---
Eryndor awoke with the taste of smoke and starlight on his tongue.
The stone was gone. In its place, a circular burn mark, etched with impossible precision, marred the forest floor—a celestial sigil that shimmered faintly under the moonlight. His chest ached, not with pain, but with the sensation of something new coiled inside him.
Mana.
It lived within him now—different from what he had known before. Wilder. Primal. It responded not to rigid commands or carved symbols but to his thoughts, his instincts… and his memories.
The serpent and the star.
That was the shape burned into the earth and his mind. A symbol. A seal.
A calling.
---
Three Days Later
He kept the mark hidden.
His mother believed the fever had come from the chill of the forest night. His father—distracted by his work in the fields—barely noticed his sudden silence. But Eryndor knew something had changed. He felt it in the way the wind stirred when he passed, in the way the fire crackled sharper when he looked too long into it.
And when he closed his eyes, he could see it.
A spiral of stars and serpents—his mana core.
Not a mere reservoir of power, but a living, evolving thing.
And deep within it, slumbered something ancient.
We are not finished, Sovereign.
---
✧ THE MAGIC SYSTEM: THE ASTRAL VEINS
In the world of Virelia, magic is not just energy. It is conscious. It is known as Aether, and it flows through the land in currents called Leythreads, ancient mana-streams that connect the world like invisible rivers.
All living beings have within them a Mana Core, which matures over time and acts as a gate through which Aether may flow. But mastery over Aether is not gained through brute strength. It is shaped by understanding, emotion, and connection.
There are Four Known Veins of magic, each tied to celestial bodies and ancient pacts:
1. The Sol Vein – Magic of Fire, Light, Passion
Drawn from the sun and stars. Practiced by warrior-mages and battle-scholars. Fueled by courage, conviction, and willpower.
2. The Luna Vein – Magic of Water, Ice, Reflection
Drawn from the moon and tides. Practiced by healers, seers, and illusionists. Fueled by empathy, memory, and clarity.
3. The Terra Vein – Magic of Earth, Metal, Gravity
Drawn from the bones of the world. Practiced by artisans, geomancers, and druids. Fueled by endurance, structure, and ancestry.
4. The Umbral Vein – Magic of Shadows, Spirits, Time
Drawn from what lies between. Rare. Practiced by soulbinders and voidwalkers. Fueled by sacrifice, trauma, and dreams.
---
✧ Eryndor's Magic: The Fifth Vein – The Aether Serpent
Eryndor's reincarnation is tied to an unknown Vein, now awakening within him:
The Aether Serpent, also called The Veiled Star.
This Vein does not conform to the four. It feeds on forgotten memories, rebirth, and paradox. Those attuned to it are anomalies—souls that return, bound by fate and legend.
His abilities evolve over time, including:
Memorycasting – Casting spells based on memories of past lives.
Serpent Form – Aether manifests as a serpent-shaped aura around him in battle.
Starforged Will – His mana core can consume and integrate other Veins.
Chrono-Vision – Rare glimpses of timelines that never came to pass.
However, the more he draws from the Aether Serpent, the more he risks drawing the attention of a forgotten entity from his past life:
> The Void Wyrm, Nyxthul, a being that devours timelines to feed its eternal hunger.
---
✧ WORLD LORE: THE SHATTERED AGE AND THE EIDOLON WAR
Virelia is recovering from a cataclysm known as The Shattered Age, five hundred years ago, when the stars dimmed and the Veins went silent for a generation.
It was caused by a war between the Eidolon, powerful godlike beings who once walked the world, and the mortals who defied them. Most Eidolon were slain or driven into exile, but their remnants still linger—sealed, fractured, or hiding in new forms.
It is said one Eidolon fled beyond the veil of time itself.
Some say it still waits for the return of the one who ended that war.
Caelum.