Sofian_Abdullah

In a world where strength is dictated by divine relics… one boy is born with nothing—and yet, may become the end of everything.

In the shattered continent of Auraterra, every child bears the Eclipse Mark—a sigil tied to the ancient forces known as the Relics of Ecliptica. These marks grant unimaginable power, shaping the future of empires, clans, and kings.

But Kaen is different.

He was born Shadowless—a cursed child without a mark, without power, without a future. Mocked. Beaten. Forgotten. Left to rot in the ruins of a war that ended long ago.

Until the day he touches a relic that was never meant to be found.

Until he hears a voice that should have stayed buried.

Until the Archeflare awakens.

Now, Kaen holds a forbidden power that no one understands—a force that rewrites reality itself, forged not from talent, but from sacrifice. Every use burns away a piece of him. Every battle demands something greater. And the world is watching.

From noble heirs to ancient monsters, from hidden sects to celestial realms—Kaen is no longer invisible. He is a flame in the dark. A threat to fate itself.

And the boy with no shadow?

He may become the one who burns the entire system to ash.

Eclipsed Era: The Last Ember

The wind howled against the broken stone walls of the outpost, carrying with it the scent of rain and something older—like the echo of a past that refused to stay buried.

Kaen sat alone near the edge of the ruined balcony, the cold air brushing against his skin, but he barely noticed. His fingers trembled—not from the chill, but from something deeper. Something inside him was unraveling.

For the first time since awakening that strange power… he felt small.

He remembered the battle—how the creature from the First Circle moved like a nightmare carved from ancient fears. How his body had moved on its own. How his voice had screamed in a language he didn't know, and yet every word felt like it had always been his.

"Who… am I really?" he whispered, not expecting an answer.

Behind him, footsteps echoed. Lira stood at the doorway, arms folded, her gaze soft but unreadable.

Kaen looked down. Blood had seeped from his knuckles, crusted now. He hadn't even noticed he'd clenched his fists so tightly.

"It doesn't stop," he murmured. "It keeps pulling… whatever this thing is inside me. It's like I'm being rewritten, bit by bit."

Lira walked over, kneeling beside him.

"You're not being rewritten," she said. "You're becoming who you always were. You're just remembering it now."

Kaen laughed, bitterly. "That sounds like something Turo would say. And he's always two steps ahead of a nightmare."

"I saw her again," Kaen said suddenly, his voice barely a breath. "My mother. Just a glimpse. A shadow. She didn't speak, but… I felt like she was reaching out. Like she was trying to pull me away from this."

Lira hesitated. "What if she's not trying to pull you away? What if she's trying to lead you forward?"

Kaen turned to look at her. His eyes, once a dull brown, now shimmered faintly with silver veins of power.

"She was part of the High Circle," he said slowly. "Wasn't she?"

Lira didn't answer. She didn't have to.

A silence settled between them, heavy with the things neither dared to say.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook, and a faint pulse rippled through the air—like a heartbeat, but not from anything human. Kaen's body tensed. That artifact… the one Lira had mentioned… it was close.

"We need to move," she said, already rising. "If we wait any longer, they'll reach it first."

"Who?" Kaen asked, but he already knew the answer.

"The Vortex," she said. "And not just hunters this time. Something else is with them. Something… older."

Kaen stood slowly, his eyes still fixed on the dark horizon.

s cursed power can bleed something other than me."

Ending Chapter 8: The Weight That Bleeds