The days passed in the quiet sanctuary of the Forgotten Vale.
The valley, untouched by human hands, thrived with wild magic. The air shimmered with energy, unseen currents that pulsed through the land itself. Towering trees with leaves that glowed faintly under the moon stretched toward the heavens, their roots entwined with veins of mana-rich stone. The rivers, flowing with crystalline water, carried traces of magic within their depths, granting life to all who drank from them.
Here, in this hidden realm, Kael grew.
He was still small, still fragile, but under Sylaras watchful eye, he did not wither. She fed him, kept him warm, and shielded him from the dangers that lurked beyond the vales boundaries. But more than thatshe observed.
For Kael was unlike any human child she had ever encountered.
Even without conscious thought, magic reacted to him. The currents in the air shifted when he stirred, and the very ground beneath him pulsed faintly, as though recognizing his presence. Though his power remained dormant, Sylara could feel its weight pressing against unseen chains.
It was not the structured magic of sorcerers or mages. It was something raw. Something unbound.
One evening, as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Sylara lay curled around the small child, her silver mane gleaming in the dim light of the cavern. Kael, now able to sit upright, reached out clumsily, his tiny hands grasping at the air.
A spark.
A faint shimmer of energy flickered at his fingertipsso brief, so subtle, that any ordinary being would have dismissed it as a trick of the light.
But Sylara saw.
Her green eyes narrowed slightly.
You do not even realize what you are, she murmured.
Kael blinked up at her, his bright blue eyes filled with innocence.
Sylara let out a deep sigh, shifting slightly. She had watched humans long enough to know how they measured strength. Power to them was something externalspells woven through knowledge, abilities gained through training, techniques passed down through bloodlines.
But Kaels power was different. It was part of him, deeper than flesh and bone.
You will not wield magic like them, she said softly, though Kael was too young to understand. Because you are not like them.
A slow, knowing smile curled at her lips.
And that will be your greatest advantage.
She would not teach him the ways of human magic.
She would teach him something greater.