Lith Evure dragged his weary body down the narrow, dust-laden path that led to his meager stone dwelling. The settlement was desolate, cloaked in silence, with only the dim flicker of distant lanterns illuminating the harsh landscape. A sharp, biting wind swept through the mining camp, its whispers echoing across the empty, rocky terrain littered with abandoned tools and the skeletons of crumbling buildings. Exhaustion gnawed at him relentlessly, a constant presence since the day he'd arrived.
His so-called home was a rough-hewn stone hovel, barely large enough to turn around in. The walls were cracked, and the roof threatened collapse with every gust of wind. Inside, there was nothing but a thin, tattered blanket and a dented metal bowl, his only means of scraping together a meal. Lith sank down onto his makeshift bed, every muscle in his body aching from yet another grueling day in the mines.
He remembered so little of his past. A year ago, he had been dragged to this desolate place, barely sixteen. Now, at seventeen, his memories remained shrouded in a fog, as if his life before the mines had been nothing more than a forgotten dream. No family, no friends, no home to remember—only the name Lith Evure, a name he'd given himself, echoing in the empty corners of his mind. The other miners barely noticed him, each one lost in their own despair, too worn out to spare a word of kindness or even a passing glance.
With a resigned sigh, Lith pulled out the energy bar he'd managed to procure. Bland and gritty, it turned to chalk in his mouth but was all he had to stave off the gnawing hunger. Just as he was about to bite into it, the ground trembled. It started as a faint tremor, then suddenly escalated into a violent quake. Lith staggered, his energy bar slipping from his hand.
The earth convulsed beneath him, roaring as if alive. Before he could react, the walls of his small home buckled and crumbled, stones and debris raining down. Darkness rushed in, swallowing him whole.
---
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself seated on an immense throne, carved from an unfamiliar, ethereal metal. The throne was vast and majestic, radiating a power that was both ancient and boundless.
Dazed, Lith struggled to grasp his surroundings. He was in a grand hall, its ceiling stretching beyond sight, filled with a strange light that pulsed like the heartbeat of stars. Just as he was about to rise, a soft, ethereal voice spoke.
"You have awakened, Master."
He turned toward the voice, and his gaze fell upon a figure—an enchanting woman, standing bare before him. Her form seemed woven from stars and galaxies, her skin aglow with the light of distant celestial bodies. She appeared in her prime, her face soft and motherly, with curves that embodied an impossible beauty, as if sculpted by the cosmos itself. Yet Lith barely noticed these details; his attention was fixed on the aura of raw, infinite power that she exuded.
Seeing his intense gaze, the woman smiled gently. "I am Celestara," she said softly. "The spirit of this place."
Lith's brow furrowed. "What… do you mean? Where am I?"
Celestara's expression remained kind, patient. "You are within your own soul, Master. I am the spirit of this place, known as the Chaosbound Eternum, the most powerful treasure in existence. I am older than the void itself and more powerful than infinity. Before the beginning of all things, I consumed and fused with the treasures of primordial chaos. For countless eons, I absorbed their power until I became what you see before you. When I encountered you, I chose you as my one and only master."
Lith listened, confusion clouding his face. Her words felt unreal, as if they belonged to a myth told by gods, not to him—a weary, broken miner.
Celestara continued, her voice as calm and vast as the void. "Master, upon merging with you, the Citadel has become your new soul, granting you immortality. Your soul has transformed into a boundless void, a realm of infinite stars and skies. These stars represent the Primitive, Original, and Dead Starry Skies—the foundations of all that exists."
She leaned closer, her celestial form shimmering. "Master, to complete the final part of our bond, and to make you the true and absolute master of this place, there remains one last step."
Lith opened his mouth, about to question further, but a sudden, overwhelming drowsiness seized him. His vision blurred, and as he felt his eyes close, darkness claimed him once more.