Chapter 1 – The Boy in the Ruins
Smoke rose in twisting pillars, drifting across the broken remnants of the once-quiet farming village. Charred beams jutted from the ground like blackened ribs, and the air tasted of ash and metal. Thirteen-year-old Arion stood at the edge of what used to be the granary, his hands trembling despite the heat still leaking from the smoldering ruins. He had never seen destruction like this—not in stories, not in travelers' warnings, not even in nightmares.
It had been the demons.
He didn't need anyone to tell him. Their mark was clear: scorched earth, shattered stone, and an unnatural silence left in the wake of their footsteps. But something felt wrong. Demons rarely attacked human settlements this deep in human territory. Not unless they were hunting something.
Arion swallowed, remembering why he had stayed behind while the others fled. It wasn't bravery. It was the strange pull he felt—a whisper only he seemed able to hear—dragging him into the collapsing granary. That was where he found it.
The crystal.
Half-buried under soot, faintly glowing. About the size of his palm, violet at the edges fading to silver at the core, pulsing slowly like a heartbeat. When he touched it, the world had gone silent. Then a voice—cold, calm, and unfamiliar—echoed inside him.
"System initializing."
Arion had nearly dropped the thing, but the crystal dissolved into light and sank into his skin. No wound, no heat—just a presence.
Now, standing alone among the ruins, he felt that presence watching.
"System…?" he whispered.
"Welcome, User. Synchronization incomplete. Begin stabilization protocol?"
Arion jerked upright. The voice wasn't natural. Not magic either—not human, elven, or demonic. It felt structured, ancient.
"What are you?" he breathed. "What do you want?"
"Unknown inquiry. Stabilization required. Warning: hostile entities approaching."
His blood ran cold.
Heavy footsteps approached—too heavy to be human. Arion ducked behind an overturned cart and peeked out.
A demon scout emerged from the smoke, tall and horned, with red markings glowing across its chest. It sniffed the air.
It was hunting him.
Arion clamped a hand over his mouth.
"User in danger," the System said. "Activating emergency enhancement: Race Ability—Werewolf Instinct (Fragment)."
A surge of sensation flooded Kael. His hearing sharpened, vision brightened, and he could see every twitch of the demon's muscles.
"What—what is this?" he whispered.
"Ability borrowed temporarily. Stability degrading. Immediate action required."
The demon's head snapped toward the cart.
Arion ran.
Tree branches whipped against him as he sprinted into the forest, feet moving faster than humanly possible. The demon roared behind him.
After a long chase, the System finally spoke:
"Threat level decreasing. User may cease running."
Arion collapsed to his knees, exhausted as the borrowed power faded.
"What are you?" he whispered again.
"System: Fourfold Ascendance. Purpose: unknown. User potential: undefined."
Arion stared at the forest floor, heart still pounding.
Everything had changed.