POV: Kael Darkflame (Age: 5)Location: Garron's Forge, Gravedge
It had been three days since Kael killed the direhound.
The wound on his arm was healing slowly — no infection, thanks to Garron's brewing of monster-salve — but the deeper wound, the shift inside, had not gone quiet.
He could feel it now: a second heartbeat. A pulse that didn't always match his own.
It came at night. When he was alone. When the locket shimmered faintly against his chest.
"I bled for the first time," he whispered, alone at the forge. "And something inside me smiled."
He wasn't afraid.
He was changing.
System Interface — Kael Darkflame
Age: 5Class: None (Pre-Awakening)Weapon Affinity (Developing): Scythe – 0.3% | Improvised – 6.2%Affinity Seeds:‣ Shadow (Weak) – Absorbed from Grayfang Direhound
⚔️ Trait: Instinctive Adaptation I — Active⚠ Bloodline Status: Dormant (Activity Spike Recorded)⚠ System Notification: Awakening Threshold Inching (0.5%)
Current Growth XP: 114 / 1000
__________________________________________________________
POV: Garron Ironclaw
"You're not getting a sword."
Kael blinked up at him. "Why not?"
"You're not ready for one." Garron turned, pulling a cloth off a bundle of curved metal from the forge table. "You're getting something more… you."
Kael stared at the item.
It was a training scythe — shortened pole, dulled edge, reinforced spine. Too light to kill. But sharp enough to teach.
His fingers tingled as he reached for it.
And the moment he touched the hilt — the system lit up.
Weapon Recognition — Scythe (Training Variant)
⚔️ Weapon Compatibility: 3.8%⚔️ System Trait Unlocked: Weapon Instinct I
Grants subtle pre-emptive read on enemy motion when wielding favored weapon class.
Garron's eye twitched. "It spiked, didn't it?"
Kael nodded.
"You're too young to specialize," Garron muttered, "but that scythe chose you the way the forge chose me."
He clapped his stone-arm onto Kael's shoulder. "Let's start your real training then. Movement. Positioning. Form before flair."
Kael smiled, just slightly.
Training Objective [Active]:
‣ Basic Scythe Form I – 0%‣ Movement Flow – 0%‣ Killing Intent Control – 0%
Rewards: +Skill XP, +Discipline, +Affinity Resonance
______________________________________________________________
POV: Selene Frost (In the Trees)
She watched him swing the scythe clumsily for hours.
At first, it was awkward. Wild. Wrong.
But within minutes… he corrected. No teacher spoke to him. Garron only barked once.
He adjusted like a mirror of battle.
Selene's interest deepened.
System Notification – Selene Frost
Affection Marker: +1 (Curiosity)Observation Counter (Kael): 17Current Status: Hidden
Optional Prompt: Approach — [Y/N]
Selene chose: Not yet.
_________________________________________________________________________-
POV: Lyra (Age: 5 — Celestial Realm)
Meanwhile, far above, in the highest realm's mirrored gardens…
Lyra sat beneath a vine of starblooms, sketching the same red-eyed boy she always saw in dreams.
The priestess behind her frowned. "That's not a vision we gave you."
Lyra turned. "He's real."
"Don't speak of false dreams."
Lyra didn't reply. But inside her locket, the celestial glyph cracked — ever so slightly.
System Fragment — Lyra Darkflame
Soul Sync Detected — Distance: VastMatch Rate: 23%Bloodline Integrity: Stable (Flickering)
Passive Trait Evolution: Balanced Singularity II‣ Alignment Fluctuation: Light ↔ Shadow (Still Inert)
___________________________________________________________
POV: High Realm — Celestial Archive
A ripple passed through the Divine Scriptorium. Elder scribes gasped as glowing quills cracked mid-flight.
The central mirror, used to monitor fate-lines, blinked with a flash of black.
"Who touched the Reaper Thread?" a voice thundered.
No answer came.
Only a warning.
System Alert — Archive Level Access
A Tier-0 Entity has initiated Bloodline Surge – Forbidden Branch DetectedOrigin: UnknownRealm: SuppressedThread State: Dormant Waking
The celestial archivist paled.
"We thought we ended the Dark Flame."
"No," whispered the elder. "We only delayed it."
_____________________________________________________________
POV: Kael (Later That Night)
He practiced until his hands bled.
Garron had already gone to sleep, grumbling about "damn freakish kids."
Kael stood alone under the pale moon, holding the scythe across his shoulders.
He stared into the shadow his body cast on the stone wall.
It was taller than it should've been. More twisted.
And for a moment… it smiled back.
End of Chapter 7