POV: Kael Darkflame (Age 5)Location: Gravedge, Tier-0 Realm
The village of Gravedge was not the kind of place that raised heroes.
It raised survivors.
The sky was a constant gray smear, the buildings squat and reinforced with monster bone or obsidian brick, and the children — those that lived past five — either joined the militia or mined fragments of monster cores from the nearby Deathspine Forest.
Kael sat cross-legged in the dirt behind the forge, shirtless despite the cold, sweat trickling down his neck as he polished a rusted iron short-sword under Garron's watchful gaze.
"You're dragging the whetstone too fast," Garron barked. "Keep the rhythm steady."
Kael didn't respond. He simply adjusted.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Pause.
"Better."
Garron grunted, folding his arms. His stone-arm let off a soft hiss of steam as enchantments cooled it. Despite the man's towering form and rough bark-voice, Kael had grown comfortable around him. Not safe — Garron never let anyone feel safe — but stable. Predictable.
That was more than most in Gravedge ever got.
System Notification — [Training Session Logged]
⚔️ Weapon Proficiency (Bladed - Basic): +2⚔️ Discipline (Combat Focus): +1⚔️ Physical Conditioning: +0.3%
Current Growth XP: 57 / 1000
The numbers meant little to Kael now, but he was starting to recognize the feeling — when the world slowed just a little after a skill improved, or when his thoughts got sharper after he pushed through fatigue.
He was learning. Slowly.
But the hunger inside him — not for food, but for more — never stopped.
___________________________________________________
POV: Garron Ironclaw
He'd raised plenty of orphans. Too many.
But Kael was different.
The boy didn't laugh. Didn't cry. Rarely spoke unless asked. And never, not once, had he lost his composure — even when other kids mocked him or when wolves got too close to the fence.
But it wasn't apathy.
It was patience.
And that worried Garron more than anything.
Then there was the locket.
He hadn't dared open it. Every time he touched it, his system flared a warning: Restricted Class Artifact — Ancestral Lock Applied. Unauthorized Access Will Trigger Bloodbrand.
So he left it be.
But he watched.
And sometimes… the boy watched him back — like he already knew what was coming.
________________________________________
POV: Kael
That night, Kael awoke before dawn, the sky above the cracked window a dull violet. He slipped from his mat and stepped outside barefoot, into the frost-dusted dirt behind the forge.
He wasn't sure why.
His dreams had been… sharp. A scythe. A girl with silver hair and cold eyes. A tower of gold crumbling.
He raised his hand and stared at his fingers.
The system flickered.
Bloodline Status: Dormant — Activity Detected
Suppression Integrity: 81%
Affinity Signature Detected (Foreign): Ice / Shadow
"Affinities… sensed nearby.""Processing… 1 Match — Class Signature: Assassin (Undiscovered)."
Kael turned slowly toward the trees.
Someone was watching him.
_________________________________________________
POV: Selene Frost (Age 6)Distance: 93 meters – Tree Canopy Above Gravedge Forge
Selene crouched in the trees like a phantom, barely making a sound as the branch beneath her creaked once — then stilled.
Her daggers were sheathed. Her breath controlled.
She had been watching the boy for weeks.
At first, it was curiosity. No child from Gravedge survived that many monster attacks without trauma.
But Kael… he never screamed. Never begged.
He moved like her. Saw things like her.
She didn't understand why she cared. She never had — not since her parents were devoured by mistwalkers and she'd been raised by the Nightcaller Assassins. But the boy…
He made her feel.
It was annoying.
System Interface – Selene Frost
Age: 6
Class: Assassin (Locked)
Bloodline: Nightveil – Ice Shadow (Minor Line)
Skills:‣ Silent Movement (Lv 3)‣ Dagger Precision (Lv 2)‣ Killing Intent Suppression (Lv 4)
Growth XP: 143 / 1000
Traits: Cold-Blooded, Emotionally Restricted
Affection Marker Active: [Target – Kael (Interest)]
Selene frowned.
She hated that stupid affection marker.
She turned to leave — but Kael was already staring up at her.
She froze.
His eyes were calm. Curious. Not scared.
He raised his hand — and waved.
Selene blinked.
No one had ever waved at her before.
_______________________________________
POV: Kael
He didn't know who she was. But her presence felt… like a knife hidden in snow.
Deadly. Beautiful.
He whispered to himself, more instinct than thought, "I'll find you again."
The girl vanished into the forest like mist.
_________________________________
POV: Kael (System Event – Midnight Pulse)
Later that night, under his blanket, Kael's system pulsed again.
Bloodline Stability Check: Initiated
Soul Signature: Stable (Child State)Potential Unlock Detected — Path of the Reaper (Condition: Suppressed Until 12)Current Path: Weapon Master – In Training
Weapon Affinity Scanned…— Staff: 7%— Blade: 13%— Bow: 2%— Spear: 9%— Scythe: 0.1% (Dormant Recognition Detected)
He didn't understand the words.
But the word Scythe made something deep in him shift.
A memory that wasn't his.
A battlefield drowned in blood and wings. And a figure — cloaked in black, wielding a scythe made from stars and bone.
And then it was gone.
Kael's hand curled into a fist beneath his locket.
"Someday," he whispered. "I'll be strong enough to find them."
End of Chapter 5