The rain did not fall that night—it screamed. Not the gentle tapping that whispered against rooftops during a quiet evening, but a furious, clawing storm that seemed to rend the heavens apart. Every candle flickered and guttered in Hollowmere, every roof and shutter vibrated under the assault of wind and water. Villagers huddled behind closed doors, whispering frantic prayers. Yet atop Willow Hill, one figure remained.
Aiden Hale.
Seventeen, restless, and far too curious for his own good, he stood soaked to the bone, his boots sinking slightly into the wet earth. The storm lit the sky with unnatural colors—violets bleeding into molten golds, streaks of silver fire spiraling like veins across the darkness. There was a strange rhythm in the chaos, a pulse that resonated in his chest, as if the very universe were trying to speak to him. He shivered.
"Another starfall…" he murmured. His voice barely carried over the roar of the wind. "But this… this one feels different."
Starfalls were not unknown. Occasionally, a fragment of the celestial realm would streak across the sky, a comet of magic or ruin, leaving sparks that could heal or destroy. But this storm… it was alive. The clouds twisted unnaturally, clashing and spinning in violent patterns, as if they themselves were arguing over something. The air smelled of iron, ozone, and an undefinable otherworldly tang.
A deep rumble shook the earth. Aiden's heart leapt into his throat. A streak of blinding light tore through the clouds, hurtling straight toward him. He froze. Every instinct screamed to run, but fascination anchored him to the hill.
The object struck the earth mere meters away. There was a deafening crack, dirt and rock exploding in every direction. Aiden was hurled backward by the force, landing hard against the soaked grass. Pain shot through his shoulder, but he barely noticed—it was awe, fear, and an unfamiliar thrill that held him in place.
When he dared to open his eyes, the storm had ceased. A heavy, unnatural silence pressed against his ears. Even the wind seemed to have paused, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
At the center of the crater hovered something extraordinary. A fragment of light, fractured into jagged pieces yet bound together as if reluctant to separate. Streams of glowing energy leaked from its fissures, curling like ethereal smoke. Aiden's heartbeat thundered in his chest.
He stepped closer.
The fragment pulsed, a slow, deliberate heartbeat of energy. And then, faintly, a whisper reached his mind—not through his ears, but deeper, older, resonating in the hollow space of his chest:
Find me.
Compelled, trembling, Aiden reached out.
The moment his fingers brushed the fragment, energy surged into him, burning and freezing at once. A sensation of being stretched, folded, and remade coursed through him. He collapsed to his knees, gripping his chest as if the force inside him might tear him apart. His vision flared white, then fractured, and in the brightness he glimpsed fleeting images: skies burning with stars, cities in ruins, shadowed figures hunting someone, some him, and then… calm.
When the light dimmed, the fragment was gone.
Aiden was alone. Or so he thought.
From the edge of the crater, a shadow emerged. Silent, deliberate, observing him. His pulse raced.
"You touched it," the figure said, low and sharp as a blade. "Tell me what you saw."
"I—I don't know!" Aiden stammered. "It… it was light, and then—"
The figure knelt and seized his wrist. "You idiot. That fragment was not meant to bond with anyone. Not yet."
Aiden tried to pull free. The grip was iron. The hood was lifted, revealing her face.
Young, perhaps twenty, with violet eyes that glimmered like distant galaxies, she was both terrifying and mesmerizing. Runes across her temples glowed faintly, shifting with every blink.
"I am Lyra," she said. "And you, Aiden Hale, have just made yourself the most hunted person in this world."
Hunted. The word sent a chill down his spine. "Hunted? By who?"
Lyra's gaze sharpened. "The ones who want the Shattered Star. Those who will not hesitate to rip your soul apart to claim it. You bonded with it. Now, it is bound to you."
Aiden's chest tightened. "The Shattered Star…?"
Her eyes darkened. "A fragment so powerful, it can rewrite fate itself. Every king, mage, cult, and secret order will come for you. Some to protect, some to kill, and some… to use you in ways far worse than death."
Another horn blasted through the night. Low, resonant, echoing over the hills. Lyra's jaw clenched. "They're here."
Aiden's gut twisted. "Who? What are they?"
"They are hunters," Lyra said grimly. "Starbearers' cultists. And they will not stop until they have the fragment—or until you are gone entirely."
Before he could respond, shadows flitted across the village below. Figures cloaked in dark robes moved with unnatural speed, cutting through the rain-soaked streets. The smoke of burning houses rose faintly in the distance.
Lyra pulled him to his feet. "We have to leave. Now."
Aiden looked back at his village, the home he'd known his whole life, and wanted to stay. But the fear, the certainty of death, and the strange pull of the fragment inside him pushed him forward. He nodded, swallowing hard, and followed her into the forest.
The trees swallowed them in darkness. The rain turned into a fine mist that clung to his skin, chilling him to the bone. Branches snagged his clothes, roots threatened to trip him, and every shadow seemed alive.
Lyra's voice broke through the storm. "You feel it, don't you? That power inside you? That's only the beginning. If we survive tonight, you will have to learn to control it… or it will destroy you."
"I don't even know what it is!" Aiden shouted over the wind. "Why me? Why now?"
Lyra didn't answer immediately. Her eyes scanned the darkness ahead. "Because you touched the fragment. Because the universe has chosen you. And because, whether you like it or not, the world is about to change. Forever."
A distant scream tore through the night, and Aiden's stomach lurched. A shadow moved between the trees, faster than any human could run. He froze. Lyra grabbed his arm, dragging him down into a hollow among the roots.
Breathless, hiding, he finally whispered, "I… I don't know if I'm ready for this."
Lyra knelt beside him. Her violet eyes softened slightly. "None of us are ready. That doesn't matter. What matters is that you survive. And that… we survive. The fragment is in you now, and they will come for it. And for you."
The wind shifted, carrying whispers that weren't part of the storm, words that seemed almost human, laughing and mocking from beyond the forest edge. Aiden shivered.
That night, under a sky that had shattered, Aiden Hale stepped into a world ruled by fragments of celestial power, hunted by forces older than kingdoms, and bound to a destiny he could neither understand nor refuse. The fragment had chosen him. And the universe had noticed.