Ten years later.
The storm was long forgotten, but the boy it brought never truly left its shadow.
The Darnell family had grown — Jaren still worked the fields, Mira tended to the small garden and their newest child, Lina, a little girl with hair as bright as sunlight and a laugh that could calm even the hardest days.
And in the fields beyond the hill, two boys trained under the fading sun.
Apex — twelve years old, steady and sharp-eyed, his movements measured like the rhythm of the wind.
Alex — ten, smaller, faster, always one step ahead but rarely one step right.
Their wooden swords clashed again and again, echoing through the valley.
"Too slow, Alex!" Apex called, blocking another wild swing.
"I'm not slow, you're just boring!" Alex shot back, grinning.
The clash ended when Apex swept Alex's leg and pinned him down.
"See? You still leave your side open."
Alex huffed, staring up at the clouds. "One day, I'll beat you. Then I'll be the Emperor King."
Apex smirked. "You can try. Just don't cry when I win."
Their laughter carried down the hill, mixing with the sound of the river and the faint cries of their baby sister playing near their mother.
---
As the day dimmed, the boys sat beneath the old oak tree at the edge of the field.
"Hey, Apex," Alex said quietly, watching the horizon glow orange. "Do you ever think about… me? About where I came from?"
Apex didn't look away from the sunset. "You came from us."
Alex smiled faintly. "That's what Mother says."
"She's right," Apex replied, turning to face him. "You're my brother. That's all I need to know."
The younger boy nodded, but something in his eyes lingered — that quiet storm, buried deep, waiting.
---
That night, when the family slept, a faint light pulsed from beneath Alex's bed.
The same rune cloth that once brought him to Darnell shimmered softly.
Far beyond the valley, in the heart of the Empire, a crystal tower answered the call.
And while the world dreamed, two brothers — one born of storm, one born of soil — unknowingly took their first step on an infinite path.
---
End of Chapter 1