Prologue: The Mark of the Forgotten

The sky over Astria was a muted gray, the wind carrying the whispers of a city on the brink of change. In the bustling streets, hunters of every rank hustled between guild halls, markets, and the countless gates that punctuated the land. Among them, a boy moved unnoticed, his shoulders hunched and his eyes downcast. Kael Ardyn had always been weak, overlooked, and dismissed—a shadow among those who wielded power with ease.

He watched from the sidelines as S-Rank hunters paraded their strength, their presence commanding respect and awe. Among them was Lyra Selene, her silver hair catching the sunlight, her twin swords an extension of her will. Even from a distance, Kael could feel her strength radiating, a standard he would never reach… not yet.

Kael’s life had been defined by failure. No gate, no dungeon, no trial had ever gone in his favor. He had been the weakest hunter, laughed at, scorned, and left behind. But even in the depths of despair, a spark of determination had never died.

Tonight, that spark would ignite.

A crimson mark appeared on Kael’s left hand, glowing faintly under the street lamps. It pulsed as if alive, whispering promises of power and potential. Kael stared at it in disbelief, his heart racing. He had been forgotten by the world… but perhaps he was not forgotten by fate.

The air shimmered, and in the distance, a gate pulsed with dark energy—a new trial, a new beginning. Kael knew that stepping through it would change everything. Strength, survival, power—all hung in the balance.

He clenched his fists, determination burning in his chest. "I may have been weak," he whispered to the night, "but that ends now. I will rise, and I will not be forgotten."

As the city slept, unaware of the storm that was about to awaken, Kael Ardyn took his first step toward destiny. The hunter who would change the world was no longer a shadow. He was a spark… ready to ignite a blaze that none would forget.