Cold. Heavy. Unforgiving.
Each drop sliced against Lyon Kade's skin as he staggered through the forest, bleeding, broken, hunted like an animal. The storm swallowed his breath. The night swallowed his hope.
He was the weakest heir of the Kade Bloodline…
A shame to his clan. A burden to the pack.
And tonight, even that weakness had become a death sentence.
The shadows behind him moved.
"Found him."
Lyon barely had time to turn before a boot slammed into his back, sending him crashing into the mud. Three silhouettes stepped out of the darkness — fellow clan members, wolves who had always despised him.
"Pathetic," one spat.
"He isn't worthy of the name 'Kade,'" another growled.
Lyon coughed blood. He tried to rise.
A kick knocked him flat again.
"Leave him," the lead attacker ordered. "The storm will finish what we started."
But the wolves wanted to enjoy it. Fists rained down. Bones cracked. Blood pooled in the dirt.
His vision blurred.
Voices grew distant.
His heartbeat slowed.
Is this… really how I die?
Lightning lit the sky — and for a moment, Lyon saw the truth of his life:
A boy humiliated.
A son rejected.
An heir forgotten.
He reached a trembling hand toward the storm clouds.
"Just once…" he whispered through torn lips.
"Just once… I wanted to be strong."
Thunder answered him.
His breath faded.
His fingers dropped.
His eyes dimmed.
Lyon Kade — weakest of his clan — died in the cold rain, alone.
But the storm had other plans.
Something ancient stirred beneath the earth.
Something locked… awakened.
As Lyon's heart gave its final beat, a golden pulse burst beneath his body, spreading like wildfire.
The world shook.
And Lyon Kade's corpse… began to glow.