Three winters later…
The elders spoke of the Drifts as death incarnate. A place where the Veil of the Living thinned—where even gods whispered with frostbitten tongues.
So when a boy walked out, barefoot and glowing, the villagers screamed.
He didn't look like the Hollowborn.
He looked like something that wore his skin.
Kael Veyrin was seven years old.His black hair now shimmered faintly with streaks of silver.His eyes had no whites—just rings of eclipse spinning slowly.
And on his wrist, the sigil of exile burned, but didn't fade.
He walked into the center of the village square. Calm. Silent.A strange breeze followed him—cold, but not natural. It smelled like forgotten metal and starlight.
A guard tried to grab him.The moment fingers touched Kael's shoulder…
"Echo of False Judgment: Shatter."
The man exploded—not in blood, but in cracked light, like a statue struck with divine force.Not dead. Gone.
The others ran. One elder collapsed, sobbing.
That night, the sky above Kaelstrem Hollow tore open.
Not literally. But close.A spiral of violet energy surged from Kael's body, creating a Symbol in the clouds:
A vertical eye surrounded by seven broken crowns.
It was seen for miles.
Scholars called it an omen.Mages called it a forbidden awakening.And the Church of the Pure Flame?They called it "the return of the Hollow Star."
🌀 Interlude: Within Kael
Inside his mind, Kael drifted in a strange space—a memory, maybe. Or a link.
"You used my Voice."
The voice was Nullren—the chained god. But something felt…off. Closer.
"You shouldn't have been able to."
Kael stood in the darkness, staring at his own reflection… except the reflection grinned.
It wore the same face. But the smile was wrong. Too wide. Too empty.
"We're not the same anymore," Kael whispered.
"No." the reflection replied, voice layered with echoing static. "You survived the Drifts. But something else came back with you."
"And it's still hungry."
Kael opened his eyes in the real world, gasping. The mark on his chest pulsed—no longer spinning. Now, it breathed.
⚙️ New Mechanic Revealed: Veyra
The world's energy isn't called mana, aether, or life force.
It's Veyra — the echo of intention left by the world's origin.Only those with Aspects can channel it. Kael's Aspect?Unknown.
But he can access Echo Commands—spoken intentions that reshape matter. They shouldn't be possible for anyone under age 12. Or without a Bond.
Kael has no known Bond.But the Echo of Nullren follows him.
💀 Ending Scene:
From the distant spires of Sanctum Auris, a high priest slams a scroll shut. Eyes trembling.
"The Hollow Star breathes again. Prepare the Inquisitors. Burn the Hollow. Find the boy."
Miles away, Kael stares at the stars.He doesn't sleep anymore.
He can feel them watching.
Not just the Church.Not just the gods.
But the others.The ones who wait beneath the world.And call him by names he doesn't yet understand.