At fifteen, Cael begun to dream of someone with a face like his,same eyes, likely same age. The boy would whispered words he could not understand, and vanished before he could speak. Night after night, Cael woke with the echo of those words in his mind, but he couldn't remember the words.
Cael woke in the dim light of the basement, heart racing. He had the dreamed again,
Selda lay beside him, chest rising and falling in deep a sleep. She had not stirred.
He pressed a hand on his chest, the echo of the dream still clinging to him, and wondered who the other him was an,nd why the world seemed to call through the darkness.
A voice called him.
Soft, distant, yet impossibly clear like the wind itself had found a shape. Cael… Cael…
He did not know who's voice was it,but the voice keep pulling him, and he followed the voice. His bare feet pressed against the cold stone floor as he moved, each step guided by an instinct older than the basement, older than the palace itself.
The wall in front of him moved, almost slightly , as if the stone itself breathed. Without thinking, and knowing how, Cael placed a hand against it. A hum rose beneath his palm, low at first, then climbing into a resonance that vibrated through his bones. The mark on his back flared, a warmth that was neither pain nor pleasure, and the wall flickered and crack appeared.
A space opened wide enough for him to slip through.the chill air of the night hit his face. Beyond the wall lay the world he had never seen, moonlight scattering over wet sand, the dark sweep of water, the sea stretching endlessly into shadow and sky.
The palace behind him felt impossibly distant, its corridors and secrets muted by the wind. Cael's chest rose with a mixture of fear and awe. He had never left the basement. He had never imagined the world beyond it could exist. And yet here it was alive, breathing, calling.
And then he saw him.
A figure stood at the edge of the surf, tall and silent, cloaked in shadow yet somehow luminous. His heart thudded in recognition before his mind could catch up. It was someone older.
I've been waiting, the figure said, his voice carried over the waves, deep and calm. You feel it too, don't you?"
Cael swallowed, but no words came. The sea hissed at his feet, the wind tugged at his hair, but the figure did not move. He only watched, patient, as if he had all the time in the world.
And a figure step out from the shadow,the moonlight caught the glint of his eyes, He knew this face, though he had never met him before.
Edrin stood at the water's edge, silent, watching. He did not speak at first. He simply observed, letting Cael feel the weight of the world beyond the palace.
You came,Edrin said finally, voice low, carried over the surf. "I wondered how long it would take before you answered your own call.
Who are you? Cael asked shivering in the night air.
I am Edrin," he said quietly, voice carrying over the whispering waves. And continue I know. You are curious about your power. And that curiosity… is the first step. But raw power without guidance is dangerous, even to yourself.
He took a step back, letting the wind swirl around them. "I will train you, Cael. Teach you to understand, to control, and to move as the world intends. But you must trust me, and you must be willing to listen,even when it frightens you.
Cael swallowed, staring at the dark sea. "I… I want to learn, he whispered, though the weight of the unknown pressed against his chest.
Edrin's eyes met Cael's, steady and unwavering., I will begin your training,tomorrow, Edrin says and vanished into the darkness.
Cael slipped back inside, mind racing with what he saw and heard, Thoughts tumbled over each other until exhaustion claimed him, and he finally dozed off.