*Prologue – The Birth of the Black Rain*
Long before the first stone of Kora was laid, the land of Aelrith bade farewell to the sun. The sky, once a canvas of cerulean, darkened to ink, and a torrent of black rain began to fall—cold, relentless, and alive.
The rain was not water. It was the blood of a dying world, a curse forged by the *First Keeper*, who coveted the power of the *Heart‑of‑Morrow*, a crystal of pure balance. In his hubris, he shattered the crystal, releasing a vortex of storm that devoured the ancient forests and turned rivers to ash.
From the wreckage rose the *Whispering Crown*, a twisted iron arch crowned with shards of the broken Heart. Its voice sang of dominion, promising rain that could bend nature to will. The Keeper, now a wraith bound to his own creation, was condemned to watch the storm he unleashed, forever yearning for redemption.
Centuries passed. The black rain fell, a constant reminder of mankind's folly. Villages rose and fell, their people learning to live beneath the perpetual gloom, praying for a savior who could reunite the shards and restore balance.
And then, on a night when the rain fell hardest, two strangers—*Zara*, with a leaf‑shaped scar, and *Kael*, bearing the rune of ancient blood—stepped onto the cracked stones of Aelrith. Their destiny, hidden in the whispers of the Crown, was to confront the Keeper, reclaim the Heart, and finally lay the storm to rest.
The sky cracked open once more, and the world held its breath, waiting for the moment the rain would cease and the sun would break through.