The wind carried the acrid smell of smoke and ash through the valley, a harbinger of the disaster that was befalling Seth's home village. The 14-year-old boy felt a knot in his stomach, a mixture of fear and uncertainty that tightened his throat. He clung to the roughly woven fabric of his tunic as he scrambled up the hill, his bare feet cutting into the stony ground.
From above, a sight unfolded that would be forever seared into his memory: his village, once an oasis of peace amidst the green hills, was ablaze. The thatched-roof houses were engulfed in flames, the smoke rising in thick black clouds towards the sky. Screams and the crashing of collapsing beams echoed through the valley, mingled with the mocking laughter of the attackers.
Seth recognized them immediately by their dark, hooded robes and blackened faces: the Kik, the people of deception and shadows. Their reputation preceded them, stories of cunning and cruelty that Seth had dismissed as mere tales until now. Now he saw the truth with his own eyes.
Panic surged through him. Where were his parents? His little sister, Elara? He had to find them, bring them to safety. But the sight of the burning village paralyzed him, robbing him of the ability to think, to act.
"Seth!" A voice tore him from his stupor. Eldric, his best friend, stood beside him, his face ashen, his eyes wide with terror. "We have to get out of here!"
Eldric grabbed Seth's arm and dragged him down the hill, away from the inferno. They ran, as fast as their legs could carry them, through the undergrowth, over sticks and stones, pursued by the screams of the desperate and the laughter of their tormentors.
The forest offered them shelter, swallowing them in its dense greenery. But the fear remained, gnawing at them, driving them onward. They ran until darkness overtook them, until their lungs burned and their legs ached.
Exhausted, they finally collapsed beneath a gnarled tree. Seth pressed his hands to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Tears stung his eyes, but he refused to give in to them. He couldn't be weak, not now.
"What... what do we do now?" whispered Eldric, his voice trembling.
Seth shook his head. He had no answer. He only knew that they couldn't go back, not while the Kik occupied their village. They were alone, on their own, two boys robbed of their home.
Suddenly, Seth felt a tingling in his hands, a warm prickling that spread through his entire body. He looked down at his palms, which were glowing with a faint, bluish light.
Eldric stared at him, his mouth agape. "What... what is that?" he stammered.
Seth shrugged. He had no idea. He had never experienced anything like it before. But deep inside, he knew that this strange energy he felt was something special, something powerful.
In this moment, as the flames of his home licked at the night sky, a power awakened within Seth, a power he had never known existed. A power that would change his destiny forever.