The blade cut through the air, each swing drawing black arcs across the training room. Shadows followed its edge, swirling like smoke held in place.
She kept moving. Strike after strike. Not to learn. Not to grow. but to forget.
Sweat clung to her skin. Her black hair stuck to her cheeks. The tight workout top and leggings she wore were torn in places, marked by long hours of training. Her body was slim, built like a dancer, but there was strength in her arms and steel in the way she moved.
Her eyes, dark and beautiful, caught her reflection in a shard of glass stuck in the wall.
Something stared back at her.
Grief.
Rage.
Madness.
"Shut up"
Her voice broke, but her grip didn't. She stepped forward, breathing hard, blade hanging at her side.
"I won't do it. I'd rather die."
She reached up, clenching a fistful of her hair, holding it like it was the only thing that kept her grounded.
Then, with a growl, she turned the blade inward, pressing the tip against her own chest.
One thrust. That's all it would take.
But her hand froze.
The metal kissed skin. Nothing more.
Seconds passed.
Then the blade clattered to the ground, ringing out sharp and final sound.
Her head snapped toward the door.
She felt it before it opened. She felt a familiar presence, warm and alive.
The panel of the door slid aside.
"Mom! Mom, I finally got it!"
A boy rushed in. lean, black-haired, no older than twelve. His eyes were wide, and a tablet shook in his hands as he held it tight. A plain gray shirt clung to his frame, tucked into dark pants that looked freshly pressed. He wore no shoes, his bare feet quick against the cold floor. Someone had combed his hair that morning, but now it fell into his face, wild from the run. He didn't stop to fix it.
The woman blinked. Something in her shattered expression softened. Her lips curled into a smile that looked too pure for a face like hers.
"Ashley… I told you not to come in when I'm training."
"I know."
He said, out of breath.
"But I had to. It's important!"
He stopped. Eyes scanned the cracked walls, the scattered cuts carved into stone. Then the sword was on the floor.
"Mom… are you okay?"
He stepped closer, gently reaching up to touch her hand.
"I'm okay, Ash."
She was brushing his hair back.
Her gaze dropped to the tablet.
"So, what's this big news?"
She arched a brow.
"Don't tell me you got a girlfriend online."
"What? No!"
Ash flushed, then thrust the screen toward her.
She looked. Read. Then her eyes widened.
"Three Soulcore?!"
Ash crossed his arms, chin lifting in pride.
"I made it all the way to Tier 5! And get this, I've got three Soulcores. The man at the test said that's like, super rare or something. I think I'm a hybrid. Like you but with three Soulcores. "
The woman kept staring at the screen. Her eyes tracked each line until they stopped on a single word.
Her expression shifted.
"Dark Soulcore…"
Ash's grin widened. He practically bounced on his heels.
"Cool, right? Like you. And also lightning. And Fire soulcore like dad."
He looked up, expecting her to cheer, laugh, and maybe pull him into a hug like she used to.
But her face had gone quiet. too quiet.
The smile was gone. Something else had taken its place.
"Mom?"
He stepped closer.
"You okay?"
She blinked, as if waking from a dream.
"Yeah… I'm alright."
Her voice didn't sound sure.
"Just reminded me of something."
Ash frowned. His hand hovered near hers. But she smiled again, softer this time, more for him than herself.
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, have you heard the voice yet? Have you entered your soul space?"
Ash's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! It sounded all mysterious and echoey, like Max said it would. And my soul space is weird. I mean... it's just dark. Too dark. And my reflection just keep staring back at me."
He paused, fidgeting with the edge of his shirt. His voice dropped as if the weight of the words pulled them down.
"Mom, what are Soulroots? The voice in there talked about it. It said some scary stuff... about losing everyone I love."
His mother turned to him. Her breath left slow as she watched his face.
"The Soulroot is frightening, yes. It shows the path you can't avoid. It tells the truth of your end. Of what you're meant to become, no matter what you want."
She saw the fear growing in his eyes and pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his thin shoulders.
"But don't carry that fear alone. A Soulroot can cross with others. Until one reaches its end, nothing is set. Members of our family carries a bright Soulroot. Yours is tied to it. So until that time comes, we're safe."
Ash leaned back, just enough to meet her eyes.
"I get that the Soulroot comes from the Soulcore. But, Mom... where do Soulcores come from? Did the gods just, like, drop them into people one day? Or are they born inside, like bones?"
She didn't answer at first.
Her gaze drifted to the ceiling, to the cracks and shadows above.
Then slowly, she spoke.
"Honestly… I don't know either."
She looked down, meeting his eyes.
"But I do know a story."
Ash dropped to the floor with a soft thump, crossing his legs like a student waiting for storytime.
His mother raised a brow.
"Mm ash?. What are you doing?"
"You're about to tell a story."
He patted the floor beside him.
"So I'm getting ready."
She shook her head, but the corner of her mouth tugged upward.
"Fine."
She sat across from him, resting her hands on her knees.
For a moment, she didn't speak. Her gaze drifted to the boy in front of her. Ash was smiling again. genuinely, like the world hadn't touched him yet. It was the kind of smile that could melt even the hardest heart.
She smiled back.
"I don't know everything. But when I was your age, my uncle told me a story. I remember the way his voice sounded when he spoke. Like he believed every word."
She let out a breath, then began.
"Before there were kingdoms. Before words. Before even time knew its name… the gods came down.
They found a wild world. A place filled with monstrous beasts with power that twisted the sky and shook the ground. They weren't evil. Just untamed. Chaos with claws.
But the gods saw something more.
They didn't create us, not really. They shaped us. Took the strongest of those creatures and broke them apart. Piece by piece. Until only will remained.
And that will… became humans.
To guide us, they left behind seven forces. Fire. Water. Air. Earth. Lightning. Light. And Dark. The roots of everything."
She looked at Ash. Her hand moved to brush his hair back.
"But not all creatures wanted to change. Some fought back. They hated what the gods did. Hated what we became.
The sky burned. The land split. And war broke the world.
The gods didn't want to destroy what they made. So they made a choice. One final choice.
They tore the world in two.
One half became a prison. Covered in mist and shadow. That's where they locked away the rebels. Creatures too wild to change. The other half became ours. The world we live in now.
And between them, the gods left a wall. A fog that never moves. Never fades. That fog became the gate. The line between then and now. Between us… and them."
Ash leaned forward. His voice was low, like he didn't want to break something.
"The Fog Wall... the gods made it?"
His mother nodded.
"That's what I was told."
Her gaze wandered to the window, where the sky was darkening.
"No one knows what's inside the fog now. Some think the creatures are still there. That they're waiting. Others believe the gods wiped them all out long ago."
Ash's brows pinched.
"Then… what happened to the gods? Why don't we see them now?"
His mother's face changed. Something unreadable passed through her eyes.
"No one knows. My uncle used to say they vanished. Just like that. One day they were here. The next, gone."
Her voice fell.
"But I believe they're not all gone. At least… one of them is still alive."
Ash felt the shift in her tone. He tilted his head.
"So… what happened to the humans? After the gods left. How did we get to now?"
She looked at him for a moment, like she was making sure he was ready to hear it.
"You'll understand soon. Now that your Soulcores have awakened, the truth will start showing itself. Bit by bit."
Ash waited. His hands were still.
"When the gods disappeared, humans were left on their own. We built cities. Kingdoms. For a while, life was good. But not forever.
Light and Darkness couldn't get along. They fought. And their war broke everything. Fires swept through the land. Oceans rose and flooded the shores. The sky cracked open. Even the elements changed.
Water became Ice. Not just cold… empty. Like it forgot what it used to be.
When the fighting stopped, only four elements were left.
Fire. Ice. Earth. Wind.
The others were lost. And some of the people who could use them… vanished too.
But the ones who remained became something stronger. Four great families were born from the war:
The Burns, The Frosts, The Terras and The Gales
This families built the world we have now. And that's the world you're going to grow up in."
Ash opened his mouth to ask another question, but the soft hiss of the door cut him off.
Kael burst in, cheeks flushed, eyes gleaming.
"Ash! Dad's back!"
Ash turned, torn between curiosity and joy.
"Mom's telling me something cool. Can you tell Dad I'll come in a bit?"
His mother ran a hand through his hair, her touch gentle.
"Go with him. You know how your father gets. He'll want to see you."
Ash grinned.
"Yeah… you're right."
He stood and dashed after Kael. Their footsteps echoed down the hall, laughter chasing behind them.
Left alone, the woman rose slowly.
She walked to the blade still lying where it had fallen.
Her fingers closed around the hilt. For a moment, she stared at the sharp edge that had nearly ended everything.
"What was I thinking…?"
She slid the blade back into its sheath, the click soft but final.
"I can't. Not when I have them."
With the blade on her back, she turned to the door and walked out.
————
Two Years passed.
Rain soaked the stone.
A crowd stood in silence, heads bowed, eyes dark. No one spoke. Even the wind held its breath.
The grave sat beneath a tree that had long since withered. Carved into the worn surface were words that did not seem real:
Here Lies
Lyra Flynn Burns
Mother. Wife. Friend. Master. Hero.
Ash stood at the front, barely breathing.
He didn't blink. He didn't move. The world around him blurred. just shapes and murmurs. None of it mattered.
One by one, the people began to leave. Boots scraped over wet gravel. Cloaks fluttered. The grave was left behind, and with it, the boy who couldn't walk away.
Only Ash remained.
Only him… and the stone.
Rain poured harder.
His hands curled into fists at his side. His jaw trembled.
"I swear. I won't let this happen again."
He dropped to his knees.
"I don't care what those damn soulroots says. I'll train harder. I'll become strong enough to protect them. Max. Keal. Dad. All of them."
His voice cracked. His breath caught.
"And I'll kill every last one of those monsters that took you from us."
Tears mixed with rain trailed down his cheeks. At first, they were hard to notice. But his soft sobs gave them away.
He folded forward, pressing his forehead to the grave.
The storm above raged on. But beneath it, a boy cried alone. for a promise, for the past, and for a future he had no choice but to claim.