The Sigeur clan's estate loomed like a tomb, its obsidian spires clawing at the starless sky of the backwater continent. Kai, barely ten, pressed his cheek against the cold stone of his chamber window, watching the courtyard below. Servants bustled, their lanterns casting fleeting glows on the hourglass statues that marked the clan's pride. Each statue, a monument to soul essence, mocked him. Tomorrow, his own hourglass would form—a rite of passage at ten, a verdict on his worth.
"Kai!" a sharp voice snapped, slicing through his thoughts. His stepmother, Lysara, stood in the doorway, her silk robes shimmering like venom. Her lips curled, a smile that never reached her eyes. "Stop daydreaming. You'll embarrass us tomorrow." She called herself his mother, though Kai's heart recoiled at the word. He knew the truth: Alfred, his father, resented him for the death of his true love, Kai's mother, during his birth. Lysara wielded that resentment like a blade, her every word a cut.
"Yes, Mother," Kai mumbled, lowering his gaze. His small frame tensed, expecting her usual venom. Lysara's eyes glinted with malice, savoring his discomfort. She knew Alfred's heart—how he buried himself in clan duties to avoid his son, how Kai's existence was a wound he couldn't face. She exploited it, her mistreatment a daily ritual.
"Clean your robes," she hissed. "You're filthy, as always." She swept out, leaving a chill in her wake. Kai's fists clenched, his nails biting into his palms. Filthy. Worthless. The words echoed, stoking a bitterness that burned in his chest.
The door creaked again, and Kai braced for another blow. Instead, a soft voice called, "Little brother?" His sister, Elyse, three years older, slipped inside. Her auburn hair, so like their late mother's, framed a warm smile. At thirteen, she was the clan's pride, her coming-of-age ceremony a year prior revealing a Level 12 soul essence—a prodigy's mark. Kai's heart eased at her presence, a rare light in his shadowed world.
"Elyse," he said, forcing a grin. She knelt beside him, her eyes soft with concern. "Why're you up so late?"
"Couldn't sleep," she admitted.
"Tomorrow's your big day." Her hand ruffled his hair, and Kai leaned into the touch, craving her warmth. Elyse was his anchor, the only one who saw him beyond his father's scorn or Lysara's cruelty. She reminded Alfred of their mother, his lost love, earning her his adoration. Kai envied her place as the apple of their father's eye, yet loved her fiercely for her kindness.
"Will it hurt?" Kai asked, voice small.
Elyse looked surprised."The ceremony, I mean."Elyse's smile faltered, but she squeezed his shoulder. "A little. But when your hourglass forms, you'll feel… alive. Like the world's possibilities open." Her eyes sparkled, recalling her own ceremony. Kai nodded, clinging to her words. He wanted to be like her—strong, respected, worthy. Her Level 12 essence had transformed her life; their unfeeling parents showered her with praise, their coldness toward Kai sharpening in contrast. Yet Elyse never changed, her fondness for him always unwavering."Go to bed," she teased, nudging him. "You'll need strength." Kai hugged her tightly, her warmth a shield against the darkness. As she left, his resolve hardened. He'd prove his worth, no matter what his hourglass revealed.
Morning came too soon. The grand hall buzzed with clan elders, their robes adorned with hourglass sigils. A massive obsidian altar stood at the center, etched with runes that pulsed with soul essence. Kai stood before it, his heart pounding.
Alfred Sigeur, clan leader and his father a Mid stage Grandmaster, loomed at the altar's side, he emanated a strong domineering aura,his presence filled the room—a brass hour clock appeared from the thin wisps from his glowing hands.The temperature in the room suddenly surged upwards with the appearance of the clock showing his tremendous power.The Elders' eyes widened with anticipation."Indeed,worth to be this esteemed clan's leader"One of the elders muttered.
His gaze avoided Kai, fixed on Elyse, who stood among the elders, radiant in her prodigy's robes.Whenever he saw Kai it reminded him of his late wife making his heart resentful towards him.He knew it was not Kai's fault yet the resentment towards his son still lingered.If only he was not born the love of his life would still be here.
Lysara smirked from the sidelines, whispering to a housemaid, Mara, whose cruel laughter often followed Kai's missteps.
"Begin," Alfred commanded, his voice cold. The elders chanted, their essence stirring the air. Kai stepped onto the altar, the runes flaring beneath his feet. Pain seared his chest, like a blade carving his soul. He gasped, collapsing to his knees as a vision bloomed within—a spiritual space, vast and empty. Sand swirled, forming an hourglass, its obsidian frame stark against the void. The black sand trickled, a pitiful stream, each grain a judgment.
The altar's glow faded, and Kai's hourglass materialized, hovering before the crowd. A murmur rippled through the hall. "Level 1 soul power," an elder declared, voice dripping with disdain.
Alfred's face darkened.A rank one soul power was weaker than a commoner,worse-it was an offence.The eclipse order demanded perfection.
The sand's meager flow confirmed it—Kai's potential was the lowest possible, a cap at Initiate, perhaps Awakened with impossible effort.
Lysara's laugh cut through the silence, sharp and mocking. "A disgrace," she said, loud enough for all to hear. Mara, the housemaid, snickered, her eyes gleaming with spite. She'd long tormented Kai—spilling his meals, tripping him in halls—emboldened by Lysara's cruelty. Alfred's face remained stone, but his clenched jaw betrayed his shame. Kai's birth had stolen his love; now his son was a failure, unworthy of the Sigeur name.
Kai's chest tightened, bitterness flooding him. He looked to Elyse, hoping for her warmth, but even she stood frozen, her eyes wide with pity. The clan's rejection burned, a wound deeper than Lysara's words or Mara's sneers. I'll be like you, he'd promised Elyse, but his Level 1 essence mocked that dream. He was nothing—a shadow in his sister's light, a stain on his father's legacy.
"Enough," Alfred snapped, turning away. "Take him to his chambers." Mara grabbed Kai's arm, her grip bruising, and dragged him from the hall. Lysara's voice followed, dripping with false pity. "Poor child. He'll never be like Elyse."
In his chamber, Kai sank to the floor, the hourglass's image haunting him. Its black sand, so like the void, stirred something within—a flicker of defiance amid his despair. Elyse's ceremony had fortified his will; her Level 12 essence, her parents' adoration, had shown him what strength could mean. He'd prove them wrong, not for Alfred or Lysara, but for himself. For Elyse, who believed in him.
The door creaked, and Mara entered, a tray of cold gruel in hand. "Eat, worthless boy," she sneered, shoving the tray at him. It clattered to the floor, spilling across the stone. Kai's fists clenched, his bitterness flaring. The hourglass in his mind pulsed, a faint void-like hum echoing. Mara froze, her smirk faltering, as if sensing something unnatural.
The air grew heavy, the room's shadows deepening."What… what was that?" she stammered, backing away. Kai stared, his heart racing. The hourglass's pulse faded, but its echo lingered, a whisper of power he didn't understand. Had his despair awakened something? Or was it the void of his resentment, clawing for release?