The wind roared through the jagged cliffs, carrying the scent of salt from a distant ocean. The sky stretched endlessly above, streaked with the fiery hues of a setting sun. Below, nestled within a dense forest of towering ferns and ancient trees, a boy crouched. His name was Kael, a wiry figure with tanned skin, his dark hair tangled from days spent dodging predators in the prehistoric wilderness. His eyes, sharp and green like polished jade, scanned the ground with a mix of caution and determination.

Kael was alone, as he had been since he could remember. The beasts of this world, the towering thunder lizards that shook the ground with their steps, were both his adversaries and his teachers. He had learned to read their movements, to predict when a predator was near. Survival was a game of constant vigilance and adaptation, a grueling existence that sharpened his instincts but left his soul yearning for more. The nights were the hardest, with only the howl of distant predators and the rustling of leaves to keep him company. Sometimes, when the moon hung low in the sky, he would stare at the stars and wonder if there was anyone else out there.

He had found it three days ago—a shard of obsidian that glowed faintly in the moonlight. Its surface was etched with intricate markings, a language he didn't understand. At first, he thought it was nothing more than a pretty stone, but the moment his fingers touched it, something inside him shifted. Dreams of fire and storms had plagued him since, vivid and haunting. He felt the shard's pull even now, like an invisible thread tugging him deeper into the forest.

Kael tightened his grip on the crude spear he had fashioned from a sturdy branch and a sharpened stone. The weapon was pitiful against the jaws of a raptor or the talons of a flying predator, but it gave him a sense of purpose. The shard hung from a leather cord around his neck, glowing faintly against his chest. Its light seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat, a constant reminder of its strange power.

"Why me?" Kael whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. He didn't expect an answer, but the question lingered in his mind. Was he cursed? Chosen? The shard felt both like a blessing and a burden, its weight more than physical.

Life as the only human was a relentless test of strength and ingenuity. Food was a daily battle, requiring him to scavenge fruits from thorny bushes or track the migration patterns of smaller creatures he could catch. Water meant venturing into streams guarded by crocodilian beasts with jaws that could snap his body in half. Even sleep was a gamble, where resting too deeply could mean waking up to a predator's teeth. His body bore the scars of near-death encounters: a jagged line down his calf from a raptor's claw, a burn on his forearm from a panicked escape through a volcanic vent. Each scar told a story of survival, each wound a lesson learned.

A distant roar snapped him out of his thoughts. The sound was deep and guttural, unmistakably that of a predator. Kael froze, his muscles taut as he scanned the undergrowth. His breathing slowed, each inhale deliberate and quiet. He had learned that panic was a death sentence in this world.

The ground trembled slightly, signaling the approach of something massive. From the shadows emerged a creature that seemed to embody terror itself: a Tyrannosaurus rex. Its scales shimmered in the fading sunlight, a mosaic of earthy browns and greens that made it nearly invisible among the foliage. Its amber eyes glinted with predatory intent as it sniffed the air, its nostrils flaring.

Kael's mind raced. Running was pointless; the beast would catch him in seconds. Climbing a tree might buy him time, but he had seen raptors leap heights he once thought impossible. His fingers brushed the shard, its warmth spreading through his skin. A wild thought took hold: perhaps it could help him.

"If you're worth anything," he muttered under his breath, gripping the shard tightly, "now's the time to prove it."

A sudden surge of energy coursed through him, unlike anything he had ever felt. His vision sharpened, colors becoming more vivid. He could hear the subtle rustle of leaves, the faint hum of insects, even the steady thrum of his own heartbeat. The shard's glow intensified, bathing the forest floor in an eerie blue light.

The T. rex roared, its eyes locking onto him. It charged, each step shaking the ground like a thunderclap. Kael didn't think; he acted. His spear felt lighter, more precise, as if it had become an extension of his arm. He darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast's snapping jaws. Adrenaline surged through him, but there was something more: a clarity, a focus he had never known.

"Move, Kael!" he told himself, his inner voice firm and commanding.

He scrambled up a nearby boulder, using its height to gain a better vantage point. The T. rex lunged, its jaws closing around empty air as Kael leapt from the rock, landing with surprising agility. He spun, hurling his spear with all his strength. The weapon struck the beast's snout, not enough to injure but enough to enrage. The shard's glow pulsed in time with his movements, as if it were guiding him.

"You're not just a stone," Kael thought, the realization dawning on him. "You're alive, aren't you?"

The shard seemed to respond, its warmth spreading through his chest like a second heartbeat. Images flashed in his mind—a river of fire, a mountain wreathed in lightning, a figure cloaked in shadows holding a staff that radiated power. Kael didn't understand, but he felt the shard's intent: it wanted him to survive.

Drawing inspiration from fragments of his dreams, Kael shouted instinctively, "Ignis Fulmen!" The words felt foreign yet familiar, as if they had been etched into his very soul. A bolt of fiery lightning erupted from his palm, slamming into the T. rex's chest. The beast roared in pain and fury, its massive form toppling into the undergrowth with a deafening crash. The shard's glow dimmed, but the energy in Kael's veins lingered.

"What am I?" he whispered, his voice shaking. The forest fell silent, as if the world itself held its breath. The shard's glow dimmed, but its presence remained strong, a quiet promise of more to come.

Kael took a shaky step forward, his legs weak but his resolve stronger than ever. He didn't have all the answers, but he knew one thing: he couldn't turn back. The shard had awakened something within him, something powerful and dangerous. He had survived this day, but the journey ahead would test him in ways he couldn't yet imagine.

And so, with the shard's faint glow lighting his path, Kael ventured deeper into the forest, determined to uncover the truth about himself and the mysterious power he now possessed.