Episode 4: "The Bonds We Build"
Kael had just turned ten.
Life in Eldenbrook had settled into a rhythm. Mornings began with chores, afternoons with forging or herb collecting, and evenings ended with laughter by the fire. Rurik taught him how to shape metal. Mira taught him how to listen—to people, to animals, to the land.
But this year brought something new: friends.
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The First Spark
It began when a traveling merchant visited Eldenbrook, bringing with him his daughter—Lyra, a sharp-tongued girl with pale silver hair and mismatched eyes: one green, one blue. She was the same age as Kael, but louder, bolder, and always two steps ahead.
The first time they met, she slapped his arm and said, "You look like a scared squirrel."
Kael blinked. "…Thanks?"
They didn't get along at first. But when Kael helped her rescue a lamb stuck in a fence, something shifted.
By the end of the week, they were inseparable.
Together, they built tree forts, played elemental guessing games, and occasionally snuck bread from Mira's kitchen. Lyra didn't know Kael's secret—and he didn't plan on telling her.
But sometimes, he saw something strange in her too.
Once, she touched a frozen stream—and it melted instantly.
Another time, her hands glowed faint blue in the dark.
They never talked about it. Not yet.
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Village Trouble
At eleven, Kael met Tomas, the village headman's son—a prideful boy who hated losing and hated Kael's quiet confidence even more.
"Why don't you ever try at anything?" Tomas sneered one day during training. "Afraid to lose?"
Kael smiled politely. "Maybe I just don't care."
That only made it worse.
Tomas challenged him constantly—at games, races, even fishing.
Kael always let him win. Always.
Until one day, Lyra whispered, "Why do you let him treat you like that?"
Kael paused.
"…Because if I don't," he said softly, "I might hurt him."
Lyra stared at him for a long time. Then nodded.
She never asked again.
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The Fire in the Sky
One summer night, a meteor shower lit up the heavens. The entire village gathered on the hill to watch.
Kael sat beside Rurik and Mira, Lyra on his other side.
As the sky burned with streaks of light, Kael whispered, "Do you ever feel like… you're meant for something far away?"
Mira smiled and brushed his hair back. "Wherever you're meant to be, it'll find you."
Rurik grunted. "Just don't forget where you started."
Kael nodded.
But deep inside, his heart stirred. The stars called to something ancient in him. A flicker of memory—long forgotten—tugged at his chest.
Something was coming.
But he still had time.
Time to grow.
Time to love.
Time to hide.
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End of Episode 4.