The Ravager came at Kael with with raging speed, its snarls tearing through the air. Kael, frozen in terror, raised his bleeding arm, instinctively shielding his face as he winced and braced for death.
The boy waited, but the pain never came.
Instead, what he felt was a warm, wet sensation brush against his arm.
Confused, he opened his eyes to find the beast before him—it's frame massive and feral was now unthreatening. The Ravager licked at his blood, its monstrous tail wagging behind it like an excitable dog.
Kael staggered back, his face highlighting his disbelief clearly. He stared at the creature, unsure whether to trust his eyes.
"What...?" he muttered, his voice trembling. "Why… am I still alive?"
A soft, melodic voice answered him.
"When this planet, our home, was first called to the Nexus, these Ravagers were the first to escape the Void Breaches."
Kael turned around, startled by the presence of a woman standing a short distance away. She was beautiful, her dark hair cascading down her back like a river of shadows. A red scarf wrapped loosely around her neck, adding elegance to her somber demeanor.
"For centuries," she continued, "Valtherions fought day and night to repel these creatures. But after countless years of war, something changed. A bond was formed, one stronger than their primal instincts. From that moment on, they never harmed anyone with Valtherion blood."
Kael's eyes widened as he turned back to the Ravager, now sitting obediently like a tamed wolf.
"Valtherion blood?' He questioned internally.
"Who... who are you?" Kael asked, his voice hoarse. "Where am I?"
The woman's expression softened. "This is home. Or, at least, it used to be. Before the gods massacred and slaughtered our people."
Kael's vision blurred as sharp flashes of memories surged through his mind. His head throbbed with a pain so intense he fell to one knee, clutching his temples. Images of a grand citadel, battles, and anguished screams flickered in and out of his consciousness.
The woman's voice broke through the haze.
"Come. There isn't much time."
Kael hesitated, glancing at the Ravager. It made no move to stop him, merely tilting its head as though waiting for his next action.
Summoning his courage, Kael rose to his feet and limped after the woman, following her into the forest.
They walked in silence for a time, the towering trees leaving shadowd over their path.
The woman broke the quiet with a playful tone.
"Was it really a good decision to follow a stranger into the forest?"
Kael considered her words, then shrugged.
"If I'd stayed there, I'd have died anyway. What difference does it make?"
She let out a soft chuckle. "Fair enough."
Kael frowned, his curiosity gnawing at him.
"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"
Her steps slowed, her gaze distant. "I am a memory. A fragment of hope. Of love."
They emerged from the forest into a luminous valley, and Kael's breath caught in his throat. Before them was a massive fortress-palace built into the cliffs—the Grand Citadel.
Or, rather, what remained of it.
It had once been proof of Valtherion might, but now the citadel lay in ruins. Towering spires had crumbled, the waterfalls of Etherion were dry, and the vibrant murals of victory were faded and scarred.
"This was our home," the woman said quietly.
As they walked through the shattered halls, Kael noticed skeletons scattered across the ground, their bones long since decayed. The air had a haunting stillness, the echoes of a once-great civilization lingering like ghosts.
They stopped before a transparent cylindrical pillar in the heart of the citadel. Inside it lay a shattered crystal, its glow extinguished. Fragments of its remains lay scattered on a platform below.
"This was the heart of our power," the woman said. "We were the first to discover the Vitalite crystal, capable of creating forcefields that turned the raw, chaotic and corrupting blight into Etherion."
"...and for our vast knowledge and power, we were punished."
Kael listened in silence, his gaze fixed on the broken crystal. The woman's words caused something in him—a deep, unrelenting rage he didn't understand.
They continued deeper into the citadel until they reached a massive stone door. In front of it lay a skeleton impaled by a sword, its bony fingers clutching a crimson cloth.
The woman stopped, her gaze fixed on the door. "Ours was the first world called to the Nexus. We dominated the Reaches, rising higher and faster than any before us. But in our arrogance, we uncovered something we never should have."
Kael frowned. "What did you find?"
"The truth," she said simply.
Her voice grew colder. "It didn't take long for the gods to act. They descended upon us with fury, slaughtering all who bore Valtherion blood. But in their haste, they made one grave mistake."
"They left a half blood bastard alive."
Kael's heart pounded as he stared at the skeleton. Memories surged again, his head throbbing with unbearable pain. His gaze fell to the red cloth in the skeleton's hand, and realization struck.
"That... That's your scarf," he said, his voice shaking.
The woman's expression turned icy. "Yes. You asked who I was. I am a mother who died protecting her son. Even as my family, my people, were slaughtered around me, I chose to save him."
The scarf started to glow, lifting from the skeleton's grasp and flying toward Kael. It coiled around his left eye, searing deep into his flesh. Kael screamed, gripping his face as visions flooded his mind—flashes of battles, of loss, of power beyond his comprehension.
The pain faded eventually, leaving Kael panting and trembling. When he looked up, the woman was gone. The massive stone door before him groaned open, revealing a dark entrance.
Her voice then echoed around him softly.
"Go in. He awaits you."