The auroras of Valtheris shimmered over Solivane Isle, painting the night sky in sapphire and gold, their light catching on the crystal-tipped trees. In the courtyard of our modest estate, I, Ardyn Vaelor, felt alive at sixteen, my heart racing as I pushed my limits. My raven-black hair clung to my forehead, damp with sweat, and I knew the maids whispered about my looks, calling them too perfect with my silver eyes and sharp jaw. But I didn't care about that. I just wanted to be better, to make my parents proud.
I held fire in my left hand, water in my right, the elements buzzing against my palms like stubborn friends. I'd spent countless nights studying mana, scribbling notes by candlelight until my eyes burned, and now I was so close. When the fire and water finally merged into a wisp of steam, sharp and hissing, a grin broke across my face, a real, messy one I didn't practice to look cool. I did it.
"Brilliant, my heart," Mom called from the porch, her voice wrapping around me like a warm blanket. Her fiery hair glowed under the auroras, and I could see the pride in her eyes, her smile as bright as her beauty, a quiet kind that always made me feel safe. Dad stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder, his own handsome face lit up with a rare softness. They were my whole world, these two scholars who raised me with so much love it sometimes felt too big to hold.
"Liora would love this," Mom added, her smile fading a little as she tucked a letter into her sleeve. I caught the name and guessed it was my grandmother. I'd never met her or Lumiar, her husband, but the way Mom's eyes darted away made me wonder what she was hiding. I wanted to ask but held back. Not yet.
"Still not good enough, Mom," I said, brushing my hair back, my voice softer than I meant it to be. I loved them so much, from the way we'd laugh over dinner to how Dad taught me to swing a sword or Mom would tell stories about far-off islands. Just last night, Dad mentioned Zentis, his father, showing him a parry move, and Sylra, his mother, making tea that shimmered with mana. Those names felt like a hug, even if I'd never seen their faces. Why didn't my parents talk about them more? The question nagged at me, but I shoved it down, focusing on the steam still curling in the air.
A rustle broke my thoughts, sharp and sudden. A gaunt man stepped from the shadows, his tattered robes swaying, a dagger in his hand etched with a rune that made my stomach twist. His eyes, wild with greed, locked onto me. "Multiple affinities," he growled, his voice like gravel. "Your family hoards crystals, don't they? Hand them over, or I'll carve out your heart."
My chest tightened, but not with fear. It was anger, or something colder. I knew about the rumors. Estate's soil was rich, and people thought we hid mana crystals that powered Valtheris. This guy, probably a washed-up mage turned thief, saw me training and thought I was his ticket to riches. What an idiot.
"Stay back!" I yelled at my parents, my voice cracking a little. They didn't move, their calm almost eerie, like they trusted me too much. The mage lunged, his dagger slicing through the air with wind mana trailing behind it. I reacted on instinct, my mind racing as I noticed wind was fast but predictable. I pulled earth mana from the ground, raising a stone slab to block him, then let water seep out, turning the dirt slick. He slipped, swearing, and I didn't hesitate, weaving fire and water into a steam whip that snapped across his wrist, sending the dagger flying.
He roared, summoning a gust that knocked me back, my boots skidding on the grass. I gritted my teeth, feeling the sting of my new wind affinity waking up inside me. I pushed it out, turning his own gust against him, spinning him into a tree with a sickening thud. Before he could recover, I pinned him with a water tendril, my heart pounding as I leaned in close, my voice low and shaky with rage. "Threaten my family again, and you won't breathe."
Mom clapped, her calm unshaken, like she knew I'd win all along. "Your mind's a marvel, Ardyn."
Dad's lips quirked, his name Varyn carrying a weight I couldn't quite place. "The Aetherial Academy would be fools to miss you."
I let the mage go, watching him scramble into the dark, but their calmness made my stomach twist. They weren't surprised, not even a little. I picked up the dagger, its rune glowing faintly, a symbol I recognized from Mom's old books, perhaps tied to Valtheris's ruins. "Who was he?" I asked, my voice sharper than I meant. "Why us?"
"Just a greedy fool," Mom said, too smoothly, her smile not reaching her eyes. She hesitated, like she wanted to say more, perhaps Lumiar's name, but didn't. Dad squeezed her hand, and I felt the strength of their bond, a promise I couldn't quite understand.
Beyond the courtyard, the fleeing mage stumbled through the shadows, muttering about rare mana, blind to any deeper truths, only chasing rumors of wealth. Somewhere beyond the stars, Lumiar and Liora watched through a scrying orb, their faces shadowed with worry. "A poacher, drawn to Solivane's aura," Liora murmured. "Zeryn, ensure no more come." A cloaked figure, hidden in warped space, nodded. Solivane's mana-rich veins made it a beacon for trouble, and this guardian protected it for Lumiar, Liora, Zentis, and Sylra, not for the boy but for the estate itself. The figure teleported the mage to a distant isle, whispering, "Seek no further, or perish." Ignorant of any greater destiny, the mage would spread no tales. The guardian vanished, leaving no trace.
That night, I sat with my parents, their warmth melting the tension in my chest. Mom braided my hair, her fingers gentle, humming a tune that always made me feel like a kid again. Dad sketched runes on a scrap of paper, showing me their flow, his voice low and steady. "Zentis would love your steam trick," he said, chuckling, and I could hear the love in his voice. "Sylra, though, she'd say you need more control." I grinned, trying to picture them, my grandparents, their names a warm mystery that made my heart ache in a good way. "You're ready for the academy," Dad added, his tone softer, like he was letting go a little. "Find your path, son."
I nodded, but the rune on that dagger stuck in my head, a question I couldn't answer. That mage wasn't random. Solivane held secrets, and my parents knew more than they were saying. I drifted to sleep, the auroras' glow seeping through my window, and dreamed of an infinite veil of stars, a voice whispering Boundless. I jolted awake for a moment, my heart racing, a strange image lingering, a girl with silver hair, emerald eyes that felt like fate.
As I slept, the auroras flickered, and somewhere beyond the stars, Lumiar, Liora, Zentis and Sylra watched. "The Veil holds," Lumiar murmured. "Our boy will shine."
Valtheris stirred, and I, Ardyn Vaelor, was only beginning.