knight shouted.
"Don't let them escape!"
Metal slammed somewhere below.
The whole district seemed to tremble.
"We can't go back," Bram hissed.
"What now?"
"We stay here," I said.
"What?! The whole order is hunting us!"
"Relax. We've got this."
I scanned the area.
A shaded hollow beneath an old stone bridge caught my eye.
"There," I whispered.
"Under the bridge."
We crawled down, pressing ourselves against the cold stone.
The river murmured beside us—its water strangely darker where it neared my hand.
As if it sensed me.
As if something inside me stirred back.
Only a faint pulse… barely there… but enough to make my skin prickle.
A whisper of my spark.
Still unnamed. Still unknown.
"Where are they?" a knight called above us.
"I think we lost them," another replied.
Their footsteps faded.
I exhaled shakily.
"Okay. We stay here for the night."
Bram hugged his knees, trembling.
"Kael… I'm scared. I saw what they did to that boy. If they catch us… we'll end up the same."
My throat tightened.
"I won't let that happen to you," I said softly.
Even if doubt gnawed at me.
But I swore it anyway.
We clasped hands—our secret handshake, our promise since we were five.
Hours passed.
"Kael… what do we do? It's not even noon. Just sit by the river and wait?"
I sighed. "Honestly? I have no idea."
Bram rummaged in his bag.
"Good thing I brought my fishing rod."
I blinked. Then laughed quietly.
"You're unbelievable. But sure. Let's fish."
We spent the day by the river, catching what we could, cooking over a tiny fire, eating in silence.
We stamped out the flames until no trace remained.
Five minutes later—
Footsteps.
Right above us.
We froze.
"If they don't show up," a knight growled,
"we go to Ashreach and make them tell us who those Ashborn were. By any means necessary."
My blood went cold.
They would go to Ashreach.
To my mother.
To our people.
Because of us.
My hands trembled.
My breath faltered.
Beside me, the river darkened—just slightly—its surface rippling as if mirroring my fear.
My spark stirred again, subtle but real.
And in that instant, I understood one thing:
Running was no longer an option.