Nato7

The story picks up six years after Kael Renji, the hero who defeated the infamous Kurojin Tsukiro, secured peace in the world. Now 24, Kael is a symbol of hope and power, having built a thriving city where new Wielders can train and grow. However, this peaceful world is far from perfect. A new generation of young Wielders is emerging, born from the previous heroes and their legacy, but the challenges they face are unlike anything before.

Renzo, an 11-year-old prodigy, is Kael's apprentice, skipping primary school to become a 1st Wielder, and is ready to face the intense trials of their new system of Wielders. The next generation—composed of the children of Kael, Hana, Ryuu, Tetsu, and the others—is inheriting their parents' power and skills, but with new threats looming, they must adapt to a world that demands not just strength but wisdom.

The world has evolved since the Fracture, with new, unpredictable dangers arising. A new system for the Wielders is in place, one that tests them on a deeper level, requiring not only raw power but a mastery of complex, elemental Wills. The trials ahead are brutal, and the children of the past heroes must face not just battles, but their own inner struggles, as the weight of their parents' legacies pushes them to their limits.

As Kael leads this new generation into an era of challenges, they will have to confront dark forces, both external and internal. From monstrous beasts to internal betrayals, these young Wielders must fight for their place in a world where the line between hero and villain has become more blurred than ever. And while Kael watches over them as their leader, he must also grapple with

Shadowborn: Legacy of the Next Will

The clang of steel echoed across the outer ridge of Shinzai's northern wall as Jinsei Kairo clashed with the two Wielders blocking his path.

Smoke curled above the city skyline. In the distance, the unmistakable shockwaves of a powerful battle rippled through the sky—flashes of yellow and violet exploding beyond the spires.

Kael… someone's fighting Kael… and I'm stuck out here?!

Jinsei darted between the twin figures, both cloaked in matte-gray armor with no insignias. Their Wills weren't just strong—they were trained, flowing in seamless coordination, like mirror images of each other.

"Let me through!" Jinsei roared, ducking a twin slash and retaliating with a sweeping burst of flame Will.

One moved to intercept his path while the other flanked—flipping over a low barrier of stone with impossible agility and lashing out with a blade of crystallized wind.

CLANG! Jinsei barely blocked it with a wall of flame condensed into a shield. The force launched him backward, tumbling into the dust near the Shinzai gates.

"I'm not your enemy!" he shouted. "Don't you hear what's happening in the city?! Someone's attacking Kael!"

Still no words. Just silence. Determined eyes. Robotic grace.

They came again—this time in tandem. One struck high with a radiant spear of ice, the other from below with pulsing, golden energy.

"Then I'll force my way in!"

Jinsei's Will surged—his third-tier flame igniting along his limbs in wild, arcing fire. His hands blurred, forming burning blades as he met them both head-on.

The clash lit the dusk like a firestorm.

Blow for blow, Jinsei kept pace. He roared as he landed a solid hit across the mask of one attacker, sending him spiraling into the earth.

The other dropped down, throwing a crescent of light toward Jinsei's chest.

BOOM! He rolled beneath it—then sprang up with a flame-coated uppercut that burned the air around him.

But as soon as his strike landed—

Nothing. Smoke. Air.

Jinsei blinked, chest rising and falling, sweat and blood streaking his face.

Suddenly, a whisper of wind—then a crack of pain.

A hand slammed into the back of his neck, and a pulse of paralytic energy surged into his body. Jinsei's eyes widened, limbs faltering.

Then a final flash of golden-white energy struck his side, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The two attackers stood over him. One of them crouched, whispering something under his breath before placing a false identification scroll in Jinsei's pocket—coded with proof of "his betrayal."

Then, without a word, they shimmered—dissolving into translucent mist.

Another set of clones.

As Jinsei lay broken near Shinzai's gate, the storm inside the city escalated.

And no one—not even Kael—knew that Jinsei had been betrayed by shadows again.

Chapter 54: Doors That Won’t Open