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ECLIPSE ASCENSION
Hakira stood at the edge of Thalor's ruin, a Ki storm brewing overhead. He looked down at the glowing Ki Marker on his wrist—still unreadable.
"I don't know what I am," he whispered. "But I know I can't stay here."
He turned… and walked into the unknown.
---
New Land: The Verdant Fringe
Three days of travel brought Hakira to a massive overgrown canyon glowing with green light—the Verdant Fringe, home of the Crylani, an ancient jungle civilization known for living in harmony with Ki Beasts.
Giant mushrooms hummed with energy, trees whispered with motion, and the very air shimmered with life.
As Hakira stepped onto the root bridge leading into the village, he was immediately tackled to the ground.
By a guy munching on fried fruit.
"Yoo, you got the look of someone being hunted. You running from debt? Girls? Assassins?"
Hakira blinked.
The guy had silver-white messy hair, gym shorts, sandals… and was holding a chip bag. In a jungle.
"Name's Roko. Local legend. Or wandering weirdo, depending on who you ask."
Hakira stood up slowly. "You live here?"
"Nope," Roko said. "I nap here. Big difference."
---
Enter: Trouble
The jungle roared.
A Ki Beast crashed into the clearing—a hulking mantis with crystal-bladed limbs and eyes like red moons.
The Crylani hunters shouted from the treetops, arrows flying. The beast didn't care. It was enraged—and headed straight for the village.
"Can you fight?" Hakira asked Roko.
Roko shrugged. "Nah. I'm just gonna cheer you on from here."
Hakira charged in.
He leapt off a root, aiming for the beast's blind spot—but misjudged, and nearly got flattened. He rolled away, breathing hard.
"You okay?" Roko called, now eating roasted berries.
"HELP!"
"Okay, okay…"
Roko sighed, dusted himself off, then walked calmly up to the beast.
It roared—and Roko poked its forehead.
BOOM.
The entire clearing exploded in a flash of Ki.
The beast crumpled. Unconscious. One touch.
"…What did you do?" Hakira asked, stunned.
"Me? Nothing. The beast fainted from your amazing courage," Roko smirked. "Also, I have a thing called Lazy Ki. I use it once a week. Today was your lucky day."
---
The Crylani Village
The Crylani welcomed Hakira and Roko as guests.
There, Hakira met Lirae—a young Crylani Ascender-in-training. She wore a half-mask, twin blades at her side, and had violet hair that shimmered like moonlight.
She studied Hakira carefully.
"Your Ki is… wrong," she said.
"Yeah. I get that a lot."
She smiled faintly. "Wrong is just another kind of rare."
---
Mystery in the Shadows
That night, while the village celebrated, a figure watched from the high vines.
Cloaked in shadow, with twin glowing eyes.
The Watcher.
He murmured: "Eclipseborn, Crylani, and the Sleeper converge… just as fate foretold."
And from his hand, a Rift Crystal pulsed.
---
End of Chapter 3