Chapter 4: Threads of fate

Kael's POV – The First Spark of Time

Kael stood in the Ancestral Hall, his gaze locked on the violet glow of his family's crest. The ancient sigil pulsed softly, casting long shadows across the marble floor. The air felt thick—not just with magic, but with generations of history pressing down on him.

His fingers hovered just above the crest, a moment of hesitation settling in. What would happen when he touched it?

The moment his skin met the cool surface, everything shifted.

A faint hum, like the ticking of an ancient clock, filled the hall. The glow around the crest brightened, wrapping around his body like invisible threads.

Then, he felt it.

Something pulling him, stretching and twisting—as if time itself was bending around him.

His heartbeat slowed. The world moved sluggishly, every motion drawn out, like dripping honey. He turned his head, but the simple movement felt like pushing against an ocean current.

Yet, his mind remained sharp, untouched by the slowness around him.

"Kael," his father's voice cut through the haze. "Focus. Let the energy guide you."

The hum deepened, vibrating through his bones. The violet glow expanded—and suddenly, he wasn't in the Ancestral Hall anymore.

He was floating in an endless void, surrounded by threads of time. They wove and twisted like celestial rivers, each strand shimmering with the echoes of the past and whispers of the future.

For a fleeting moment, he saw his parents, young and filled with determination. He saw the rise and fall of empires, the birth of stars, the unbreakable cycle of history repeating itself.

Then—he saw something else.

A battlefield, bathed in violet light. And at its center stood a lone figure.

His breath caught.

The man's eyes glowed indigo, radiating power that seemed to warp the world around him. It was an image of his future self.

"Kael!" His father's voice snapped him back.

The glow faded. The hum vanished. His knees buckled slightly as he stumbled back, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.

"What… what was that?" His voice came out unsteady.

His father's hand landed on his shoulder, grounding him. "That was your affinity, Kael. The power of time."

Kael swallowed hard, his fingers curling into fists.

He still saw it—that battlefield, that figure.

This wasn't just a gift.

It was a burden.

---

Lucian's POV – The Weight of Destiny

Miles away, in a grand chamber lined with obsidian walls, Lucian Kismet sat cross-legged, his golden eyes flickering as he studied the swirling threads of fate around him.

Each golden thread pulsed with life, weaving intricate patterns only he could see.

But today… something was wrong.

A single thread flickered, trembling like a candle in the wind.

Lucian focused on it, reaching out with his will.

Then, the vision hit him.

A boy, standing in the center of a storm, his indigo eyes glowing with an unnatural light. The power surrounding him was immense, bending fate itself.

Lucian's breath caught.

And then—

The vision shifted.

He saw himself, standing in the shadows, watching as the indigo-eyed boy rose higher and higher—surpassing him. Surpassing everyone.

His fists clenched. "No."

The golden threads wavered, almost as if mocking him.

"I won't be a slave to fate," Lucian muttered under his breath.

The vision faded, but its weight lingered.

The threads had shown him a possible future—but the future wasn't set in stone.

And he would make damn sure it never became real.

---

The Ancient Beast – A Fleeting Vision

As Kael stepped out of the Ancestral Hall, a strange unease settled over him.

Something felt… off.

The air was thick, charged with a wrongness that made his skin prickle.

He instinctively rested his hand on the hilt of his practice sword, his body tensed.

"Zappy," he muttered, his voice low. "Do you feel that?"

A faint crackle of energy accompanied the AI's response. "Detecting an anomaly in the mana flow. It's faint. Almost… imperceptible."

Kael turned his head, scanning the corridor.

And then—he saw it.

A shadow.

No… a colossal creature, half-formed, its silhouette outlined in cosmic violet light.

It had piercing eyes—ancient, knowing, filled with something deeper than time itself.

For a long, stretched moment, the two locked gazes.

Then—it vanished.

Kael sucked in a sharp breath, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"What… was that?"

"Unknown," Zappy said, his usual monotone carrying an edge of unease.

Kael stared at the spot where the creature had been.

Was it real? A vision?

Or was it something in between?

One thing was certain.

It had seen him.

And it wanted him to know it was watching.

---

The Rivalry Begins – A Distant Encounter

On the other side of the world, Lucian froze.

The golden threads around him shuddered, their patterns rippling as if a stone had been thrown into the lake of fate.

His vision blurred.

For the second time that day, he saw him.

The indigo-eyed boy.

But this time—Kael wasn't alone.

Behind him, in the storm of violet energy, a colossal figure loomed. A beast.

Lucian's breath turned shallow.

The vision shattered.

Who was this boy? And why did fate itself tremble around him?

Lucian's golden eyes burned with determination.

It didn't matter.

Whoever he was—Lucian would crush him before he became a threat.

---

Final Scene – Two Paths Converging

On opposite sides of the world, two heirs took their first steps toward destiny.

Kael, full of curiosity and wonder, stepped into a world brimming with ancient mysteries, still unaware of the burden he carried.

Lucian, hardened by ambition, rose from the shadows, determined to reshape fate with his own hands.

Their first meeting was still far away.

But something shifted in the fabric of existence.

The cosmic violet glow dimmed for the briefest moment.

The golden threads of fate wavered.

For the first time in history, time and fate had begun to resist each other.

And the world would never be the same.