The world had not always been this way.

Long ago, before the rise of kingdoms and the fall of empires, before magic was reduced to mere whispers, the world was governed by forces beyond comprehension. The Essences—fragments of forgotten gods, ancient titans, and unnameable entities—shaped the very fabric of existence. But as the ages passed, the Essences shattered, their once-great power broken into pieces scattered across the world like forgotten dreams.

And so, the world continued—ruled by men and creatures, governed by the illusion of order, while the Essences waited, hidden within the hearts of those who would seek them.

---

"There is no power greater than the Fragment."

Those words, passed down through secretive guilds and whispered by scholars in forgotten corners of the world, were true—but not in the way most believed.

For power, true power, was not a matter of strength or magic alone. It was the Essence within, the deep wellspring of emotion, conflict, and desire that gave birth to the greatest forces the world would ever know.

---

In a small, nondescript town on the edge of civilization, a boy named Aedan stood on the cliff's edge, watching the sun dip below the horizon. His hand trembled as he reached into the pocket of his worn tunic, pulling out a small, shimmering shard—the first of many.

It had found him.

Not through strength, not through ambition, but through a single, fleeting moment of doubt.

Aedan had never known his parents. Raised by an indifferent aunt and uncle, he had spent his days in the shadow of others' expectations. He had never been special—just another face in the crowd. Yet, this shard, this fragment of something ancient, called to him in ways he could not explain.

The shard pulsed in his hand, warmth spreading through his palm. His heartbeat quickened, and he felt his world shift, as if reality itself was bending around him.

"It chooses you," a voice whispered from within, barely audible over the wind. It was neither male nor female, human nor divine, but something ancient—something that felt as though it had always been there, lurking beneath the surface.

And in that moment, Aedan understood. This was no ordinary fragment. This was his.

---

The wind howled, and the sky darkened as the shard began to glow with an eerie, unnatural light. The world around Aedan seemed to ripple, as though the laws of nature were fraying at the edges.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, cloaked in shadows.

"You are not the first to seek the Fragment," the figure said, voice cold and distant. "But you may be the last."

Aedan stepped back, his pulse racing. "Who... who are you?"

The figure smiled, though it was more of a twist than a gesture of warmth. "I am the one who will guide you... or destroy you. This world, these shards—they are more than just power. They are a test, a curse, and a blessing all in one."

---

The sky cracked open in a flash of light, and Aedan felt himself falling—falling into a world that had once been his own, but now seemed alien. He grasped the shard tightly in his hand, feeling the power within it surge like a tidal wave. But as the darkness engulfed him, he understood something else as well: the power he had just awakened was not his alone to control.

There were others. Others who had touched the shards, too, and were already far ahead on their paths. Some would seek to help him; others, to destroy him.

And as Aedan's consciousness faded into the darkness, he heard the voice again, this time clear and sharp:

"The Shards are just the beginning."

---

The Shards of Destiny had been scattered across the world for a reason.

And for Aedan—and the others who would follow him—the journey to uncover the truth would cost them everything.

The first steps were always the hardest. But no one, not even the Shards themselves, could say what would come next.

And so, the story of the Essence Bearers began.