The morning was quiet. Too quiet.
The remnants of the battle still stained the village—ashes clung to the broken huts, the air thick with the scent of charred wood and lingering death. But beyond that, there was something heavier, something Kai could feel pressing against his chest.
Change.
He stood at the edge of his home, a worn satchel strapped across his shoulder. His feet felt rooted in place, despite everything—despite knowing that this was the moment he had longed for, fought for.
His mother was there, standing still, arms crossed against the morning chill. She had always seemed unshakable, as solid as the earth beneath them. But now, the lines on her face looked deeper, her frame more fragile.
"You leave today," she murmured, not meeting his eyes.
Kai swallowed, nodding.
She sighed, slow, heavy. "I should tell you to stay one last time," she said, her voice quieter now. "I should beg. But I won't."
He looked at her then, and there it was—the acceptance, the painful understanding that this was a path neither of them could fight anymore.
"You were right," she admitted, forcing a weak smile that never reached her tired eyes. "You don't belong here. You never did."
The words struck deeper than any wound Kai had suffered.
He took a step forward, searching for something to say, something that could ease the weight between them. But there were no words—only memories. The fights, the moments of warmth, the quiet understanding that, no matter how much he had struggled against it, this woman had loved him more than anything.
"I'll come back," he promised.
Her smile faded. "Maybe." She paused, then touched his face, fingertips brushing his cheek. "But not as the same boy."
Kai's throat tightened, but he refused to let it break him.
The sound of carriage wheels rolling through the dirt snapped him back to reality. His chest constricted.
This was it.
The final step.
His mother pulled away, folding her hands together. "Go, Kai," she whispered. "Find out who you're meant to be."
He inhaled deeply, holding the moment, branding it into his memory.
Then he turned.
The carriage stood waiting, the old driver barely sparing him a glance. Kai climbed in, settling onto the worn seat, gripping the strap of his satchel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
He looked back.
His mother stood where he had left her, watching, not moving.
She did not cry.
She did not wave.
She simply watched.
The carriage jolted forward, and the village began to shrink behind him, swallowed by the distance, by time, by the past.
Kai didn't look away.
Not until he could no longer see it.
Not until he could no longer see her.
And in that moment, he knew
He had truly left.
And he would never return the same.
****
The road stretched before Kai, dust swirling in lazy spirals as the carriage rolled forward, carrying him away from everything he had ever known. The village—the only home he had ever had—was nothing more than a fading memory behind him, swallowed by distance, by time.
He kept his gaze forward, even as the weight of his departure pressed against his chest.
The driver remained silent, his weathered hands gripping the reins, guiding the carriage with practiced ease. Kai had no idea where the man had come from, nor why he had arrived so conveniently after the destruction. But the Elementalist had vanished just as quickly, leaving behind cryptic words and a burning question in Kai's mind.
"This one was weak. There are worse things in the dark."
Worse things.
Kai clenched his fist, his wounds still aching, his mind replaying the battle—the carnage, the raw display of power, the fire that had swallowed the monster whole.
If that was weak, then what horrors awaited him beyond the village?
The thought unsettled him.
As the carriage lurched along the path, the trees grew taller, denser, swallowing the road with their shadows. The world outside his home felt strangely unfamiliar, yet thrilling.
He had dreamed of leaving, but now that it was real—now that his mother's final words echoed in his ears—he felt the weight of uncertainty pressing in.
What lay ahead?
What dangers lurked in the unknown?
And most importantly
Who was Kai meant to become?
He adjusted his grip on his bag, exhaling slowly, letting the tension settle in his bones.
Whatever awaited him, he would face it.
He had no choice.
He was leaving the past behind.
And he was stepping into the unknown.
The carriage rolled to a stop before the towering stone fortress, its spires stabbing into the storm-darkened sky like blades. Kai stepped down onto the cobbled path, his breath catching as he took in the sheer scale of the castle—the weight of history pressing down on him like an invisible force.
The great iron gates loomed ahead, engraved with ancient symbols that pulsed faintly in the flickering torchlight. Figures cloaked in midnight robes stood watch, their unreadable eyes fixed on the newcomers. The air was thick with tension, charged with something beyond mere anticipation. This was it. The place where destinies were forged, where the weak were cast aside and the strong rose to claim their power. The Awakening Test had begun.