The night in Kael's small room was quiet, but for him, silence never meant peace. The ache in his head had returned, dull at first, then sharp, like tiny hammers striking behind his eyes. It had been getting worse year by year, and he was beginning to wonder if it would ever stop.
He pulled his thin blanket tighter, hoping it would dull the pain. But as soon as he closed his eyes, the dreams came.
He was no longer in his small, humble room. The world around him stretched into endless black voids, dotted with shattered stars and burning skies. The air felt heavy, almost alive, pressing against him. In the distance, a shadow moved—a colossal figure, impossibly vast, its form too vague to understand but radiating a terrifying presence.
Kael's heart pounded. "Who… who are you?" he whispered into the void.
No reply came. Only the echo of the stars collapsing, mountains crumbling, and a voice deep in his mind, almost like a vibration through his chest:
"Rise… the world waits…"
He woke up with a gasp, sheets drenched in sweat. For a moment, he couldn't even tell if it had been a dream or a glimpse of something else, something real. The familiar quiet of his room did little to calm him.
The next morning, Kael trudged to school, still shaken. The ache in his head lingered, subtle but relentless. He tried to ignore it, but every glance at his classmates reminded him how powerless he truly was. Fire sparked in one boy's hands as he practiced spells in the courtyard. A girl hovered just above the ground, summoning wind with a flick of her hand. Another boy's shadow stretched across the square like a living creature.
And Kael? Nothing.
"You look like a ghost," a boy sneered as Kael passed, shoving him lightly. Others laughed. "Still waiting for your spark to show up?"
Kael lowered his gaze. He wanted to reply, to fight back, but what could he do? His fists were empty, his aura weak, his soul… ordinary. He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and kept walking.
A soft hand rested on his shoulder. Lyra. She always found him, always stayed, always believed in him even when he could not believe in himself.
"Don't listen to them," she said quietly. "You're not useless, Kael. Not now, not ever."
He wanted to believe her. He really did. But seeing the sparks, the shadows, the wings, the control that everyone else had… it was impossible not to feel inferior.
During class, the students practiced channeling energy into small, controlled bursts. Kael sat in the back, watching. A tiny flame flickered in one girl's hands, and he felt a pang of longing. Why couldn't he do that? Why was he left behind when the world was made for those who could shine?
At lunchtime, Lyra slipped him a piece of fruit she had saved. "Here," she whispered. "Eat. You need strength if you're going to grow."
He smiled faintly, taking the fruit. "Thanks… Lyra."
Her presence comforted him, but it could not erase the gnawing emptiness inside him. And as he ate, he felt that familiar pressure in his head, sharper than before, like a signal that something inside him was trying to push outward.
That night, the dreams returned. This time, the shadow was closer, its vastness filling the void. Kael's legs shook as he stared at it, unable to move. A low, resonant growl vibrated through the blackness, and the voice whispered again:
"Rise, child of Origin… the world waits long enough."
Kael jolted awake. The air in his small room felt charged, alive, but he could see nothing. His heart pounded in his chest, and the familiar dull ache behind his eyes lingered. What did it mean? Who was this shadow? And why did it call him "child of Origin"?
He sat on the edge of his bed, fingers gripping the sheets. He didn't have an answer. He had no power, no spark, no clue what he was. And yet, somewhere deep inside, he felt… watched. Something enormous, something ancient, something alive. Waiting.
As always, Lyra was there the next morning, standing outside his door. "You look tired," she said softly. "Again?"
Kael forced a small smile. "Yeah… just a bad dream."
She studied him for a moment, her dark eyes sharp and piercing. "Kael… there's something inside you. I don't know what it is yet, but it's not nothing. And one day, you'll understand it yourself."
He wanted to ask her what she meant, but the words caught in his throat. He wasn't ready. Not yet. But a seed had been planted. Something deep within him stirred, and the world he had always known—the world where he was powerless—was about to change.
For the first time, Kael felt a flicker of hope, fragile but undeniable. And somewhere in the shadows, something ancient and vast began to stir as well.
The boy who couldn't shine… was beginning to awaken.