In the sun-warmed kingdom of Eldoria, a child was born to the royal family a boy with quiet eyes and a soft voice. His name was Zen.
The day he arrived, the sky was calm, the wind gentle, and the kingdom celebrated the birth of its future heir. Eldoria was a peaceful land, untouched by war in recent memory. Its people believed they were safe under the sun's eternal watch. But beneath that warmth, hidden in old scrolls and unspoken stories, darker truths waited.
The Early Years (Age 0–3)
Zen's first years were quiet and peaceful. He was a gentle child not loud or restless like others his age. Instead, he listened. He watched. He learned.
At age two, he could walk steadily through the marble halls of the palace, often following his mother, Queen Elara, as she read stories aloud in the gardens. At age three, he began speaking clearly asking simple questions about the world, about the stars, the sky, and the people outside the palace walls.
One day, while sitting on his father's knee, Zen pointed at the portrait of an old king in the hall and asked, "Where did he go?"
King Arian smiled softly. "He returned to the earth. That's where people go when they leave this life."
Zen looked down, deep in thought. "And they don't come back?"
"No," the king replied. "Not in this world."
That moment planted a seed.
Growing Curiosity (Age 4)
At age four, Zen's curiosity grew stronger. He started sneaking into the royal library not out of mischief, but out of a quiet hunger to know more. The servants would often find him flipping through books far beyond his age. He didn't always understand the words, but he stared at every image, every symbol, as if searching for something.
It was during one of these wanderings that he discovered a hidden section behind a tapestry an old wooden shelf, dusty and dimly lit. There, he found a book unlike the others. Bound in black leather, marked by a faded silver emblem: a sword, encircled by stars.
The title: "The History of the God of Eternity."
When he showed the book to Queen Elara, her smile faded. "Where did you find this?"
"In the back," Zen answered. "Can I read it?"
Queen Elara hesitated, then sighed. "Only if you promise to read it with me. Slowly."
Together, they began.
The book spoke of a being not born of this world the God of Eternity, a being who could command time, open the veil between life and death, and walk where no mortal had ever dared. The god had once helped humanity seal away the first invasion of demons creatures of chaos and shadow but after the final battle, he vanished.
Some believed he was destroyed. Others believed he walked beyond the reach of time, watching silently from the void. The last known words written about him were:
"The god awakens when the end begins."
Zen didn't fully understand it.
Age 5 — The Shadow Beneath the Sun
Zen was five now. Smarter. Quieter. He didn't play like the other noble children. Instead, he sat under the old crystal tree in the garden, staring at the skies and flipping through his growing stack of old books.
But strange things had begun to happen in the kingdom.
Farmers spoke of crops dying despite the sun. Hunters whispered of creatures in the mountains with glowing eyes and unnatural screams. The palace brushed it off as superstition, but Zen felt it like something was shifting beneath the surface.
That night, Zen dreamed of wind moving through tall grass and a sky he didn't recognize. There were no voices, no signs just a strange quiet, as if the world was holding its breath. He woke up without fear, only confusion, the dream slipping from his mind like sand between fingers.
Morning light spilled across his room. Outside, the palace gardens were already alive with color and sound. Another peaceful day in Eldoria.
Zen got dressed, ran to find his mother, and asked if she would read to him again.
Just like any other day.