The village nestled quietly at the edge of the forest, hidden from the turmoil of the outside world. A place where elves and humans lived together in harmony at least, until a year ago.
It had been one year since Ardan, the legendary mage, passed away. To most, he was a myth, a figure from old stories. But to Sylveras, he was the man who raised him. A guardian. A teacher. A mystery.
Sylveras, a young elf with more curiosity than caution, had spent most of his days as a schoolteacher, teaching magic theory and village history to the children. They loved him. He was cheerful, a little clumsy, and entirely unaware of the power sealed deep within him.
The only one who knew who truly knew was Gorion, Ardan's closest friend and a sage of great renown. Now old and weakened by age, Gorion had stayed behind in secret, watching over Sylveras from afar. Waiting.
And then came the fire.
It started with screams. Shadows descended from the sky. The village burned.
Sylveras rushed through the chaos, searching praying for survivors. But he found only one: Elara.
She was the girl he had grown up beside. A healer. Gentle. Pure. And the one he secretly loved.
But that night, everything shattered. The attackers weren't ordinary monsters. One of them Rael was someone Sylveras knew. A friend. A liar. A demon in disguise.
Just as Sylveras prepared to unleash his sealed magic, a voice cut through the smoke.
"Stop."
Gorion appeared, cloaked in exhaustion, but eyes sharp as ever. He suppressed Sylveras's power with a trembling hand and teleported the three of them away moments before the village was reduced to ash.
They escaped, but not without loss.
And what Sylveras didn't know... was that this was only the beginning.