Prologue
The cold embrace of death was not what Orion Veyl had expected. One moment, he was walking home from school, earbuds blasting his favorite playlist; the next, he was lying on the asphalt, staring at a sky that seemed far too bright for his fading world. A honking truck, screeching tires, and then—nothing. His life had been painfully ordinary, and his death, he thought bitterly, was tragically mundane.
But death was not the end.
When Orion opened his eyes, he was met with a disorienting blur of colors and sounds. Everything was too loud, too bright, and his body felt impossibly small. Panic surged through him as he tried to move, but his limbs wouldn't respond as they should. It was then that he heard the voices.
"A cursed child," whispered a woman, her voice trembling. "His very presence chills the air."
"He will bring ruin," said another voice, deep and grim. "It is said that those born under the black crescent are marked by the gods themselves."
Orion wanted to scream, to demand answers, but his infant body betrayed him. His cries were met with disdain rather than comfort, and the hands holding him quickly withdrew. The warmth he had felt was replaced by a cold emptiness that would soon become all too familiar.
He came to learn, in his new and fragile existence, that he had been born under an ominous celestial event: the black crescent moon. To the people of this world, it was a harbinger of disaster, a mark of divine wrath. From the very moment of his birth, he was branded as cursed, his mere existence a blight on those around him.
The years that followed were a waking nightmare. His caretakers treated him with disdain, providing the bare minimum to keep him alive. He was kept separate from other children, who were taught to fear and despise him. The whispers of adults painted him as a monster, a walking calamity, and their hatred seeped into every interaction.
When Orion was old enough to comprehend the world around him, he tried to change their minds. He smiled through their glares, offered help where he could, and endured their abuse in silence. But nothing he did could pierce the wall of hatred that surrounded him. It was as though the curse they spoke of was a tangible thing, a dark aura that repelled all kindness.
By the time he turned ten, Orion had stopped trying. The constant rejection and isolation had hardened him, and he learned to survive on his own. He scavenged for food when his meals were withheld, sought shelter in abandoned buildings when the villagers barred their doors, and taught himself to fight when the bullies came for him. Every day was a battle, and every night a reminder that he was utterly alone.
But even in his darkest moments, there was a spark within him that refused to die. Orion's bitterness toward the world was tempered by a stubborn determination to prove his worth, not to others, but to himself. He vowed that one day, he would uncover the truth behind his curse and rise above the hatred that sought to define him.
It wasn't until his fifteenth year that his life took a turn he could never have anticipated.
The day began like any other, with Orion trudging through the outskirts of yet another village that had cast him out. His body was weary from hunger, and his spirit teetered on the edge of despair. The forest loomed ahead, its dense canopy promising shelter from the harsh sun. With nothing to lose, he ventured into the wilds, heedless of the dangers that lurked within.
As he pushed deeper into the forest, the air grew cooler, and the sounds of the village faded away. For the first time in years, he felt a strange sense of peace. Exhaustion soon overtook him, and he collapsed under the sprawling branches of an ancient tree. Sleep claimed him almost instantly.
When he awoke, he was not alone.
A pair of piercing blue eyes stared down at him, belonging to a massive wolf with shimmering silver fur. Its presence was both majestic and terrifying, and for a moment, Orion thought he was about to become its next meal. But the wolf made no move to attack. Instead, it lowered its head, sniffing at him curiously. Behind it, other creatures began to emerge from the shadows—a regal stag, a sleek panther, a towering bear, and countless others. They surrounded him in a silent, watchful circle.
Orion's heart pounded in his chest. He had heard tales of beasts that roamed the wilds, creatures of immense power that no human could tame. Yet, as he looked into their eyes, he felt no malice, only curiosity and… something else. Acceptance.
Tentatively, he reached out a hand toward the silver wolf. The beast hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, its massive head brushing against his palm. A surge of warmth flooded through Orion, a sensation so foreign and overwhelming that it brought tears to his eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt truly seen.
The other beasts followed the wolf's lead, approaching him one by one. Each touch, each gesture, deepened the connection he felt with them. It was as if the curse that had repelled humanity was a beacon to these creatures, drawing them to him in a way he couldn't yet comprehend.
From that day forward, Orion's life changed irrevocably. The beasts became his family, his protectors, and his strength. They guided him through the wilds, teaching him to harness the strange power that had drawn them to him. He discovered that he could communicate with them, not through words, but through a deep, instinctual bond. Their strength became his, and in their presence, he felt a power he had never known.
As the years passed, Orion honed his abilities, forging a life in the wilderness that was both solitary and fulfilling. But the memory of humanity's hatred lingered, a wound that refused to heal. He knew he couldn't hide forever. The world that had cast him out still loomed beyond the forest, and it would not ignore him forever.
One fateful night, as he stood atop a cliff overlooking the village he had once called home, Orion made a decision. He would no longer run from the hatred of humanity. He would face it head-on, armed with the strength of his bonds and the power of his curse.
"If this world wants to call me cursed," he murmured, his voice carrying on the wind, "then I'll show them what a curse can do."
And so began the journey of the cursed boy, who would one day reshape the world that had forsaken him.