THE STONE OF DAPHNEY - Chapter 4
With a sinister ambition rooted in supremacy and purity, the Olsen Clan planned to exterminate those who resisted and rebuild the world with their lineage. Faced with the Olsen's overwhelming power, rival clans had no choice but to retreat.
Guided by the deep-seated wisdom of Elder Titan Akuji, Gaia bestowed upon the Anderson clan the Primordial Soup. This magical concoction accelerated the maturity of the PRANA gene, invoking unforeseen power and resilience in the Andersons. This newfound strength tipped the scales of power, driving the once-threatening Olsen clan to the brink of extinction.
But, a good portion of the Anderson clan paid the ultimate price for these rapid transformations. Their bodies failed to endure them, leading to self-inflicted oblivion. Soon, the Pederson clan too began to evolve with the PRANA gene's potent awakening.
Daphney, blessed by Thatreus with the power of prophecy, found a loophole in her curse. Her prophecies wouldn't lose credibility as long as they weren't directly associated with her. She began anonymously educating her king and people about the complexities of PRANA gene manifestation. Her notes named their new breed - the TitanBorne and detailed methods to temper their powers without risking their lives.
Informed and empowered by Daphney's guidance, the Pederson Clan became the first to acknowledge their Titan descent. They decided to utilize their abilities to protect themselves, withdrawing into secrecy until they could fully control their PRANA powers.
Having spread a carefully concocted tale of their tragic demise, the Pedersons created an artful vanishing act. They sequestered themselves from the world, honing their burgeoning powers over the coming decades while cloaked in secrecy. Fifty seven years passed before they would graze the surface of the world again.
In the quiet solitude of their refuge, they unearthed the rather remarkable Life Stone of Ebony. The stone granted them an incredible power, to bind the souls of their clan members, commoners and elite warriors alike, into common stones. Their preserved spirits would remain enshrined within these stones, their bodies untouched by the hands of time until their appointed revival.
Yet the stone held a double-edged sword. As much as it was the key to their immortal essence, it also had the capacity to unlock their spectral prisons. Should the stone's whereabouts fall into malevolent hands, the fate of the Pedersons would inevitably hang in the balance.
In the world they had chosen to depart from, the land ran red with the endless strife between the Olsen and Anderson clans. But even amidst such calamity emerged a beacon of indomitable strength - Clae Anderson. Resilient as he was brilliant, with talents that were honed to razor sharp precision. His 'PRANA' gene set him apart, an anomaly that skyrocketed his inherent abilities and mirrored the best among his tribe.
In dystopia, all he held dear slowly ebbed away, leaving him grappling with an unsettling reality - that love did not endure, that it was simply a beautiful lie perpetuated by genuine hearts. But even as disillusionment and despair shadowed his path, his spirit remained steadfast, an enduring flame that the winds of fate could never extinguish. And so, his epic journey had just begun...
Clae Anderson's very existence was a blitzkrieg on reality itself, a savagely elegant poetry painted on the canvas of chaos. As young as eight, he had already showed promising signs of his PRANA gene, crafting a path less trodden by even the eldest and most venerable of his clan. His ingenuity birthed Taojutsu, a revolutionary concept that stirred the stagnant waters of their antiquated powers. He could dismantle entire legions of the Olsen forces, an extraordinary spectacle that left countless jaws dropped in stupefaction.
Born of a king and queen who still offered reverence to the gods, Clae was blessed by the divine protector, Akuji. He was the choicest one, blessed with access to Akuji's vast repository of memories and the rare privilege of hearing Akuji's voice, a treasure that none had ever known.
Clae bore the brunt of the associated harsh truths of war, the agony and sorrow permeating through his once vibrant spirit. His belief in love wavered, with the harsh realization that it was transient, breeding only strife and animosity in its wake. Watching the ones he held dear perish, a stark reality of their futile attempts at peace via Akuji's past, he was scarred beyond repair. This once emotional and fiercely loyal man, was now grappling with a steadily dissipating sense of compassion. Love for his loved ones felt like an open wound, grief and heartache festering within. His journey though, was far from over.