CHAPTER 1 | BORN FROM THE ASHES OF PAIN
The night sky bled crimson as fire consumed the small wooden house at the edge of the village. A boy named Kael, barely six years old, crouched beneath the twisted roots of an ancient tree. His mother had hidden him there, her trembling hands pressing against his cheeks before she whispered, “Stay silent, no matter what you hear.” Then she was gone. Kael, shocked and confused, could only stay quiet and watch what happened next.
Through the cracks in the roots, Kael saw shadows moving. A towering demon, cloaked in black mist, descended upon the house. His sisters, Elira and Sora, stood in defiance, weaving spells with their fragile hands. Sparks of silver and blue burst into the night, colliding with the demon’s burning aura. The clash was terrifying, the screams worse. The sisters gave it their all, as prodigy sorcerers, they were really standing their ground against the demon, and their mother joined the fight, striking the demon with lightning strikes. When it seemed that they might just have a chance, something shocking happened: a voice appeared in the shadow of the demon “sleep”. This rendered the family unconscious. Now, before Lady Seloria Damonson (Kael’s mum) blacked out, she said, “How could you?” as if she had seen someone she recognized.
Kael’s heart pounded so violently that he thought the roots might tremble with him. Then silence.
When dawn came, the house was nothing but ash, and the world he knew had ended. His mother, Elira, and Sora were gone, taken into the void. All that remained was the smell of smoke and the faint imprint of his mother’s warmth on his skin.
Kael was found by a Seer named Arath, an old man with eyes clouded white but vision sharper than any blade. Arath consoled the boy, but Kael was hesitant to leave because he had no idea his family was alive. Kael wanted to stay and die with his family; this gave Arath no choice but to cast a spell on Kael because he was fleeing from demons himself, so he had little time to waste on a little child. The spell was not just a sleeping spell; it affected Kael’s memory, blocking his real memories, meaning Arath had made Kael think he was just an orphan and nothing more, in hopes of keeping him from breaking down.
Arath raised him in the forest, teaching him the ways of both man and monster. Kael learned to fight with blade, with fist, and with the dark power that stirred within his blood, the curse and gift of being born a demon. Yet Arath always warned him, “There is something deeper in you, something even demons would fear. Do not call it forth until the world itself demands it.”
Years passed. Kael grew strong, yet shadows followed him. He often woke to dreams where two unknowns called his name from across black chains, their faces pale, their voices desperate. In those dreams, the towering demon returned, whispering lies: “They serve me now. They chose me over you.”
The world outside the forest was cruel. Vampires roamed in packs, wolves with burning eyes tore through villages, and human hunters killed anything they deemed unnatural. Kael fought them all, testing his strength, staining his hands with blood, both human and beast. Each battle hardened him, but also deepened the emptiness inside. He was feared, hated, hunted, but he kept going. For every rumor of chained sorceresses, every whisper of a demon lord with captives, was a thread that pulled him forward.
One night, by the dying flames of his campfire, Arath revealed the truth Kael had been denied by unblocking his memories. “The one who took your family was not just any demon, but a Wraith-Lord named Malakar. He is the commander-in-chief of the Demon King’s army. He is cunning, cruel, and deceptive. If you chase him, he will twist your heart until you cannot tell friend from foe.” Arath’s voice trembled, and for the first time, Kael saw fear in the Seer’s eyes. Kael clenched his fists. His blood burned hotter than fire. His story was no longer that of a lost child; it was now the path of vengeance. “Then I will walk into his lies, through his deceptions, and tear him apart until I find them. I won’t rest until I kill every demon in this cracked world. I will send them back to where they deserve to be.”
Arath “don’t rush and do anything foolish, you still have a long way to go in your training before you can save your family”.
Kael “I can’t wait any longer, I don’t know how much time they have left.”
Arath “Well, what I know is that night you were the target, so they won’t kill your family because they know you will want to rescue them, so be smart, my boy.”
The boy who once hid beneath roots had risen. His journey had begun, and the world, already broken, would soon bleed again.
TO BE CONTINUED
