Book One – Chapter 14

It started in his arm, where the staff had embedded its roots into his flesh, and spread outward like a flood breaking through a dam. Comfort surged through Nagrak, unnatural and absolute. His muscles stiffened, his vision blurred with tears he did not realise he was shedding, and his breath caught in his throat, replaced by ragged gasps. His chest heaved, his knees threatened to give way, yet he did not collapse. The sensation was too consuming, too much to process, filling every corner of his body, every nerve, every instinct.

The cold that had defined his existence, the aches from his battered form, the stinging humiliation of his countless failures — all of it melted away. He was surrounded by the Full Dark, enveloped in Teharun’s darkness, and within it, the warmth became his world. For this moment, it was all he knew.

This had to be the staff awakening. There was no other explanation. It was alive, and it had recognised him. It was not just a weapon; it was something greater, something that chose. And it had acknowledged his potential, validated his belief, his purpose. The waiting, the ridicule, the years of being overshadowed and overlooked — all of it had been leading to this. This was why the mountain had withheld his awakening. Not because he was unworthy, but because he was meant for more. The staff was his destiny, and it had finally arrived.