Kairios, a devoted young cleric of Solthren, stands at the threshold of his pilgrimage, the sacred rite that will define his purpose beyond the temple walls. Within the quiet stone halls, he is entrusted with a lantern bearing Solthren’s flame, a symbol of both his duty and the trials to come. As the elders look on, Kairios swears his oath, to protect the weak, to heal the suffering, and to endure whatever the fire demands of him.

Leaving the only home he has ever known, Kairios steps into a world far less certain than the teachings of the temple. The road is quiet at first, but unease lingers in the air. Whispers of unrest and unseen danger seem to follow him, carried by the wind through the forest.

As night falls, Kairios makes camp beneath the trees, the glow of his lantern offering both comfort and isolation. It is here that something strange occurs, a faint, unnatural marking etched into a nearby tree reacts subtly to his flame. The moment is brief, almost easy to dismiss, but it leaves behind a quiet sense that something is watching… or waiting.

The silence of the forest is soon broken by a distant scream.

Kairios rises without hesitation, gripping his lantern as both weapon and light, and moves toward the sound. His training has prepared him for hardship, but not for what lies ahead. As he pushes forward into the darkness, the line between faith and fear begins to blur.

The journey has begun, and the trial of fire has already taken its first step.

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