Chapter 1: The Awakening
The rain wouldn't stop.
Drops poured from the blackened sky, washing over the ruins of a once peaceful village. Broken rooftops, scattered weapons, and charred earth stretched across the horizon. Among the wreckage, a boy lay motionless.
Lightning cracked.
His eyes snapped open—bright blue, glowing faintly in the storm.
"Mizu…"
A distant voice, soft and trembling, echoed through his mind.
He tried to move. Pain shot through his limbs, but he forced himself up. His breath was shaky. His clothes were soaked. Around his neck, a glowing blue crystal pulsed with faint energy.
His home…
Gone.
His memories… shattered.
He remembered flames. Screams. A shadowy figure… and his father, standing in front of him—protecting him—just before everything went black.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
The ground trembled beneath his feet as he stood. Something stirred deep within him. Water began to rise around his hands—no rainwater, but summoned by his presence alone.
The crystal flared.
A memory surged—his father's voice, just before the end:
"Mizu… protect the stone. Never let the Shadow find it."
Before he could think further, a howl echoed in the distance. Shapes moved through the fog—dark, twisted creatures unlike anything human.
Mizu clenched his fists.
He didn't know who he was anymore. He didn't know why they came. But one thing was certain:
He was not going to die here.
The water swirled violently, responding to his will. His crystal glowed like a beacon in the darkness.
This was only the beginning.