The Awakening: A Miracle and a Curse
The morning sun had barely begun to bleed over the horizon when the first sound of thunder—not from the sky, but from a fist against wood—shattered Lucas's sleep.
"Big Brother! Wake up! It's today! It's finally today!"
Aila's voice was a chaotic mix of pure terror and explosive joy. Lucas sat up, his heart hammering against his ribs. Beside him, Moxie, the small white kitten he had rescued, let out a startled chirp and hid beneath the silk covers. Lucas's mind was still groggy, but the weight of the day settled on him like lead.
Today was Aila's tenth birthday. Her Awakening Day.
Outside the window, Morningstar Manor was a beehive of activity. Servants moved in a blur, hanging sky-blue banners. His grandfather, the Clan Chief, stood in the courtyard in ceremonial crimson robes. But near the gate, Uncle Silas was whispering to men in gray-and-silver tabards. He didn't look like a celebrating relative; he looked like a predator. He didn't want the Morningstar name to end—he simply wanted to be the one wearing the crown.
At the awakening ceremony,
The Sacred Church of Mount Wujing was packed. High-ranking officials from Blue Moon City sat in the front rows, their eyes cold and calculating. As Aila walked toward the ancient crystal altar, she passed the row where the Elders sat.
"Keep your head high, child," Elder Hama whispered as she passed. "The blood of the Morningstar is strong. Do not let the pressure break your focus."
"I... I will try, Elder," Aila stammered, her hands clutching her dress.
Lucas watched from the side, his heart aching. He saw his grandfather give a slow, encouraging nod from the high seat. Aila stepped onto the platform, her small boots clicking on the stone. She reached out to touch the cold, humming surface of the Awakening Stone.
"Please," she whispered.
Then, the world turned purple.
A pillar of royal violet light erupted from Aila, tearing through the roof of the church and shooting into the heavens. In the center of the light, a book manifested—carved from a single, giant amethyst.
A Violet Grimoire.
"A Violet Grimoire!" one of the Blue Moon officials shouted, standing up so quickly his chair fell over. "A once-in-a-hundred-years genius!"
"Congratulations, Chief!" another Elder cried out, his face beaming. "The Morningstar clan will rise to the heavens with such a talent! We must prepare the feast immediately!"
The church was filled with a sudden, lively roar of discussion and cheers. For ten heartbeats, it was the happiest moment in the clan's history. But the celebration was cut short.
The heavy oak doors were blown wide, turned to splinters by a gust of golden wind. A group of warriors in white-and-gold armor marched in, their aura suffocating the room. At their head was an old man with eyes like flint.
"Quiet," the old man commanded, and the room fell into a deathly silence. "By the decree of the Wingshton Empire, this child carries the blood of the Central Plains. She is coming with us. Now."
"You have no authority here!" the Chief roared, standing his ground.
"We have the authority of her father's blood," the old man replied coldly.
"Mother! Big Brother! Save me!" Aila's screams broke Lucas's soul as she was lifted away. A wave of invisible pressure slammed into Lucas as he tried to run to her, pinning him to the floor. In a flash of golden light, the carriage was gone, leaving only a hole in the roof and a family in ruins.
At that very night, a Red Moon hung from the sky like a bloody eye. The banquet hall was a tomb; the food grew cold and untouched.
Late that night, Aunt Anna slipped into Lucas's room. Her eyes were red, but her face was a grim mask.
"Lucas... those men... they were from Aila's father's clan," she whispered. "I am leaving tonight. I will follow them to the Central Plains. I won't let my daughter be alone among those monsters."
"Aunt Anna, you can't!" Lucas grabbed her arm.
"I have to try. Protect your grandfather, Lucas." She kissed his forehead and vanished into the shadows.
From the dark corner of the courtyard, Uncle Silas watched her leave. He waited until her silhouette was completely swallowed by the forest. A cruel smile touched his lips.
"Finally," Silas whispered to the shadow beside him. "The tigress has left the den. Now, we don't destroy the house—we just change the master. Secure the perimeter. Make sure the old man doesn't leave his room alive."
Minutes later, smoke began to drift through the vents. Screams echoed from the main hall as Silas's men moved in. Silas walked through the flames, his sword unsheathed.
"Don't damage the archives!" he shouted to his men. "Everything in this manor belongs to me now!"
Lucas grabbed Moxie and ran through the burning hallways. He reached the Chief's chambers just as the doors were kicked in. His grandfather was there, bleeding from a deep wound, three assassins already dead at his feet.
"Grandpa!" Lucas lunged forward, catching the old man.
"Lucas... my boy..." the old man coughed. "The Morningstar... it falls today. But you... you must rise."
"Don't talk! We have to go!"
"I am a dead man, Lucas," the Chief whispered. Behind him, his familia appeared—a giant, translucent Ethereal Jellyfish. "This move will cost me my soul... but it will buy you a future. Find your sister! Find your strength!"
Silas burst into the room, his eyes wild with greed. "Step aside, Lucas! I am the Chief now! Old man, give me the seal!"
"NOT TODAY!" The Chief slammed his staff down. The Jellyfish pulsed with a blinding light.
Lucas felt his body being torn apart as space folded. The last thing he saw was the manor collapsing onto his grandfather and Silas's scream of rage as his prize vanished.
The Boundary of Desolation
Lucas hit the ground in a wasteland under a bruised orange sky. He was in the Boundary of Desolation.
He was alone. His home was gone. His cousin was a prisoner. His grandfather was dead. Lucas sat in the white dirt, his hands shaking as he pulled out his Blue Grimoire no one even knows about aside from his aunt and grandpa.
"You," Lucas whispered to the white dragon egg on the first page. "You are all I have left."
The egg began to pulse. A crack appeared, and a sliver of "Unknown" golden light soaked into Lucas's skin, turning his pain into a heat like molten lead. He stood up, looking toward the horizon.
"Silas... Wingshton..."
He gripped the Grimoire until his knuckles turned white.
"I am coming for all of you."
Beside him, Moxie stepped out of his shirt and let out a determined meow. The journey of the Last Morningstar had begun.