The Supreme Alpha

Kael Draven was running for his life. Technically, he wasn't supposed to be running for his life. He had only stolen a loaf of bread. A single loaf. One. Unfortunately, the merchant whose bread he had stolen seemed to believe that the crime deserved nothing less than a public execution. "GET HIM!" Kael glanced over his shoulder. Six men were charging after him. Six. He looked back at the bread tucked beneath his arm. Then at the six furious guards. Then back at the bread. "This is getting ridiculous," he muttered. He increased his pace. Blackridge was the poorest district of the city, but Kael knew every alley, broken wall, abandoned building and shortcut in it. The guards didn't. That was the only reason he was still alive. He turned sharply into a narrow alley. "He's going left!" "No! He went right!" Kael grinned. They were arguing already. Perfect. He slipped behind a pile of wooden crates and waited. The guards thundered past. "Where did he go?" "I don't know!" "Find him!" Kael held his breath. One of the guards stopped. Slowly, the man's head turned toward the crates. Kael's smile disappeared. The guard stepped closer. One step. Two. Three. Then Kael heard another guard shouting from the opposite end of the alley. "I FOUND HIM!" The guard beside Kael immediately ran away. Kael waited until the footsteps disappeared. Then he quietly stepped out. "That was close." He looked at the bread. It was slightly crushed. Kael sighed. "Sorry." He took a bite. His expression immediately brightened. "Still good." He walked toward the eastern edge of Blackridge. At seventeen, Kael had learned several important lessons. The first was that hunger didn't care whether you had money. The second was that rich people hated poor people touching their belongings. The third was that running was considerably easier when you knew where you were going. And the fourth... Never steal from a merchant who employs six guards. He had clearly forgotten the fourth lesson. Again. Blackridge slowly became quieter as Kael walked deeper into the district. The streets were lined with old wooden houses, patched roofs and walls that looked as though they were one strong wind away from collapsing. Children played near a broken fountain. An old woman sat outside her home, sorting vegetables. Several workers were returning from the factories beyond the city walls. Nobody paid much attention to Kael. That was normal. Kael was good at being unnoticed. He had no famous surname. No wealthy parents. No powerful relatives. No special position. As far as everyone knew, he was simply an orphan who had been found seventeen years ago outside an abandoned temple. There had been no note. No identification. No family crest. Nothing. Just a baby wrapped in a dark blanket. The old woman who found him had named him Kael. The surname Draven had been given to him years later because someone had noticed a strange symbol embroidered inside the blanket. Nobody knew what it meant. Kael had never cared enough to find out. At least, that's what he told himself. He reached a small wooden house at the edge of Blackridge. "You're late." Kael froze. Mira Veyne stood in the doorway. She was holding her arms across her chest. Her dark hair was tied behind her head, and her expression suggested she had already heard about whatever stupid thing Kael had done this time. Kael smiled innocently. "Am I?" "You are." "I don't think so." "You were supposed to bring water twenty minutes ago." Kael looked at the empty bucket beside the door. Then he looked at the loaf of bread. Mira's eyes narrowed. "Did you steal that?" Kael looked offended. "Steal is such an ugly word." "What would you call it?" "Emergency redistribution." Mira stared at him. Kael took another bite. "Want some?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Kael." "Fine." He held the bread out anyway. Mira pushed his hand away. "You are going to get yourself killed one day." Kael shrugged. "Not today." "You don't know that." "I've survived seventeen years." "Mostly because you're lucky." Kael's smile faded slightly. "Maybe." Mira noticed. She always did. Mira was one of the few people who knew that Kael joked whenever a conversation became too serious. She had known him since they were children. They had grown up in the same district, shared countless meals, arguments and punishments. If Kael was trouble, Mira was usually the person who had to explain the trouble to somebody else. She sighed. "Come inside." Kael followed. The small house contained almost nothing. Two beds. A wooden table. A few chairs. A cracked lantern. And a small shelf filled with books that Mira had collected over the years. Kael sat down. Mira placed a cup of water in front of him. "You have the academy examination tomorrow." Kael stopped chewing. "I know." "You're actually going?" "Of course." Mira stared at him. "Kael, you can't even generate enough Aether to light a candle." Kael swallowed. "That's rude." "It's true." "Still rude." Aether. The energy that existed inside every living human being. Some people possessed enormous quantities of it. Others had barely enough to survive. Those who awakened their Aether could train their bodies beyond normal human limits. They could become warriors, hunters, guardians, nobles and even rulers. The Royal Academy accepted only the most talented young people in the kingdom. Kael had no business being there. Everyone knew it. The examination fee alone was more money than he could save in several months. Yet somehow, Kael had obtained enough. Mira looked at him suspiciously. "Where did you get the examination fee?" Kael smiled. "I have my ways." "Kael." "I worked." "For how long?" "Long enough." "Doing what?" "Various things." Mira sighed. "You sold something." Kael looked away. "What makes you think that?" "Because I know you." Silence. Kael reached beneath his shirt. His fingers touched a small object hanging around his neck. A pendant. It was old. Very old. The metal was dark and scratched, with a strange symbol carved into its surface. Kael had possessed it for as long as he could remember. He didn't know where it came from. Mira knew. At least, she claimed she did. "Don't lose that," she said quietly. Kael looked at her. "You've said that a hundred times." "And I'll say it a hundred more." "Why?" Mira hesitated. For a moment, something almost like fear crossed her face. Then it disappeared. "Because it's important." Kael waited. She said nothing else. He smiled. "You know something." "No." "You're lying." "I'm not." "You are." "I'm really not." "You're terrible at lying." "And you're terrible at staying out of trouble." "Fair." Mira turned away. Outside, the sun was beginning to disappear behind the city walls. Kael looked through the window. Tomorrow was the academy examination. For some reason, he felt uneasy. He couldn't explain it. The feeling had started that morning. Something was different. Something was coming. He didn't know what. But somewhere deep inside him, beneath the jokes, hunger and constant desire to survive, a strange instinct was whispering. Run. Kael frowned. He had never been afraid of much. But this felt different. That night, he couldn't sleep. He stared at the ceiling for hours. Eventually, exhaustion pulled him under. And then he dreamed. He was standing in a city. But it wasn't Blackridge. The sky was red. Buildings were burning. People were running. Someone was screaming. Kael tried to move, but his feet wouldn't obey him. Then he heard a woman's voice. "Take him." Kael turned. A woman stood several meters away. She was holding a baby. Her face was hidden by shadows. Behind her stood several figures dressed in black. One of them raised a weapon. The woman turned and ran. "STOP!" Kael tried to follow. He couldn't move. The woman disappeared into the flames. Then one of the figures looked directly at him. Kael froze. The stranger's eyes were glowing. "He's alive." Another voice answered. "Impossible." The dream suddenly changed. Kael found himself standing before a gigantic throne. It was made from something that looked like black stone. A symbol was carved into its surface. The same symbol as his pendant. A voice echoed through the darkness. "Return." Kael stepped backward. "Who are you?" The voice answered. "We have been waiting." The throne began to glow. Kael felt something burning against his chest. He looked down. The strange symbol appeared beneath his skin. Then— Kael woke up. He sat upright. His breathing was heavy. For several seconds, he didn't move. The room was dark. The fire in the small fireplace had almost gone out. Kael slowly touched his chest. Nothing. No mark. No burning. Just his skin. He laughed nervously. "Great." He lay back down. "Now I'm dreaming about talking furniture." But before he could close his eyes, he heard something. A sound outside. Footsteps. Kael sat up again. Someone was walking through Blackridge. At this hour? He approached the window. The street below was empty. Almost. At the far end of the road stood a man wearing a long black coat. Kael couldn't see his face. The stranger wasn't moving. He was simply staring at the house. At Kael. Kael's instincts screamed at him. He stepped away from the window. When he looked again— The man was gone. Kael stared at the empty street. Then he noticed something. On the wooden window frame was a small black mark. A symbol. The exact same symbol as his pendant. Kael's smile disappeared. For the first time in years, he felt genuinely afraid. He touched the mark. It vanished. He stepped backward. Outside, somewhere in the darkness, a voice whispered: "Seventeen years..." A pause. Then: "The Draven child survived." Far above Blackridge, on the roof of an abandoned building, the mysterious man stood watching the city. His eyes remained fixed on Kael's window. A second figure approached him. "Are you certain?" The man didn't answer immediately. Then he smiled. "There's no doubt." "What will you do?" The stranger looked toward the eastern horizon. "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Not yet." His expression became strangely serious. "Tomorrow, he enters the academy." The second figure frowned. "And if he awakens?" The man's eyes narrowed. "Then the world will remember why the Draven name was erased." Below them, Kael knew none of this. He returned to his bed. Tomorrow was supposed to be the beginning of a new life. He had no idea it was also the beginning of a war that had been waiting for him for seventeen years. And somewhere deep inside his body... Something had just opened its eyes. END OF CHAPTER 1