Astren awoke under a restless sky.
The clouds twisted strangely, spiraling as if an invisible hand had disturbed the heavens. Birds flew low, agitated, while even the river flowed more slowly, as if it were listening.
Something had begun.
And the world sensed it.
Lyra's First Encounter
Lyra Asterin hurried along the village path with a basket of herbs in hand. Her honey-brown hair bounced with every movement, and her keen, observant eyes took in her surroundings.
She was unlike the other children.
She noticed details.
Unusual details.
That morning, she saw Stellan once again sitting by the river, gazing into the waters as if perceiving something there that eluded everyone else.
She paused.
Then approached him.
"Stellan?" she called softly.
He looked up, a gentle distraction in his demeanor that always made her feel… safe.
"Morning," he replied.
Lyra settled beside him, analyzing his expression.
"You seem… different," she said cautiously. "More than usual."
Stellan was silent for a moment.
Then he asked, "Lyra… have you ever felt like something is watching you? Not someone, but something."
Lyra swallowed hard.
"Yes," she murmured.
Stellan turned abruptly. "You do?"
"No," she admitted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I mean… no one's watching me. But I feel like something is watching you."
She couldn't fully grasp her own words.
Yet they rang true.
And Stellan fell silent.
Ren's Awakening Trouble
Meanwhile, at the abandoned shrine on the village outskirts, Ren was training by himself.
His breath came in sharp gasps.
His muscles shook.
But his determination burned brighter than his fatigue.
He drove his fist into a wooden beam.
It cracked.
He struck again.
It splintered.
But instead of falling, the pieces hung in the air.
Ren froze, his breath hitching.
This wasn't the delicate miracle like Stellan's.
This was violent.
Chaotic.
A force struggling to obey him… and failing.
The air quivered.
Something within Ren stirred — dark and cold, craving form.
Shadows around him stretched unnaturally.
A whisper brushed against his ear.
Break it.
Ren stepped back, his heart racing.
"What… what was that?"
Silence greeted him.
Yet the shadow behind him pulsed with a heartbeat.
It wasn't a demon,
Not corruption,
Not possession.
It was power — raw, formless, desperate to align with his will.
He steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and whispered back:
"I'm not afraid."
The shadow quivered.
Good.
THE OMEN OVER ASTREN
That evening, as dusk settled over the village, the sky turned dark.
Too quickly.
Too abruptly.
Villagers emerged outside, bewildered.
The sun dimmed — not from clouds or storms, but by a ring of darkness appearing at its edge.
An incomplete eclipse.
Children wailed.
Adults murmured.
Priest Helion collapsed in trembling fear.
"It begins again…" he gasped.
Lyra gripped Stellan's arm.
Ren gazed upward, breathless, fire igniting in his eyes.
Stellan sensed something deeper:
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
As if the eclipse was not shading the sun…
…but revealing an eye.
A cosmic force stirred behind the fabric of reality — ancient and patient.
Watching.
Measuring.
Waiting.
Far Beyond Reality
In the distant realm beyond galaxies and light, two figures perceived the omen clearly.
Sylvion.
Kael.
Both looked down upon the mortal realm.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Sylvion… it is beginning. Their echoes are awakening swiftly."
Sylvion nodded, his expression inscrutable.