Darkness.For a moment Kael Zhan felt nothing. No pain, no sound, no thought. Just absolute emptiness.But then... the memories came.Explosions. Crossfire. Interplanetary war tactics plotted on holograms. A digital map showing enemy positions as numbers flashed indicating casualties."General Kael, the offensive has been a success! The enemy fleet is retreating!"Yes... he remembered.He had won the war. He had orchestrated the greatest military victory of his era. And yet he had been betrayed.'I'm sorry, General... But the high command can't allow someone like you to continue to exist.'The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth as he felt the blade go through his back.His vision blurred. His body heaved. His own ally-someone he had trusted-had stabbed him.The last thing he heard was the echo of his own bitter laughter.And then... everything went out.________________________________________Kael opened his eyes.Strange lights danced above him, a glow that was both silvery and sombre. A strange warmth enveloped his small, fragile body, and he realised something disturbing.He couldn't move properly. His limbs were too small. His body was... defenceless.'He's been born!'A female voice. Soft, but breathless.'Is he... is he healthy?'Another voice, male, trembling with emotion.Kael strained his vision, trying to focus on the faces in front of him. A silver-haired woman held him in her arms, her face covered in sweat, but with a loving gaze. Next to her, a strong-looking man with gentle eyes looked at him with a mixture of joy and relief.His parents.His birth.He had been reborn.________________________________________The room he was in trembled slightly. The air was charged with energy.Outside, the sky was distorted by an impossible phenomenon: three suns eclipsed simultaneously by the black moon of Lumora.The Spiritual Eclipse.People said that such an eclipse only happened once every ten thousand years. They said that children born under this event were marked by destiny.And then, at the very moment Kael gave his first cry...A black flower appeared in the air above his body, turning slowly before disappearing into his chest.The silence in the room was absolute.His parents looked at each other in alarm.'No... it can't be...' her mother muttered, her eyes wide.Her father clenched his fist, his expression hardening. 'Zorin, he-he has the Dark Mark! The Archons...''Shhh!' Zorin cut in quickly, taking Kael in his arms. 'No-one can know. If they find out...'Thunder rumbled outside, as if the world itself had sensed Kael's presence.High up in a golden tower surrounded by glowing runes, a group of hooded figures opened their eyes at the same time.'The chosen one has been born.''He must be eliminated immediately.'