Kael didn't sleep.
The chained creature's voice echoed in his head. The warning. The scream. The crack in the stone that should not have cracked.
But what haunted him more was the name he saw burned into the runes.
Aerin Orien
His family name.
His bloodline.
But no one in his village had ever mentioned another Binder. No stories. No records. Just silence. Now he knew why.
Someone erased the past.
And it was connected to him.
Morning came hard.
Students whispered as Kael passed through the halls. Not out of fear. Out of confusion.
He was still here.
Still breathing.
Still unclaimed.
No Guild had taken him.
But one had marked him.
Outside the training wing, a letter was pinned to the wall.
Burned edges. Marked with the Guild of Broken Flame's sigil.
It had only two words.
Join now
Kael ripped it off and tossed it in the trash.
If they wanted him, they'd have to come themselves.
The attack came that night.
No warning.
The academy lights flickered. Sirens rang once. Then everything went dark.
Kael stood on the upper floor when he saw them.
Figures in black. Masks of bone. Not students. Not teachers.
Hunters
He didn't know their names. Didn't need to.
He saw their weapons.
And he saw the way they looked at him.
Like he was a prize.
Or a mistake that needed to be erased.
He moved fast.
Down the stairwell.
Into the old ruins.
Where the shadows knew his name.
They followed.
Too many.
Kael turned to fight.
The first attacker moved fast. Blade covered in green fire. He swung low.
Kael ducked.
Spoke one word.
Come
The air cracked.
Chains flew through the wall behind him.
The whispering beast appeared. No roar. No scream.
Just silence.
Then chaos.
The first attacker vanished.
No blood.
Just gone.
The others froze.
Then ran.
But one stayed.
A tall one. Not masked.
Her eyes glowed white.
"You don't even know what you are" she said.
Kael stood firm.
"Then tell me"
She smiled.
"You're not just a Binder. You're a gate. A crack in the lock. And it's already opening."
Before he could reply, she vanished.
Smoke left behind.
Kael fell to one knee.
The mark on his arm pulsed wild.
He wasn't just calling something.
He was being called.