Kael and his mother walked through the quiet streets of the capital, the day's exhaustion settling deep in their bones. The marketplace had been unusually busy, and by the time they closed the kiosk, the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cobblestone roads.
Their home was a modest one-story building, built by Kael's father before he married Lira. It wasn't grand, but it was sturdy, a place filled with memories. As they approached the door, Lira placed a gentle hand on Kael's shoulder.
"You did well today," she said, offering a tired smile. "You're growing up too fast."
Kael gave her a small nod, but his mind was elsewhere. The Arcana Core inside him hummed softly, a constant presence he could neither ignore nor fully understand. His curiosity gnawed at him, refusing to let him rest.
"I'm going upstairs for a bit," he said as they stepped inside.
Lira raised an eyebrow. "Don't stay up too late. Dinner will be ready soon."
Kael barely acknowledged her as he made his way to his room. The moment he closed the door behind him, he went straight to his desk, grabbing the books he had gathered earlier.
---
Flipping through the pages, Kael noticed something peculiar—most of the books focused on Arcana Crystals rather than Arcana Cores.
Arcana Crystals were widely known and studied. They acted as storage units for Acarna energy, often used to power technology. However, they were dangerous to humans—absorbing the energy directly led to severe injuries, sometimes even death.
Arcana Cores, on the other hand, were barely mentioned. The few references described them as ancient artifacts of immense power, their nature still a mystery. Most scholars dismissed them as myths.
Kael frowned. Then why do I have one inside me?
He ran a hand over his chest, feeling the faint warmth beneath his skin. The Arcana Core wasn't just stored inside him—it had fused with him. Unlike the Arcana Crystals, which were harmful when absorbed, the Core had changed him. Strengthened him.
Why?
His thoughts grew heavier, his eyelids drooping as exhaustion finally caught up to him. He hadn't realized how much energy he had spent today—not just in the market, but in suppressing the overwhelming power within him.
The words on the page blurred together. His head dipped forward. Sleep claimed him before he could resist.
---
Lira finished preparing dinner, setting the table for two. When Kael didn't come downstairs, she sighed and wiped her hands on her apron.
"Kael, dinner is ready!" she called.
No response.
Frowning, she made her way to his room and pushed the door open. "Kael?"
She stopped in her tracks.
Kael was slumped over his desk, his face resting on an open book. For a moment, she smiled—he had always been a stubborn boy, chasing answers long after the world had gone to sleep. But then… she felt it.
An unusual energy.
Her breath hitched as her gaze landed on his back.
A faint glow pulsed beneath his shirt, rhythmic and alive. She took a cautious step forward, drawn by curiosity and something deeper—something instinctual.
Lira hesitated before reaching out, pressing a gentle hand against his back.
The moment she made contact, a surge of fierce energy lashed out, shoving her hand away as if rejecting her touch. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she stumbled back.
She clutched her chest, her heart hammering. It wasn't just powerful—it was raw, untamed.
And then, as if the word had been pulled from the depths of her memory, she whispered it aloud.
"Deviant."
The room fell into silence.
She stood frozen, staring at her son, who was still fast asleep, unaware of what had just happened.
Swallowing her fear, she stepped forward again, this time with a mother's resolve. She pulled a blanket from Kael's bed and draped it over his shoulders, smoothing his hair back as he slept.
"You'll be all right," she whispered, more to herself than to him.
Then, with one last glance at the faint glow beneath his shirt, she quietly left the room and shut the door behind her.
---
Lira descended the stairs, her mind still reeling. She couldn't deny what she had felt—Kael's energy was beyond anything she had ever encountered. Was it because of the Arcana Core? Was her son truly a Deviant?
Pushing those thoughts aside, she wrapped Kael's meal, setting it aside for the morning. Just as she turned to clean up, a sound made her pause.
Footsteps.
Faint, almost imperceptible, but distinct.
Her heart clenched. She moved toward the window, extinguishing the torches around the house as quickly as possible. The shadows deepened, giving her cover as she peered outside.
Three figures.
Masked. Lurking in the darkness.
Lira's pulse quickened, but she remained composed. These weren't simple thieves. Their movements were too calculated, their presence too deliberate.
Her son was upstairs, sleeping. She couldn't let them get to him.
With quiet precision, she moved to the door. Gently, she pulled it open and stepped into the center of their courtyard. The night air was crisp, the silence heavy.
She exhaled slowly. "There's no need to hide," she called out. "Come out."
The masked figures hesitated before stepping into the dim moonlight. They were clad in black, their faces obscured, daggers glinting in their hands.
Lira's eyes narrowed. "Who sent you?"
No answer. Only cold, patient stares.
She took a single step forward. "Leave now."
Before she could finish, they lunged.
Faster than most could react—but not faster than her.
The air around Lira shifted. A freezing mist curled from her body, spiraling outward. The assassins barely had time to register the sudden drop in temperature before the ground beneath them erupted.
Spikes of ice rushed from beneath them.
Two of them were impaled instantly—one through the skull, the other through the chest. They died before they could even scream.
The third assassin wasn't as lucky. The ice spears punctured his limbs, pinning him in place. He gasped in pain, his dagger falling from his grasp.
Lira approached slowly, her expression unreadable, her breath misting in the cold air. She knelt beside him, her voice like frost.
"Who sent you?"
The assassin coughed, muttering something she couldn't hear.
"Speak up."
He lifted his head slightly, lips curling into a defiant smirk. And then, in a clearer voice, he spat out his final words.
"Fuck you."
Lira's eyes darkened.
Sharp cracks echoed in the night as countless ice spears erupted, impaling his body over and over.
The courtyard fell silent once more.
Lira stood there for a moment, her breath steady despite the carnage before her. Then, with a final glance at the bodies, she turned and walked back inside, shutting the door behind her.
Kael slept soundly upstairs, unaware that death had come for him in the night—
And that his mother had sent it away.