Chapter 3 Stirring Shadows

Kael's world was still small, confined mostly to the crib where he spent his days. His body, fragile and weak, wasn't capable of much beyond basic movements. He could lift his hands now, clumsy as they were, and follow the faint outlines of faces that leaned over him. But it wasn't his body that Kael focused on—it was his mind. Sharp and far more alert than anyone around him knew, his thoughts raced ahead of his physical development.

The Drakhar estate was vast, its grandeur apparent even to someone as young as Kael. The shadows of the tall banners that lined the halls seemed to ripple with an unseen energy, a presence Kael couldn't yet understand. He had no real concept of cultivation, not in the way others might, but there was a feeling—something stirring beneath the surface, something waiting to be discovered. He wasn't ready yet, his body too small and too weak, but he could sense the potential lying dormant within him.

Riven came to visit him occasionally, usually after his training sessions. His brother was already well into his own path, far ahead of Kael in every possible way. Riven had begun his cultivation early, praised constantly by their father and others in the clan. Even without fully understanding what that meant, Kael could see the way Riven carried himself—the confidence, the power, and the subtle arrogance of someone who knew they were destined for greatness.

One afternoon, Riven stood over Kael's crib, his expression a mixture of amusement and pride. "Still just a baby, aren't you?" he said softly, though Kael could sense the undercurrent of superiority in his tone. "You'll grow up soon enough, I suppose. But by then, I'll be so far ahead, you'll never catch up."

Kael couldn't respond, his infant body unable to do much more than blink and move his hands slightly. But inside, his mind was sharp, his thoughts focused. Even without understanding everything Riven said, he grasped the meaning behind it. His brother was already powerful, already cultivating at a level Kael couldn't touch for years. But that didn't matter—not yet.

Riven's smirk lingered as he turned to leave, his voice carrying a final comment as he walked away. "Don't disappoint the family, little brother."

Days turned into weeks, and Kael's awareness of the world around him grew sharper. Though he couldn't actively cultivate, there was something within him that stirred—an instinctual sense of potential. He couldn't describe it, not in words, but he could feel the faint hum of energy in the world around him. The power his family wielded, the techniques they spoke of in hushed tones—it was all part of a greater web that Kael would one day be a part of. But for now, he could only observe.

His mother visited him often, holding him in her arms and whispering to him about the future. "Riven is progressing quickly," she would say, her voice filled with a mix of pride and expectation. "But you, Kael... you are different. I can feel it. There is something unique about you."

Her words washed over him, and though he couldn't fully understand them yet, he absorbed the weight of her expectations. She saw something in him—something beyond what she saw in Riven. But Kael was still just a newborn, still bound to his crib, unable to act on anything.

Then there were the nights.

It was during the quiet hours, when the estate was dark and still, that Kael began to sense something more. A presence, almost like a whisper, lingered at the edge of his awareness. It wasn't a voice—not exactly—but more of a sensation. It came and went, faint and fleeting, but each time it appeared, Kael's mind was drawn to it.

He didn't understand it yet. It was too early for him to make sense of what it was, but the feeling was there, like a shadow stretching across his mind. Sometimes, in the dead of night, he would lie awake in his crib, staring into the darkness, and he could almost feel it reaching out to him—a pull, a beckoning from something beyond his current understanding.

He didn't know what it was, and perhaps he wasn't supposed to. Not yet.

As the weeks passed, Kael's body slowly began to grow stronger. He could sit up now, though his movements were still unsteady. He could grasp objects, though not with the precision or strength he would need later. His mind, however, was already racing far ahead, absorbing everything around him. The conversations of the servants, the distant sound of his father's deep voice as he spoke with other elders of the clan, the whispers of his mother as she spoke of power, legacy, and the future—all of it formed the backdrop of Kael's early life.

He could sense the weight of expectation, even though he couldn't fully understand it yet. His brother was already a rising star, the favored heir of the Drakhar family, but Kael felt something different stirring within him. There was a power in the darkness, a shadow that lingered just beyond his reach, waiting for him to grow strong enough to grasp it.

For now, he remained silent, observing the world around him. He couldn't cultivate yet, not like Riven or the others, but he knew that his time would come.