Chapter 2: Awakening of the Trees
The boy named Riven Althaeus stood beneath the blooming crystal trees of his family's private courtyard.
They shimmered in hues of violet and gold, soaking in the ambient spiritual essence of the world. At just ten years old, he stood still, eyes closed, feeling something beneath the surface of his flesh—a gentle hum, a pull.
No one else could sense it.
But he could.
He saw it every time he dreamed—five glowing trees, each rooted in a sea of stars, their branches touching the heavens. And each time, he'd hear a whisper:
"Grow with us. Rise with us. Become one."
Riven's family estate in Skyfire City was enormous, surrounded by high formation walls carved with runes, floating towers, and elemental gardens. Only elite families lived here—those with power, wealth, and ancient bloodlines. The Althaeus family stood at the top.
He should have been a genius.
But his test results at birth had branded him Spirit Rank Zero.
An insult. A waste. A disappointment.
His mother, Caelira, had said nothing the day of the test.
She had simply turned and walked away.
His father had smiled kindly and whispered, "Sometimes, the best roots grow in stone."
His brothers, Kael and Thorne, trained hard, achieving Gold Core Foundation before they were even fifteen. Riven was six years behind and had awakened nothing.
But still, every night, the trees called to him.
Today was the Family Awakening Ceremony, held once every year. Children from the Althaeus bloodline would gather at the Spirit Well and attempt to awaken their inner root and spiritual affinity.
Riven stood among dozens of cousins and relatives, all dressed in ceremonial robes—crimson with golden flame trims, the symbol of Skyfire Domain.
Most whispered about him. Others sneered.
"There's the dud."
"I heard Lady Caelira almost disowned him."
"Probably adopted."
He said nothing. He didn't need to. His time would come.
The Family Elder, a stooped man with long gray hair and eyes like molten silver, stood before the group. "Children of Althaeus, step forth. Place your hand upon the Spirit Flame Stone. Let your path reveal itself."
One by one, his cousins stepped forward.
Blue Light. Water affinity.
Red Light. Fire affinity.
Green Light. Earth.
Some received dual affinities. One girl even sparked a Lightning Flame, rare and praised by all.
Then it was Riven's turn.
The courtyard fell silent.
He walked up slowly. Calm. Focused.
He placed his hand upon the Spirit Flame Stone.
Nothing happened.
Not for one second.
Not for two.
People began to laugh.
And then—
The stone cracked.
A deep hum echoed from beneath the earth. The sky darkened, and light erupted from the stone, not in one color, but five.
Crimson. Azure. Verdant. White. Gold.
The five elements swirled around Riven like a storm, lifting him into the air as his eyes glowed with ancient power.
The formation beneath the stone shattered completely, and from his back appeared a phantom image—five glowing trees, each stretching upward into the clouds, their roots spiraling around his body like a cocoon.
Elder Myros stepped back in horror.
"That's… That's not possible…"
From afar, his grandfather, High Patriarch Vhalor, who had been meditating in seclusion for months, opened his eyes and said just one word:
"Legacy."
The ceremony was stopped. The children were dismissed.
Riven sat alone inside the inner chamber now, surrounded by runemasters and physicians trying to examine his body. All of them gave up.
They had never seen anything like it.
He had no standard spiritual root.
Instead, he had five elemental cores, interlocked in perfect harmony, each pulsing with untapped ancient energy.
The physicians called it "a divine anomaly."
The elders called it "a danger."
But one man smiled.
His father.
Lord Daren knelt beside him and said quietly, "Looks like you've inherited something old. Very old."
"Will Mother be angry?" Riven asked.
His father chuckled. "Your mother will train you twice as hard. You've already sealed your fate, boy. No turning back now."
That night, as Riven slept, he entered the dream realm again.
This time, the trees were not distant.
They stood before him—full, towering, and alive. Each one pulsed with energy, their elemental auras forming a perfect ring.
At their center stood a shadowy figure—a man cloaked in starlight.
"Who are you?" Riven asked.
"You are me," the figure replied, voice layered with eons. "And I am you. What you carry is the Legacy Core. I failed to use it. You must succeed."
"Why me?"
"Because you saw what lies beyond galaxies… and still chose to be reborn."
Riven trembled. "What do I have to do?"
The trees glowed in unison.
"Cultivate, grow, and survive. One day, the stars will need you again."
In the mortal world, Lady Caelira stood atop the training grounds, gazing at the stars.
She clenched her hands tightly.
"He has awakened," she whispered.
Lord Daren stepped beside her. "He'll need time."
"There isn't much," she replied coldly. "The higher realms are stirring. That awakening... didn't just alert our world."
"You think others felt it?"
"I know they did."
She turned to her husband with a rare look of fear.
"He may be our son, Daren—but now, the Origin World will call him its heir… or its enemy."