Chapter 1: The Edge of Everything Aloin had always known the world could be unkind. At seventeen, he had grown accustomed to the orphanage's cold, indifferent stares, the way the other kids treated him like he was something fragile. In truth, he was. With a heart too big for his slight frame and eyes that saw too much, Aloin navigated life with the caution of a scared puppy and the grace of a shy cat. The night was unusually quiet, a velvet blanket of stars overhead as Aloin slipped through the streets of the small town. The orphanage's curfew was long past, but he needed this-these moments of solitude where he could breathe without the weight of judgment. His breath hitched as he turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with a figure cloaked in darkness. The man's eyes glowed with an unnatural light, a glint that sent a shiver down Aloin's spine. "You're Aloin," the man said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to echo off the walls. (To be continued...)