Ken's heart raced as he followed Professor Veylan through the labyrinth of stone corridors. The ancient walls of the Crimson Court towered around them, casting long shadows under the flickering glow of floating crystals. The deeper they went, the colder the air became, as if they were descending into the heart of some forgotten tomb.
The professor moved quickly, robes snapping behind him like a banner in a storm. His steps were sharp, his breathing tight, as though he was chasing a thought that might slip away if he slowed for even a second.
Ken struggled to keep up, confusion churning inside him. What was happening Why had the professor suddenly become so desperate? What did he want with him?
At last they stopped before a large door reinforced with runes that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Without hesitation Professor Veylan waved his hand and the door creaked open revealing a cluttered office buried in scrolls parchments and artifacts that pulsed faintly with trapped magic.
"Inside" the professor barked not even looking at Ken.
Ken stepped in hesitantly feeling like he was walking into the jaws of something ancient and dangerous. The door slammed shut behind him with a heavy thud.
"Sit" Veylan commanded
Ken sat on the edge of a cracked leather chair hands gripping his knees. His mind buzzed with unease.
The professor paced behind his desk muttering words too low for Ken to catch. He snatched a thick black-bound book from a pile flipped it open skimmed a page and cursed under his breath. Then he turned his piercing gaze onto Ken like a hawk that had finally spotted its prey.
"Tell me your birth date" he demanded his voice low and urgent.
Ken blinked "My birth date?"
"Yes" the professor snapped "Exact day month year"
Ken hesitated his mind drawing a blank.
"I don't know" he admitted "My mother never really told me. She always changed the subject when I asked."
Veylan's jaw tightened. He leaned forward "Anything? Anything at all? Think"
Ken closed his eyes struggling to pull something anything from the mist of his early memories. And then... a faint whisper surfaced something barely remembered.
"I think" he said slowly "I remember once when I was little... she was talking to herself. I heard her say something about a... Shadow Eclipse? She said I was born on the day of the Shadow Eclipse."
He opened his eyes uncertain.
The effect was immediate.
Veylan reeled back as if struck by invisible lightning. His face went deathly pale his mouth slightly open. For several long moments he just stared at Ken as if seeing him not as a boy but as a ghost a prophecy made flesh.
"The Shadow Eclipse" the professor breathed almost reverently.
Ken shifted uncomfortably in his seat feeling like he was standing too close to the edge of a cliff he hadn't even known was there.
The room seemed to darken. The floating lights dimmed the air grew thicker heavier.
Then the professor whispered in a voice not quite his own words that seemed to echo from the stones themselves
When shadows swallow twin-born lightA child shall rise untouched by flameBorn of eclipse yet heart unstainedHe walks in silence feared by nameNo magic stirs within his veinsYet fate shall kneel before his willThe Innocent Eclipse shall break the chain
Ken felt a cold shiver creep up his spine. The words hung in the air ancient and heavy like a verdict.
Professor Veylan's hands trembled as he grabbed a parchment from the table and scribbled furiously across it his quill moving faster than Ken thought humanly possible. The professor's face was a mask of grim realization.
Ken sat frozen uncertain if he should speak or stay silent. He chose the latter not trusting his voice.
When the professor finally finished he sealed the parchment with a glowing black wax and pressed a heavy sigil into it. Ken caught a glimpse of the initials marked on the outside
T.G.E.
He didn't know who or what that was but it felt like it mattered.
Veylan looked up at him his eyes sharp and filled with something Ken couldn't fully name. Awe. Fear. Hope. All at once.
"You must be protected" the professor said voice shaking with urgency. "You are... our savior."
Ken stared at him uncomprehending. Savior? Him?
"You are the Innocent Eclipse" Veylan continued his tone almost reverent. "The Divine Shadow. The Harbinger of Chaos."
Ken's stomach dropped. It felt like the whole world had shifted sideways and he was struggling to stay upright.
"I don't understand" Ken said voice cracking.
"You will" the professor said. "Soon."
Without another word Veylan grabbed the letter tucked it into a hidden pocket of his robe and motioned for Ken to follow him again.
Dazed Ken rose from the chair and trailed after him his mind a swirling storm of questions and fear.
The walk back through the Crimson Court was different this time. The walls seemed taller the shadows deeper. As they passed other students and instructors Ken felt their eyes flick toward him lingering just a second too long. Whispered words floated in his wake half-formed and heavy with suspicion.
They reached the grand central hall where a massive floating crystal displayed the names and ranks of every student within the Crimson Court. Glowing letters shifted and rearranged themselves across its surface in an endless silent dance.
Veylan gestured at it his expression unreadable.
Ken looked up at the crystal found his name.
Kenovar HawkePower Level 0Status Err0r
Nothing had changed. Yet everything had changed.
The knot in his stomach tightened. He wrapped his arms around himself feeling exposed vulnerable.
The professor placed a firm hand on his shoulder. His voice dropped to a low growl almost a whisper meant for Ken alone.
"Do not fear your difference" he said "It will make the world kneel... or it will make it burn."
Ken swallowed hard. His mouth was dry his heart thundering in his chest.
Before he could respond Professor Veylan turned sharply and strode away vanishing into the throng of robed figures leaving Ken alone beneath the massive crystal.
Alone.
And yet not alone.
Whispers stirred around him like the first winds of a coming storm. Faces turned glances lingered.
He wasn't just Ken anymore.
He wasn't just the orphan boy scraping by in the shadows.
He was something more.
Something dangerous.
Something the world wasn't ready for.
The Innocent Eclipse.
Ken clenched his fists feeling a strange heat stir inside him. Not magic no. Something deeper. Something raw and ancient. Something that could not be measured by the crystals or the charts.
He would find out what he was. He would understand. And when he did...
The world would have no choice but to listen.
Ken turned away from the giant floating crystal his name still flickering like a broken signal behind him. Every step he took echoed in the silent hall yet the whispers followed him sticking to his back like invisible vines. He could feel the fear the uncertainty radiating from those around him.
They didn't know who he was. Not yet.
He didn't fully know either.
But the seed had been planted.
Each step forward felt heavier than the last but it was not a weight he feared. It was a burden he was born to carry even if he had never asked for it.
A strange feeling settled in his chest. Not pride. Not anger. Something else. A quiet determination.
If fate had chosen him without his consent then he would choose how he faced it. On his terms. With his own hands.
Somewhere in the labyrinthine halls of the Court hidden eyes were watching him. Measuring him. Judging him.
The Innocent Eclipse had awakened.
And the chains that bound the world had begun to tremble.
Ken walked into the shadows head held high heart pounding with the silent promise of a storm yet to come.