Thirteen years had passed since the night the stars fell silent and fire consumed the commune.
Seth had grown up with little memory of that night. Raised on the road, drifting from village to village, he knew only the quiet strength of his guardian—Kaz, the man who was not a man. They never stayed in one place too long. Kaz said it was dangerous. That someone—something—was always watching.
To Seth, Kaz was both protector and enigma. He taught him to survive: how to hide, how to read people, how to make tools from scraps. They traveled by foot, scavenging what they needed, blending into crowds like ghosts. Kaz always kept a low profile, always moving, always watching the skies. Seth didn't know why—but he trusted him.
Until one evening, everything changed.
They were sheltering in a cavern outside a trade route, lit by a small fire fueled by dried algae bricks. Seth, crouched near the flame, was carving lines into a smooth stone with a shard of metal. The lines glowed faintly beneath his fingers. He blinked. The glow pulsed. He dropped the stone.
"Kaz… did you see that?"
Kaz turned sharply. "What did you do?"
"I—I don't know. I didn't do anything. I just touched it, and…"
The stone glowed again, this time brighter, resonating with the patterns on Seth's palm. Kaz stared, eyes narrowing.
"It's begun," he whispered.
"What's begun?"
But Kaz didn't answer. Not then.
---
The next day, they traveled south toward the township of Elbrid, a small settlement nestled at the base of the Cloudspire Hills. Rumors had followed them—whispers of a beast terrorizing the outskirts. Livestock slaughtered. Watchmen wounded. Crops ruined. The townsfolk feared something more than a wild animal.
Kaz saw an opportunity.
"We need tools. Food. Shelter. We can trade a service for coin," he said.
Seth raised an eyebrow. "You mean monster hunting?"
Kaz nodded once.
They approached the town head, a broad-shouldered woman named Nima Varin, who kept a ceremonial spear mounted behind her desk.
"You're travelers," she said, skeptical. "Not mercenaries."
"We solve problems," Kaz replied simply.
Nima leaned forward. "You kill this thing, and you'll eat like kings. Fail—and don't come back."
Kaz agreed. No coin upfront. Payment on success.
That night, Kaz and Seth trekked up the hill trails under moonlight, following clawed footprints and broken trees. At the summit, they found an old shack—abandoned, half-swallowed by vines and decay. No beast in sight. No signs of struggle.
They returned to town, and over a bowl of broth at a tavern, asked an elder about the shack.
The old man leaned in close, eyes wide with memory.
"There was a couple who lived up there. Good folk, kept to themselves. Had a baby—strange child. White hair, red eyes, claws like bone blades. Looked human, but not."
"A mutant?" Kaz asked carefully.
The elder shuddered. "We called it a demon. Folks were scared. Drove the family up the hills. Said it was a truce. But some didn't trust that. One night, a few men went up with torches. Never came back the same. Said something… monstrous came outta the dark. Most didn't speak of it again."
Kaz sat in silence. His face unreadable. But inside, he burned with guilt.
"It was my fault," he muttered under his breath.
---
The next evening, Kaz and Seth returned to the hills. They camped outside the shack, waiting.
As the sun dipped low and shadows stretched long, something stirred.
A boy stepped from the brush, no older than Seth, eyes glowing like rubies, hair pale as snow.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, voice calm but edged with suspicion.
Kaz stood. "We're not here to hurt you. I know what you are. I know it was you who attacked the townsfolk."
The boy's form shimmered—and he exploded into the shape of a massive bear, roaring and charging.
Kaz didn't move.
But Seth did.
He threw himself in front of Kaz, raising his hands. A shimmering dome of blue light burst into being, shielding them both from the bear's assault.
"I don't know what's going on," Seth shouted, "but I won't let you die!"
The bear recoiled. Kaz looked at Seth—truly looked—for the first time in years.
Then, like lightning, he struck.
Kaz vanished from sight, reappearing in front of the bear. But the boy shifted again—this time into a robin, darting through the air. Kaz's eyes tracked him. He leapt, snatching the bird midflight. It became a snake, coiling around his neck, fangs bared.
Kaz grabbed its neck, firmly but without hate.
"You're not a monster," he said. "You're just lost."
The snake stilled—then shifted back to the boy, now unconscious.
Kaz carried him gently.
---
Inside the shack, they laid the boy on an old bed. Kaz lit a fire and began cooking a stew from wild boar and dried herbs. The smell filled the space.
The boy stirred. His eyes fluttered open.
"Don't move too fast," Kaz said, offering a wooden bowl and spoon. "Eat."
The boy hesitated, then took the bowl.
"What's your name?" Seth asked.
The boy looked down, touching the locket around his neck.
"Ren," he said. "That's the name on this."
He explained, in quiet words, how he'd survived alone. How he'd listened to human voices, learned from animals. How he'd once been loved, then abandoned.
Kaz listened, his heart heavy.
"You're like me," Kaz said. "And him. Changed by something old and powerful. We're not going to leave you here."
---
The next day, Kaz activated a Zevarin device—an illusion module. He wrapped the carcass of the boar in the projection of a monstrous creature and returned to Elbrid with Ren, now in the form of a small mouse hidden in Kaz's pack.
The townsfolk cheered. Nima kept her word. They were paid in gold and gear. A feast was held, and for one night, Seth and Kaz tasted peace again.
At dawn, as they packed to leave, Nima presented them with a gift: a hover-RV, rusted but functional.
"May this carry you far from trouble," she said.
Kaz examined the chassis. "I can work with this."
Seth grinned. "Better than walking."
Ren, now in human form again, climbed aboard, eyes unreadable.
They rolled out of Elbrid as the morning mist lifted.
Behind them, rumors would grow of the strangers who had tamed the beast in the hills.
Ahead of them, a hundred unknown roads twisted into fate.
But for now, they were three.
The silent guardian, the curious child, and the boy who could change form
And the dark figure which followed them
And the war that waited beyond the stars would soon find them again.