The sky was oThe Day the Sky Burnedn fire.

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Chapter 1:

The sky was oThe Day the Sky Burnedn fire.

Kai stood on the rooftop of his apartment building, staring at the massive glowing object tearing through the clouds. It wasn’t a dream. The asteroid—codename “Genesis”—was real, and it was falling fast.

Phones had stopped working hours ago. The internet was dead. Sirens screamed in the distance, but Kai already knew what everyone else was starting to realize.

This was the end of the world.

A flash blinded him.

Then, darkness.

---

He awoke to silence. No birds, no sirens. Just the faint crackle of burning debris.

The city of Arkadia was gone. Skyscrapers had collapsed into smoking ruins. The air shimmered strangely—like heatwaves—but cooler. Breathing felt… different. Thicker.

Kai stumbled through the rubble, wounded but alive. Around him, bodies lay scattered—some frozen mid-run, some turned to dust. Yet, amid the chaos, strange glowing crystals jutted from the earth, humming with unknown energy.

One of them pulsed as Kai passed. A shard broke off and slammed into his chest.

He screamed.

The crystal melted into his body, flooding him with unbearable pain—then power.

Visions. Symbols. Voices in forgotten tongues. And then, silence.

---

Three days later.

Kai sat by a fire, staring at his hands. Sparks of blue light danced across his fingertips.

He had magic.

Somehow, whatever the asteroid brought—it awakened something ancient in the world. And in him.

The land around him had changed too. Forests had sprung from the ashes of cities. Creatures he’d only seen in legends now prowled the night. The Earth was no longer Earth.

It was a new world.

A fantasy world.

That’s when he heard footsteps behind him—soft, careful.

He turned.

She was beautiful. Long silver hair, emerald eyes that shimmered with mana, and a cloak made of living vines. She held a wooden staff, but her presence alone radiated power.

“You’re not like the others,” she said softly, stepping into the firelight. “You survived the merging.”

“Who are you?” Kai asked.

“My name is Elyra,” she said, eyes narrowing slightly. “And if we don’t leave now, we’ll both be eaten.”

“By what?”

She didn’t answer.

A roar shook the trees.

From the darkness, a massive beast emerged—twice the size of a bear, with molten eyes and tusks of crystal.

Kai stood, mana burning in his blood.

He didn’t know how, but his instincts screamed at him to fight.

Elyra smiled faintly.

“Let’s see if the new king of this world is worthy of survival.”

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End of Chapter 1

Chapter 2 now

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Chapter 2: The Beast in the Flame

The creature stepped into the firelight, its molten eyes fixed on Kai. Its body was covered in scales that shimmered like obsidian, and steam rose from its nostrils with every breath. Its tusks—long, jagged, and glowing—looked like they could pierce stone.

Kai’s heart pounded, but the mana coursing through his veins surged in response. It whispered to him—not in words, but in instincts, in potential.

Elyra raised her staff. "A flame tusk. They weren’t supposed to be this far north yet.”

Kai clenched his fists. “Tell me how to kill it.”

The elf gave him a sideways glance. “You're new to magic. You’ll die if you try.”

“Then help me.”

She paused. Then smiled.

“Very well. Try not to burn.”

---

The flame tusk charged, shaking the ground beneath them. Elyra chanted in an ancient tongue, green vines bursting from the earth to entangle the beast’s legs. It roared, snapping them with a single twist, but it was slowed.

Kai raised his hand. Energy gathered in his palm—wild, unrefined, but powerful.

He unleashed it.

A bolt of blue fire surged from his hand, slamming into the creature’s shoulder. It howled, skidding sideways. But it wasn’t enough.

“Again!” Elyra shouted.

Kai focused, trying to harness the same surge. But it fizzled.

The beast recovered and charged him directly.

He dove aside just in time—but not before its tusk grazed his arm. Pain exploded in his side.

“Kai!” Elyra’s voice echoed.

He rolled, blood dripping down his arm. The beast turned for a second strike.

No. Not like this.

He planted his feet, thrust both hands forward, and screamed.

This time the magic answered.

Not a bolt—an explosion.

A burst of raw energy erupted from his body in a shockwave, knocking the flame tusk off its feet and blowing back Elyra’s hair in a gust of arcane wind.

The beast crashed into a tree with a sickening crunch. It didn’t rise again.

Silence returned.

---

Kai collapsed to one knee, panting.

Elyra approached, her eyes wide. “That wasn’t a beginner’s spell. That was... primal magic. You channeled raw aether.”

“Felt like I was going to tear apart,” Kai muttered.

“You might have,” she said. “But you didn’t. That kind of power… it’s rare. Dangerous.”

He looked at her. “What does that make me?”

She smiled faintly. “Someone the world will soon notice.”

---

That night, they camped by the fire. Elyra healed his arm with a glowing touch, and as the flames danced between them, she spoke of what had come.

“The Genesis Shard—the asteroid—was no accident. It was a prison. For something ancient. The impact shattered the veil between worlds. Magic returned, but so did the things that once hunted mankind.”

Kai stared into the fire. “And I have a piece of it inside me?”

Elyra nodded. “Yes. You’re a Shardborn now.”

He leaned back. “So what happens next?”

She looked at him with a mix of caution and curiosity.

“That depends. Will you hide from this power… or will you rule it?”

Kai didn’t answer immediately. But deep in his chest, where the crystal had merged with his soul, a warmth stirred—like a heartbeat.

“I think it’s time I find out.”

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End of Chapter 2

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