The silence in the room was absolute.
Aria held Kael tightly in her arms, her face pale. Zorin stood beside her, his fists clenched, his gaze fixed on the black moon that hung in the sky. The Spiritual Eclipse wasn't over, and the pulsating energy in the air signaled that something far greater was unfolding.
Kael felt everything.
Even in the fragile body of a newborn, his senses were sharp. The spiritual energy flowing through the room was almost tangible, as if the world itself was reacting to his presence.
He understood more than he should have. His mind, unclouded by the limitations of his new body, pieced together the truth. This world was not his own. His birth had been tied to an event so rare that it drew the attention of powerful forces. And his parents... the fear in their eyes told him what they could not.
Something had already noticed him. Something distant, cold, and calculating.
Kael understood one thing above all: he was in danger.
Far away, at the top of the Celestial Tower, twelve figures clad in golden robes stood in a circle. In the center, a man with silver hair and golden eyes sat on a floating throne. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, where the Spiritual Eclipse cast its eerie glow over the land.
"He's been born," the man said, his voice cutting through the vast chamber like steel.
The other Archons exchanged uneasy glances.
One of them, a dark-skinned woman with ruby-bright eyes, frowned. "The prophecy has come true... But it's too soon. He can't pose a threat yet."
Another Archon, tall and hooded, spoke in a dry, sharp tone. "And you want to wait until he can?"
Silence settled over the room. No one needed a reminder of the prophecy's words:
Out of Shadow and Light, a being will be born, able to bend fate to his will. His power will be absolute, his existence a threat to the gods. And the day he ascends... the heavens will fall.
The man on the throne, Orpheon, the Primordial Archon and Guardian of Balance, sighed.
"Send in the Spirit Hunters. Kill the child before he realizes his power."
In a dimly lit tavern on the outskirts of Eryndor, shadowy figures filled the smoky air. Among them, a group of men cloaked in black sat silently, their sharp eyes scanning the room like predators.
Thane de Vorakis, leader of the Spirit Hunters, leaned back in his chair, a golden scroll in one hand. His crimson eyes flicked over its contents, his expression unreadable.
"A child born under the Eclipse," he muttered to himself. "An unknown Essence." He closed the scroll with a snap. "Eliminate it immediately."
Beside him, a pale-skinned assassin chuckled, his red eyes glinting in the low light. "Hunting a baby? Really?"
Thane's expression darkened. He wasn't a man ruled by guilt or conscience, but this order felt... wrong.
The assassin continued, "The Archons are paranoid, but who cares? They pay us either way."
Thane didn't respond. Orders were orders, and he wouldn't question them aloud. Yet, deep down, a faint unease gnawed at him.
He stood abruptly, tossing a bag of coins onto the table. "Get ready," he said, his tone cold and sharp. "We're hunting down a demon before it learns to walk."
Back in Kael's home, Zorin closed the heavy curtains and turned to Aria. His voice was low but urgent.
"We need to escape. Now."
Aria held Kael closer, her knuckles white. "But where? They'll find us no matter where we go!"
Zorin didn't answer right away. Instead, he opened a small wooden box and pulled out a silver necklace. Its faint glow pulsed with spiritual energy.
He stepped toward Kael and gently placed the necklace around his tiny neck.
"This will buy us some time," he said.
The artifact hummed faintly.
Zorin's eyes fell on Kael, and for a moment, something shifted in his chest. The baby's gaze locked with his, piercing and sharp, like the eyes of someone far older.
A strange unease settled over him. That look... it wasn't the gaze of a helpless infant. It was the calculating stare of a strategist, someone who weighed every variable like pieces on a warboard.
Zorin didn't know it yet, but Kael was already forming a plan.
He only needed time.
And for that, his parents needed to escape.
Now.