The training ground was silent, save for the distant hum of torches lining the courtyard. Elias Aurelia stood at the center, his breathing steady but heavy, his body aching from hours of relentless drills. The moon cast a pale glow over the stone tiles, reflecting the sweat glistening on his skin.
With a final deep breath, he sheathed his sword and turned away. As he made his way back to the manor, a familiar presence awaited him by the entrance.
Elaine.
She offered a small smile, her silver hair catching the moonlight. "You push yourself too hard, Elias."
He gave a curt nod, the exhaustion in his limbs demanding rest. "Discipline shapes strength."
Elaine sighed but did not argue. "Goodnight then, my lord."
"Goodnight."
He stepped past her, heading inside. His room was dimly lit, a solitary candle flickering beside the neatly arranged meal left by the servants. Elias sat down, eating in silence. The food tasted dull, or perhaps he was simply too tired to savor it.
After finishing, he undressed and lay in bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, sleep claimed him.
Darkness. An endless abyss.
A whisper slithered through the void. Low, guttural, like a voice buried beneath time itself.
"Rip them apart."
The words slashed through his mind, laced with an authority that demanded obedience.
"The false thrones. The hollow crowns."
The void twisted. An unseen force pressed down on him, suffocating yet intoxicating.
"Transcend those who submit."
A distant hum. No, a pulse. Like something—someone—was watching.
A shiver ran down his spine. He tried to move, but his body refused. He was weightless, suspended in nothingness.
Then—
His eyes snapped open.
Elias shot up in bed, his breath ragged. His heart pounded, the whisper still echoing in his mind. It felt real, as if something had crawled into his very soul and spoken to him.
The room was eerily quiet. The candle had long since burned out. Only the faint moonlight streamed through the curtains.
Suddenly, A translucent screen materialized in front of him, hovering in the air. Strange symbols rippled across its surface before shifting into words he understood.