the kindom of phising

Chapter 1: The Boy by the Docks The morning mist hung low over the docks of Phising. Wooden boats bobbed against the ropes, their sails still damp from the night. A boy of fifteen, lean and sharp-eyed, stood at the edge, staring into the water. His name was Aren, son of a fisherman, though his father had been missing for three years. The villagers said his father had drowned, but Aren never believed it. The river had taken him—but not by accident. Aren bent closer, and for a heartbeat, he thought he saw a face in the water—hollow eyes, crowned with shadows. He stumbled back, shivering. “Still staring at ghosts, boy?” The gruff voice belonged to Captain Drevos, a retired soldier who now ran the docks. Aren clenched his fists. “It wasn’t a ghost. The river shows me things.” Drevos frowned, as if weighing his words. “Then listen well—if the river speaks to you, it means you’re chosen. And chosen ones never live quiet lives.” Before Aren could answer, a horn sounded from the castle walls. Soldiers rushed toward the marketplace. Something had happened—something that would change Aren’s fate forever.