The sky burned red
Kael clutched his mother's hand
as they stood on the edge of the
crumbling plateau while holding
his sister and younger brother
with him.Around them screams
echoed through the air,drowned
beneath the deafening roar of the
cataclysm above.
The sky wasn't just red-it was
broken.Fractures of brilliant light
spread across it like cracks in
glass,leaking streams of golden
energy cascaded to the earth
below.Each stream struck with the
force of a god's wrath,tearing
through cities,forests and
mountains alike.Entire floating
realms were splitting apart,falling
into the endless void below.
Kael's chest heaved as he fought
to keep up with his mother's
stride.Lyra Dyrath,the woman who
he had thought unshakeable,now
moved with frantic urgency.Her
free hand clutched a small,glowing
shard wrapped in cloth,it's feint
hum barely audible over the
screams of chaos.
"Mom,what's happening ?"Kael's voice cracked,his young
mind struggling to process the
destruction around him.
Lyra's grip tightened,her knuckles
white " The Dominion has
betrayed the Primordials" she
said,her voice trembling with
equal parts of fury amd fear.
"They've tampered with powers
they don't understand...and now
the well of echoes is breaking."
Kael didn't understand the words,
but the look in her eyes told him
everything. This was no ordinary
disaster. This was the end of their
world.
Ahead, a crowd of panicked
villagers surged toward an
evacuation portal—a massive ring
of stone engraved with glowing
runes. Dominion soldiers stood
guard, their faces cold and
unfeeling as they shoved people
back, prioritizing their own kind.
The portal's energy flickered,
unstable from the devastation.
"We won't make it through", Lyra
muttered, her gaze darting
between the soldiers and the
fragment in her hand.
"Then what do we do?"Kael asked,
his voice rising in panic.
Lyra knelt, grabbing Kael by theshoulders."Listen here Kael take
your siblings and survive,whatever
happens next,you promise me you
survive.you hear me? No matter
what!"
"What? No ! I'm staying with you!"
Her face softened, but there was
no time for comfort. She pressed
the glowing shard into his hands.
The moment it touched his skin,
Kael felt a pulse—a warmth that
spread through his entire body, as
though the shard were alive.
"This is a fragment of an echo "
Lyra said hurriedly."It's not
bonded to me ,it's yours now.Hide
it.Don't let the Dominion take it or
else they'll kill you for it."
Kael's stomach twisted as he
looked down at the shard. "Why
are you giving it to me? You—"
Lyra's head snapped up as a
blinding light erupted from the
portal. The Dominion soldiers
stepped aside, and through the
glare emerged a figure clad in
gleaming obsidian armor, a
crimson cape flowing behind him.
His presence was suffocating, a
weight that pressed down on the
air itself.
"Lyra Dyrath"the man said, his
voice cold and echoing. "You'verun far enough ,hand over the
fragment and surrender now!"
Lyra stood, placing herself
between Kael and the figure."You
would destroy the world just to
cling to your power,Lucien" She
spat. "You've already damned us
all."
The man, Lucien Valor, tilted his
head, unfazed. "A necessary price
Order demands a sacrifice "He
raised a gauntleted hand, and Kael
felt the air shift as Essence
gathered around it, shimmering
like liquid fire.
Lyra turned back to Kael, her voice
breaking. "RUN!"
"But—"
"NOW! Take your siblings and run
away and survive!! "she
screamed, shoving her children
toward the forest.
Kael stumbled, clutching the
shard, and holding his siblings as
they ran. Tears blurred his vision
as he glanced back just once—just
in time to see Lucien unleash a
torrent of flame. Lyra raised her
hand, summoning a shield of
radiant energy, but the force of
the attack shattered it like glass.
"MOM!!" Kael's scream echoed,but the sight of his mother
standing defiantly, engulfed in
light and flame, was the last thing
he saw before he tripped and fell
into darkness.
Kael woke to silence. The world
was no longer burning, but it was
broken. The sky remained
fractured, the floating realms
reduced to scattered debris
drifting in the void. His village was
gone, his mother was gone, and he
was alone.
In his trembling hands, the shard
still glowed faintly. It pulsed again,
as if calling to him, and in that
moment Kael understood only one
thing: this fragment wasn't just a
relic. It was alive. And it held the
key to everything his mother had
died for.
He would survive. He would
uncover the truth. And one day, he
would make the Dominion pay.