Chapter 1: A Scavenger's Fate
The sun burned high over Dionis V, a barren wasteland of rock and sand where only the desperate survived. Kael Veyne pulled his tattered cloak tighter around his shoulders, shielding himself from the scorching winds.
"Another dead ruin," he muttered.
The temple ruins before him were like so many others - crumbling stone, half-buried under the shifting sands. Yet, something felt different about this place.
Kael wasn't just a scavenger. He had learned to trust his instincts.
Tightening his grip on his staff, he stepped inside the ruins. Dust and silence greeted him. Faint engravings lined the walls, half-erased by time. He traced a gloved hand over the stone, feeling an odd warmth radiating from within.
Then the ground collapsed beneath him.
Kael plummeted into darkness.