Hunter Of The Six Realms

Prologue

Past

Aralyn's hands trembled as she held a thick black book. The cover was cracked and worn, the leather faded from age. It looked ancient, like it had no business still existing. Her swollen belly pressed against the front of her long black dress, stretching the faded white floral patterns nearly to tearing.

She'd read the book more times than she could count. But tonight felt different. Her heart raced as different thoughs went through her mind.

She walked to the center of the room, where candles flickered on the stone floor, and sat down carefully, ignoring the dull ache in her legs.

Her breath caught as she opened the cover.

On the first page, a single line written in jagged ink:

"Let this never be forgotten."

She turned the page, one hand resting on her stomach instinctively.

"Thousands of years ago, the realms lived divided—0 Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Shadow, and the sealed Realm of Beasts."

The baby shifted slightly, a part of her stomach rising a little, showing the movement of the child.

"Each realm had its laws, its rulers, its pride. There was no peace. But there was balance. Until a child was born, carrying all five elemental gifts."

Her fingers froze mid-page.

She'd seen that line before. She hated it. It said everything she had feared since the day she first felt fire in her veins. Since the whispers of earth, water, and ice started to creep in, uninvited. Since shadows stopped obeying. Since the labour refused to start even when the child was perfectly healthy.

She was a Shadow wielder. She should never have felt the other elements. But she did. And most of all, being pregnant with a child for three years was unheard of.

That was when she went digging and found this book buried deep in the ruins beneath the old Shadow archives. A cursed history. Every realm had a copy, passed down among the few trusted to guard it. Most people called it a myth. A scary bedtime story. But she knew better.

Because the impossible was growing inside her.

"That child wasn't a savior. He was power without limits. He didn't unite the realms. He conquered them. When the clans fought back, he crushed them. The Shadow Clan was the first to fall, wiped out as a warning to the others."

Her chest tightened.

"He burned cities, froze rivers, split mountains and shattered the seal to the Beast Realm. The monsters came through and mllions died. The other realms only joined forces when there was no other choice. And even then… it took everything to bring him down."

She clenched her fists.

"He was only nineteen when he was finally defeated and killed."

Tears blurred her vision, but she wiped them away fast.

"A pact was made. Every two hundred years, a five-element weilder was born. If the blood moon appeared, it meant the child was born. And that child had to die… before the power awakened."

She slammed the book shut and the sound echoed through the quiet room.

She had waited ten years for this child. She and her husband had tried everything, spells, healers, even forbidden rituals, but nothing worked.

Until finally, this one came.

Her husband was gone. Killed three years ago when the High Council burntt the Shadow Clan to ash. They said it was "necessary." Said it was prevention. He gave his life to protect her and the baby she carried. Everyone else in the clan was gone except her.

All because this time, it was Shadow's turn.

The last five-element wielder had come from Earth. Before that, Ice. Before that, Water. Before that, Fire.

Now? Shadow.

They wanted to end the cycle. Make sure no child was born. But they failed, because somehow, she still lived.

And her baby, the one growing stronger every day in her womb, the one she's been carrying for three years, was that child.

He was the last thing she had from her husband. From her people. From who she used to be. And she wasn't going to let the world take him away too.

"I won't let anyone take you from me."

---

Five Days Later

The cart rattled over rough forest ground, wheels jerking with every loose stone. Thunder rumbled somewhere high above. Rain was coming, but Aralyn didn't care.

She was curled in the back of the cart, one hand gripping the wooden edge, the other wrapped tight around her stomach. Her whole body shook with pain.

The contractions had started hours ago. Now, they were worse. Sharper and closer.

She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming. Blood filled her mouth, but she swallowed it.

No one could hear her. No one could know what she was about to give birth to.

That's why she had left the town behind. Why she pushed this far out into the forest alone. She couldn't risk being seen, not while giving birth to this child.

Her last bit of magic was cloaking the cart. Every drop was being used to hide her presence and the raw surge of power building inside her son. She could still feel the elements swirling inside him.

He wasn't even born yet, and he was already stronger than anyone had the right to be.

Her vision swam, she fought to stay conscious. She couldn't pass out, not now.

Then the cart hit a larger rock and jolted violently. Her breath caught as a sharp pain overwhelmed her and she felt the strong urge to push.

"No… not now… not yet…"

But it was too late, it was happening...the baby was coming, finally!

---

Hours Later

The rain had already started falling hard and had turned the ground to mud. The forest reeked of wet leaves and cold dirt.

Aralyn sat slumped beneath the roots of a large tree by the riverbank. Her hair clung to her face, soaked. Her black dress was torn and blood-stained. In her arms… was her son.

He was breathing. Quiet, still but alive.

He didn't cry.

He just stared at her, eyes wide, fists clenched, like he already understood what he was.

She swallowed and brushed the wet hair from his forehead.

"Hey…" she whispered. "You look just like your father…but the only difference is your white hair."

Hot Tears ran freely down her cheeks. She didn't bother hiding them.

"I was going to name you something strong. Something that'd make him proud. But I don't think I'll get the chance."

The baby blinked, calm.

"I wanted to raise you. I wanted you to grow up with love… with peace… but that's not the life you're getting."

Her hands trembled. A faint purple glow shimmered in her palm, the little magic she had left.

She pulled the cloth tighter around his small body and laid him gently on a smooth stone beside her.

Then she placed both hands over his chest.

"If I don't seal your powers… they'll find you. The blood moon will appear. And they'll come."

She focused. Forced herself to channel her remaining energy into him.

Inside him, the elements were wild, Shadow, Fire, Water, Ice, Earth...all packed into a single body. No one was supposed to hold this much power, especially not a freaking new born. She could feel the raw power exuding his body. He felt like a ticking bomb.

Her body trembled as she pushed forward. Her magic burned from the inside out. Her eyes bled purple light. She was performing a forbidden binding spell.

"I bind you," she whispered, voice cracking. "I seal what they fear. You'll grow up safe. No magic, no five elements, no danger."

Her hands flashed black, then everything disappeared, her magic was gone.

Her breath came in short gasps as her head dropped.

Then finally, at that moment...the baby cried.

The sound went straight to her heart, and she let out a wet exhausted laugh.

"Good… you're here…you're healthy."

She tucked him in a clean cloth hidden in her robe and pulled him close. Then, with all the strength she had left, she stood. Her legs trembled, she could already feel that her body was shutting down. She had exhausted all the magic she had left and she knew she wouldn't last long.

With one step at a time, she left the tree and walked down the slope, passed through trees and headed into the town. She didn't stop until she reached a small cottage.

There were no guards in sigh. Just a warm home that felt safe.

She laid him on the doorstep and kissed his forehead.

"Please…" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Grow up happy. Please be kind. Please don't let them make you a monster. Please don't become the one thing they feared."

She stood back, tears flowing freely now.

"Please… be safe."

Then she turned and ran.

She didn't get more than twenty steps before her legs gave out and she stumbled down the muddy slope, crashing into the cold river at the bottom.

The current pulled her under.

And just before the darkness took her completely, she whispered one final word.

"…Please."