The moment Akin finished the last bite of roasted meat, he felt it — a powerful pulse deep within the land, calling out to him like a heartbeat.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, adjusted the dark blue cloak around his shoulders, and set off, drawn by the invisible thread tugging at his spirit.
The cursed forest was thick and menacing, but it no longer scared him. The air that once suffocated him now felt almost welcoming, as if the land itself recognized him as one of its own.
Step by step, he moved forward, following the rhythmic surges of energy that guided his path.
It wasn't an easy journey.
The trees seemed to stretch endlessly, some gnarled and blackened, others twisted into unnatural shapes by centuries of dark magic. Strange whispers rode the wind, voices of those who once roamed the land freely, now trapped by the curse.
Akin pressed on. He was no longer the boy who had clawed his way into a cave, broken and desperate. He walked tall now, confident, his eyes burning with determination.
After nearly an hour of trekking, he finally found it.
In a small clearing, half-buried in the scorched earth, lay a massive stone — a comet-like structure — unlike anything Akin had ever seen.
It radiated a blindingly strong aura, the very ground trembling softly around it.
He approached slowly, cautious but curious.
"What is this?" he whispered under his breath.
The familiar voice of the deity echoed in his mind.
"It's not from Elarian. It's foreign... otherworldly. I have never sensed such power here before. It could be a fragment of a higher realm, or perhaps the remains of a high-ranking deity's weapon or spirit."
Akin circled the stone, his cloak brushing against the charred grass, his mind racing.
He tilted his head, studying the strange veins of blue and black light that ran across the rock's surface.
"So... what do I do?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else.
"You must claim it," the deity advised. "It may be painful... but it will be worth it."
Akin cracked his knuckles and chuckled dryly.
"Alright. I got it. Just gotta take it. Hope it doesn't fry me alive," he said, half-joking.
Bracing himself, he extended his hand and pressed his palm against the cold surface.
The effect was immediate.
The ground erupted in a violent surge of energy — a blinding explosion of blue and black light shot into the sky, shaking the cursed forest to its roots.
Far beyond Elarian, across mountains and seas, across kingdoms that had long since forgotten their sins, the shockwave was felt.
In Empheria's grand capital, the high mage Jerzon, seated atop the sacred tower, snapped his eyes open, his meditation shattered.
In Vorthall, the council of seven knights looked to the heavens in fear.
Even the demon tribes lurking in the northern wastelands felt the ripple of unnatural power.
Something had awakened.
And it wasn't them.
Back in the clearing, Akin struggled against the overwhelming tide of energy.
The deity's voice rang sharply:
"Contain it! Draw it into yourself, or it will destroy you!"
Akin gritted his teeth, sweat beading his forehead.
The energy tore at his body, testing him, threatening to rip him apart — but he refused to let go.
He focused, imagining the wild energy as water pouring into a vessel — and he willed himself to be that vessel.
Slowly, painfully, the chaotic power began seeping into him.
His feet lifted off the ground.
He hovered several meters into the air, his body bathed in a dazzling light show of blue, black, and white.
Marks and runes began to carve themselves onto his skin, burning but beautiful — living tattoos of ancient origin.
It was agony and ecstasy all at once.
His mind expanded.
His senses sharpened.
He could feel the heartbeats of creatures miles away, the slow turning of the planet itself, even the silent cries of the ancient land of Elarian.
Knowledge poured into him — fragments of lost histories, spells woven from the fabric of existence, forgotten truths.
The power changed him.
It didn't just make him stronger.
It made him more.
After what felt like an eternity, the last tendrils of energy drained into his core.
Akin slowly floated down, landing with a soft thud onto the scorched earth.
He stumbled at first, adjusting to the incredible weight of his new power.
Then he grinned, breathing heavily, exhilarated.
"Hah... So this is what real power feels like," he muttered, clenching his fist and watching tiny arcs of black and blue lightning dance across his skin.
The stone, now dull and lifeless, cracked and crumbled into dust behind him.
The deity's voice returned, sounding oddly amused.
"Congratulations... You just became a problem for this world."
Akin laughed breathlessly.
"Good," he said. "Let them come."
He gazed out toward the distant horizon, the cursed forest stretching endlessly before him.
The energy of the land no longer felt chaotic or hostile.
It felt... familiar. Alive. As if the land itself had accepted him as its own.
He smiled, his new aura radiating like a second sun.
"Elarian, huh?" he said, softly but firmly. "I'll revive you. You'll be my new home. And together... we'll make those who wronged you pay."
As he turned to leave, a sudden rumble shook the ground beneath him.
Akin looked back over his shoulder.
Far in the distance, storm clouds gathered unnaturally fast, swirling black and furious.
Something had noticed his awakening.
Something ancient.
Something angry.
Akin's grin widened.
"Come at me," he said under his breath, walking forward into the future that awaited him — a future drenched in blood, fire, and glory.