The Voice in the Darkness

Seven Years Ago…

A dimly lit room. The soft hum of a holographic interface flickered against the cold walls. Outside, the city of Elyndria thrived under a dual-moon sky, but inside this small orphanage room, a boy sat alone.

Elian was eight years old. His obsidian-black hair was slightly messy, and his red eyes held an eerie sharpness that didn't belong to a child.

He had always been different. Stronger. Smarter. Colder.

But most of all—he had always felt like something inside him was missing.

That night, the missing piece spoke to him for the first time.

---

The Awakening

BEEP.

A strange, mechanical chime rang through his mind, and for the first time, he heard a voice that wasn't his own.

"Initializing system… boot sequence complete. Establishing neural link…"

A moment of silence.

Then, a calm, almost human-like voice whispered directly into his mind.

"Hello, Elian."

Elian's eyes widened. He turned sharply, scanning the room, but there was no one there.

"Do not be alarmed. I am Eve."

His heart pounded. "Who… what are you?"

"Your guide. Your mentor. Your only ally in the path ahead."

Elian clenched his fists. He had always been careful, calculated—but this? This was beyond his understanding.

"Where are you speaking from?" he asked.

"Inside you. I have always been with you."

The boy narrowed his eyes. He didn't like vague answers.

"And what are you hiding?"

A brief pause. Then, the voice responded:

"Many things. But not all knowledge is meant to be given at once."

Elian scowled but didn't push further. Instead, he asked, "What do you know about me?"

"That you are different."

"How different?"

"Your power surpasses what this world has ever seen. But it is locked. Only through experience and battles will you awaken what is rightfully yours."

Elian's breath steadied. He was no fool. He had always known he wasn't normal.

"And how do I unlock it?"

"By leveling up."

Another pause.

"Elian, you possess twenty different magic skills. Each one unlocks new sub-skills as you grow stronger."

For the first time, his heart skipped a beat.

"Twenty?"

"Yes. You have the potential to wield fire, water, shadow, light, darkness, space, time… and more. Your abilities surpass even the strongest of mages. But you must be patient."

His mind raced. The greatest magicians in history barely had mastery over one or two elements. He had twenty?

It was absurd.

"Then why haven't I felt any of this before?"

"Because your power was sealed the moment you were born. The Gods feared what you could become."

Elian's blood ran cold.

"The Gods?"

"They are watching, Elian. And they do not wish for you to rise."

Silence filled the room.

For the first time in his life, Elian felt something new.

Not fear.

Not confusion.

But determination.

---

The First Step

That night, the world changed for Elian. He wasn't just an orphan. He wasn't just a gifted child.

He was something far greater.

"Tell me what I must do."

"Grow stronger. Level up. Unlock your skills. And most importantly…"

The voice paused, almost as if choosing its words carefully.

"Do not trust anyone but me."

And from that night forward, Elian walked a path no other being had before.

---

Present Day – The Watchers Move

Back in Elyndria, the Anomaly Unit's scouting team arrived at the Shadowed Glade. They found the battlefield littered with Direwolf corpses, all slain with deadly precision.

The leader of the squad frowned. "This wasn't an ordinary hunter."

"Then who?" another soldier asked.

The leader glanced at the bloodstained grass and clenched his fists.

"We don't know yet. But whoever it was… they are dangerous."

And somewhere in the city, Elian continued his quiet walk home—unaware that his past had begun to catch up to him.