The First Resonance

That morning, the sky was unusually gray. The lower city—normally alive with market noise—was wrapped in eerie silence. Kael made his way to training with Master Rauth, but every step felt heavier.

The voice inside his head had been growing louder since that night.

> "Kael… hear us…"

He tried to ignore it, but blue sparks appeared again in his palm. The old scar pulsed—reminding him of the night everything changed.

Master Rauth waited at the center of the stone yard.

> "You're late," he said curtly.

"Tell me—what have you been feeling lately?"

Kael remained silent. But before he could speak, the ground trembled. A crack split the training yard—and from it burst a crimson light.

> "That's... the mark of the Old World," Rauth gasped.

"They've sensed the Soulfire's awakening…"

Meanwhile, atop the city's distant watchtower, Aelra watched the mountains. Her hair danced in the wind.

> "The first resonance has occurred," she whispered.

"And this is just the beginning."

In the ruins of an ancient fortress, deep in the forbidden North, old seals began to crack. The air grew cold—not from temperature, but from something darker… deeper.

Footsteps echoed. A tall figure, cloaked in black, stepped into the center of a red-glowing sigil.

> "Velmira," a heavy voice rumbled from the shadows.

"The time has come."

Velmira pulled back her hood. Her silver eyes gleamed with ice.

> "The Soulfire has awakened. And with it… the resonance we once waited for."

From within the broken seals, shadow creatures began to emerge—forming ranks like an army. Their voices sounded like the whispers of a thousand restless souls.

> "Kael…" Velmira murmured.

"Your heir must face the truth… even if it destroys him."

At that moment, Kael shivered—sensing someone, somewhere, had just whispered his name.

And the sky began to change.

At midnight, with thunder still rumbling above, Kael sat in the meditation hall of Sanctum. His hands trembled—not from cold, but from the pulse in his chest. The Soulfire mark on the back of his hand glowed faintly, almost like breathing.

> "Why now…?" he whispered.

Aelra, entering silently, watched Kael from behind a stone pillar. She could feel his energy surging wildly. His spiritual aura swirled like a storm trying to burst out of his body.

> "Kael," she said softly, approaching.

"You must learn to control it. Soulfire isn't just power—it's memory. The souls bound to you… are beginning to speak."

Kael closed his eyes. In the darkness, he saw flickers of unfamiliar faces—warriors, mages, even beasts—all staring at him with hope… or anger.

---

Meanwhile, at Sanctum's highest tower, Master Rauth stood before a large window, watching the sky turn a deep violet—sign of dimensional fractures.

> "Velmira has moved," he murmured.

"And the boy… is not ready."

A blinding light flashed before his eyes. Kael stood in a place unknown—a barren land of shattered crystals under a blazing red sky. But this wasn't the real world. It was a dream—or rather, a memory passed down.

From the haze emerged a figure cloaked in black, eyes glowing blue.

> "Kael…"

"You've finally arrived."

Kael recognized the voice—though he had never heard it before.

> "Who are you?"

"And what is this place?"

> "My name is Erion. I was the last Soulbearer… before the Great Ruin."

Erion raised his hand, revealing the same Soulfire symbol Kael bore.

> "Soulfire doesn't choose randomly. It seeks resonance. You… are the echo of a forgotten will."

Kael stood in silence, heart pounding. Suddenly, pain struck him—like thousands of souls whispering directly into his mind. He saw war, betrayal, sacrifice. All of those souls… now resided within him.

> "Kael," Erion's voice thundered,

"When the world begins to break, you must choose: be humanity's shield… or the flame that consumes it."

Kael awoke with a gasp, breath ragged. The dream felt too real, as if Erion's soul still echoed in his heart. He looked at his left palm—the Soulfire sigil glowed faintly, acknowledging his awakening.

Footsteps approached. Kael gripped his spear tightly, ready.

But it wasn't an enemy. A woman with long silver hair, wearing a dark cloak and a crescent crystal pendant, stepped out from the thickets.

> "You're finally awake," she said.

"My name is Ishara. I've been looking for you since the last bastion fell."

Kael eyed her warily. He didn't recognize her—but there was something in her gaze that stirred a forgotten memory.

> "Who are you, really?" he asked.

"And how do you know my name?"

Ishara gave a faint smile.

> "Because I am part of your past, Kael. A past the world tried to bury. But Soulfire has brought you back. And we… have a war to finish."

The sky darkened above them. The wind carried the scent of blood from afar. And Kael knew—this was only the beginning of chaos.

Night fell with a suffocating silence. Kael and Ishara sat by a small campfire, the crackling wood the only song between them.

> "I still don't fully trust you," Kael said, eyes fixed on the flames.

"But... something in me wants to."

Ishara glanced at him, her eyes steady.

> "You saved me once, Kael. In the time before this. When the world almost drowned in darkness."

Kael frowned, digging for the memory—but it was a wall of fog, unreachable.

Suddenly, the bushes behind them shook violently. A tall figure emerged, clad in dragon-hide armor, face marred by flame—eyes glowing red. Neither man nor demon. A broken Soulfire sigil burned on his chest.

> "Kael Eshval," he rasped, voice like grinding stone,

"I've finally found you. And I've not come to kill you... but to awaken you."

Ishara rose swiftly, crossing her arms. Blue sigils of magic circled in the air.

Kael stood, spear aimed at the stranger.

> "Who are you?"

"My name... is Veyrion. Envoy of the Old Darkness."

The night wind carried the scent of damp earth and dying embers. Across the fire, Kael stood frozen, eyes locked on Veyrion.

> "What do you mean by awaken me?" Kael asked, voice low but sharp.

Veyrion stepped closer, though never crossing Ishara's magic circle.

> "You are the Final Fragment of the Skyforged Soul. Your Soulcraft isn't just power—it's the last key before the Great War begins anew."

> "I'm no one," Kael replied.

> "You will become someone. Either a savior... or a harbinger of ruin."

The wind grew fiercer. Ishara moved closer to Kael, and in that silence, something invisible and profound formed between them.

Veyrion made no move to fight. He simply turned and vanished into the shadows of the forest, leaving behind scorched footprints and words that echoed.

> "Your time is running out."

That night, Kael realized: this journey was no longer about surviving. It was about deciding what destiny he would forge.