The crunch of rough leather boots on grimy gravel was Kael's only warning. He held his breath, pressing deeper into the narrow gap between two rusted trash bins, the putrid smell making his stomach churn. His heart hammered like a war drum, not from the stench, but from the mocking laughter and vile insults drawing closer.
"Where's that brat Kael? Hiding somewhere, you piece of trash?"
Radek's voice, the gang leader of the slums, rasped with cruel delight. He always relished tormenting the weak, and Kael was his favorite prey. Why? Because Kael was a cripple. A bearer of a "Defective Core."
In this world of Arcania, everyone possessed a Source Core – the conduit of energy within their bodies, shaping their destiny. There were cores for Magic, Spirit Force, Physical Might... all sorts. But not Kael. His Core was a chaotic mess, unable to absorb or refine energy, as useless as a broken flask. Kael couldn't cultivate, couldn't grow stronger. He was the shame of this slum, nothing more than a burden.
"That kid ran away again? Scared as a mouse!" Another thug guffawed. "Does he think hiding will save him from us? What do you guys think we should 'teach' him this time?"
Kael clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to scream, to fight back, but how? What could a weakling like him do? Every attempt at resistance only led to more brutal beatings. He was all too familiar with the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and the endless bruises covering his body.
The footsteps stopped right beside Kael's hiding spot. A dark shadow fell over him, blocking out the meager light. Radek, a malicious smirk twisting his lips, reached in and yanked Kael out like a discarded puppet.
"Coward! Did you think you could hide forever?" Radek threw a punch straight at Kael's face. He stumbled, the salty taste of blood filling his mouth.
"Let's see how much your Defective Core can take!" Another thug kicked Kael in the stomach. He collapsed, trying to curl into a ball to protect his vital organs.
Blows rained down, relentless. Pain, humiliation, and utter despair engulfed Kael. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could just disappear. If only he could possess even a sliver of power to retaliate, to defend himself.
"Enough! Let him taste 'zero gravity'!" Radek commanded.
Kael felt a strong grip on his collar, lifting him clear off the ground. He opened his eyes, seeing the gleeful malice in Radek's and his cronies' gazes. He was dragged through the dark alleys of the slum, towards the city's edge – where a sheer cliff face loomed.
It was the Bloodshadow Abyss, a colossal chasm that separated the city from the wildlands beyond. From above, the chasm plunged endlessly, its bottom out of sight, only jagged rocks and sparse, struggling vegetation clinging desperately to its sides. Many had been pushed down there, or had jumped themselves, unable to bear their lives any longer.
"You like to hide, huh? Well, I'll give you a real place to hide!" Radek sneered, grabbing Kael by both shoulders. "Goodbye, cripple!"
He mustered all his strength and shoved Kael away.
Kael felt his body lose balance in mid-air. Wind shrieked past his ears, and an icy chill suddenly enveloped him. He was falling... falling uncontrollably. The jagged rocks below looked like massive fangs awaiting him. A terrifying dread consumed him. Was this the end? Would he die as a cripple, leaving no trace in this world?
Suddenly, his body slammed into something. Not rock, but a flat, slick surface. Kael stumbled, scrambling to find purchase. He had fallen into a secret crevice on the cliff face, a small cave hidden from view!
He tumbled onto the dark cave floor, hitting a hard object with a dull thud. Pain radiated through his body, but he was alive! Kael gasped, trying to adjust his vision in the gloom.
The cave was narrow, damp, and smelled of earth mixed with rusted metal. He tried to push himself up, but his leg caught on something. Kael reached out, touching the object. It was cold, rough, and strangely shaped. He fumbled, tracing its surface. It was a cylindrical object, not too large, covered in strange, faded symbols and patterns.
In a moment of unconscious curiosity, Kael placed his palm on the object's surface.
And then...
A colossal, ancient surge of energy, like a sudden tidal wave, crashed into his body! It wasn't Magic, not Spirit Force, not Physical Might that he knew. It was something far more primordial, more powerful, as if it were the source of everything. It coursed through every muscle, every vein, obliterating his Defective Core like a withered leaf. The pain was excruciating, but with it came an intense, unprecedented feeling of awakening.
Kael screamed, but then the sound choked in his throat as a blinding light erupted from the object, engulfing everything. He felt his consciousness fade, his body becoming light as a feather, drifting in the cosmos.
Before completely sinking into darkness, an image flashed in Kael's mind: an unimaginable world, structures beyond comprehension, and a single word echoing like thunder: PRIMORDIAL ENERGY.