Golden dawn spilled over a secluded forest clearing. A boy with silver hair crouched low in the grass, his bright sapphire eyes sharp with determination. He gripped a crude wooden spear in both hands, steadying his racing heart.
Suddenly, a rustle. A pale shape darted between the roots.
"I caught it—I caught it!" he cried, leaping up.
In his hands wriggled a massive three-horned white rabbit, nearly as big as his chest. He sprinted across the clearing toward the tall figure waiting by a fallen log.
The old man, clad in worn leather, threw back his head and laughed.
"Well, look at you. Your first hunt, Hikari!"
"I've been training for three years," the boy said proudly. But when he glanced down, he saw ten identical rabbits already trussed at the old man's feet. His shoulders slumped.
"Three years for one… and you catch ten in minutes."
The old man smiled and tousled his hair. "That's age and experience, boy. Besides…"
He paused, eyes softening.
"…some would say it takes all my strength just to keep up with you."
Deep in his heart, Eldran wondered if that was more true than the boy could ever understand.
---
Evening fell, cool and blue. They sat around the campfire, the flames painting their faces in flickering gold. A leather-bound book rested on Hikari's lap. He traced the embossed letters on its cover with one finger.
"I wish I had friends to play with," he said quietly.
Eldran gazed into the fire, his weathered features hidden in shadow. "Someday," he murmured. "When you're old enough—"
He trailed off. His eyes fell to the flames. He picked up a crooked stick, feathers tied to one end.
"Look at this silly thing I made. A spirit chaser," he said, forcing a brightness into his voice.
Hikari looked up, frowning. "Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?" Eldran asked, too quickly.
"Whenever I ask about my mother… you pretend it's nothing."
Silence. The fire crackled between them.
Eldran lowered the stick. His hands trembled as he spoke.
"…Your mother… was taken from us," he said at last. "She's in heaven now. You mustn't—"
"Forget it!" Hikari snapped. He scrambled to his feet, turning away.
"Hikari, wait—"
He never saw the jagged plank jutting from the doorway. His foot caught. For one sickening moment, he felt himself fall.
Then came the impact.
A flash of pain exploded behind his eyes—and everything went black.
He floated in a vast, empty darkness.
"Gramps?" he called, voice small. "Anyone…?"
No answer came.
Then the darkness shattered.
A flood of visions tore through him—flames devouring a woman's silhouette, a horned figure in obsidian armor, a wailing infant wrapped in blinding light. A thousand images, each more terrible than the last. They came faster, the noise rising to a shrieking roar.
"Stop!" he screamed. "Stop—!"
---
A strangled cry ripped from his throat as he jolted awake.
Blood dripped down his temple, pooling on the cabin floor. He wrenched himself upright, gasping.
Eldran was already there, his eyes wide with horror. He grabbed Hikari's shoulders, steadying him.
"Hikari…! Can you hear me?"
The boy stared past him, seeing something far beyond the walls.
"…the woman… she was burning…" he whispered.
Eldran's hands trembled. "Look at me. You're here. You're safe."
Hikari blinked, finally focusing on him.
"I…saw everything," he said hoarsely. "A place full of fire. A man… with horns. And someone… someone was crying…"
Eldran swallowed hard. His hands dropped to his sides.
Gods above, he thought. Is it already awakening?
Hikari swayed. Eldran caught him before he collapsed.
Night settled over the clearing. Hikari lay on his straw mat, sweat beading on his pale brow. Eldran sat beside him, staring into the embers.
All these years, he thought, I hoped—prayed—that the curse would never show itself.
He looked at the boy's small hand, clenched tight around the blanket.
"…Forgive me, Seraphis," he whispered into the dark. "I don't know if I have the strength to keep hiding the truth."
Outside, the wind sighed through the trees.
Morning light crept through the cabin's gaps. Hikari opened his eyes, dazed and exhausted. He propped himself up on trembling elbows.
"…Gramps?" he croaked.
Eldran rose from his stool and knelt beside him.
"You shouldn't get up yet," he said gently.
"…Was it real? What I saw?" Hikari asked, voice raw.
Eldran looked away. "Some memories are better left buried. For now."
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes. "But… who am I?"
The old man drew a slow, pained breath.
"You are my grandson. You are Hikari. And that is all you need to know."
He reached out and brushed silver hair from Hikari's brow.
"…For now," he murmured.
As Hikari leaned back, something pulsed faintly on his collarbone—a sigil, intricate as a spider's web, glowing like a dying ember. He didn't see it.
But Eldran did.
His face drained of color.
It's begun, he thought.
The mark of the forbidden blood.
«End of Chapter One»