The night Ardyn's life changed forever began with silence.
A strange, suffocating silence that swallowed the entire village of Elaris. Even the crickets had stopped singing. The wind refused to move. The air felt… heavy.
Ardyn stood outside his small wooden house, staring at the dark sky. He had always felt different from the others—stronger, faster, sharper. But different was dangerous in a poor village like this. Different meant suspicion.
A sudden pain pierced his chest.
He dropped to his knees.
Something inside him was burning. Not like fire… but like a shadow trying to tear its way out.
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
"Ardyn… Heir of the Last Empire…"
His eyes widened.
Before he could react, the ground beneath him cracked. A black symbol burned onto his hand, glowing with dark crimson light.
And far beyond the mountains, in the ruins of a forgotten kingdom… ancient eyes opened.
"The bloodline has awakened."
To be continued…