Caden was nothing special—or so he had always believed. In the border village of Grayholt, where the winds howled like restless spirits, he lived a simple life.
Half Drakari, half Sylph, yet fully an outcast. Among the rugged, flame-hearted Drakari, he was too slight and quick. Among the ethereal Sylphs, he was too fierce and grounded. He belonged nowhere.
The village sat at the edge of the Ashen Forest, a place where magic stirred in the shadows.
Most feared the woods, claiming that the creatures lurking within were remnants of the Void Wars—a conflict so old, only the most learned scholars of the Nexus still remembered its true cause.
Yet Caden often ventured into the forest alone, drawn by an instinct he could not explain. His father, Ladris, a high-ranking Drakari general, called his wanderings foolish.
"You will inherit nothing but pain from that forest," he had warned.
But Caden did not listen.
That morning, the air crackled with tension as Caden stood in a small clearing. He practiced with a worn training spear, striking at the empty air as though his life depended on it.
Each movement burned, muscles strained, but he pushed on. Ladris had insisted he would never be a true warrior unless he could master his Drakari side.
Yet no matter how fiercely he trained, Caden could not summon the fire his father commanded with ease. A spark, a flicker—but nothing more.
"Focus," he muttered under his breath, adjusting his stance.
A sudden wind swept through the clearing, cold and biting. Caden froze.
Something stirred in the forest beyond, a faint whisper that prickled the edge of his senses. He turned, gripping the spear tighter.
A shadow moved.
It emerged from the treeline—a creature of obsidian flesh and jagged limbs. A Hekar. They were supposed to be extinct, purged by the Nexus centuries ago.
And yet, here it stood, its hollow eyes glinting with malice. The air around it rippled with dark magic.
Fear coiled in Caden's gut, but he did not run. This was his chance to prove himself. He lunged, driving his spear toward the creature's chest. The Hekar was fast. Too fast.
It sidestepped the blow and struck back, claws slashing toward his throat. Caden barely dodged, the tip grazing his cheek.
Pain flared, hot and sharp. Rage followed.
A pulse of energy surged through him, foreign and wild. His vision blurred as something ancient stirred deep inside.
Without thinking, Caden thrust his hand forward. Light burst from his palm—not fire, not wind, but something else. A force that shattered the air and slammed into the Hekar, sending it flying.
Silence fell.
The creature lay motionless, its form cracked like broken stone. Caden staggered back, chest heaving. His hand trembled with residual power, sparks dancing along his fingertips.
"What... was that?" he whispered.
He barely had time to catch his breath before another voice broke the stillness. "You should not possess that power."
Caden spun around to see a figure step into the clearing. A tall woman, her silver hair glinting beneath a dark hood. Her eyes, an unnatural shade of violet, locked onto his glowing hand.
"Who are you?" he demanded, struggling to steady his voice.
The woman tilted her head. "Your power is an anomaly. The Nexus does not allow such things to exist. It will come for you."
Caden's blood turned cold. Everyone knew of the Nexus—the ancient system that governed magic, dividing it into elemental factions.
Fire for the Drakari. Wind for the Sylphs.
Earth for the Virek. Yet his magic did not fit any of those molds. It was something different.
"Why would the Nexus care about me?" he asked.
"Because you are not meant to be," she said softly. "And when the system finds you, it will erase you."
A chill ran down his spine. He opened his mouth to question her further, but she was already fading into the mist.
The weight of her words hung heavy as Caden turned back to the shattered remains of the Hekar. His heart pounded in his chest. Whatever had awakened inside him was not normal—and it had already drawn attention.
For years, he had longed to escape Grayholt, to find his place in a world where he belonged. But now, with this power coursing through his veins, Caden realized something else:
The world was coming for him.
And he was no longer powerless to stop it.