"Thousands of years ago, the world was a beautiful place. People lived peacefully under the guidance of divine beings called the Nios. These Nios were created by God to guide and protect all life. With their help, the world became a paradise where there was no evil, and life was full of peace and joy. People lived lives so perfect that we can barely imagine them now or if u do imagine, we call that haven.
But then, the God who had protected the world from evil died by something unknown . And without Him, dark thoughts and desires began to grow among his creation . Evil, Once only an idea became real. Humans and other intelligent beings started to lose control of their darker urges. Even the Nios, once pure and divine, were corrupted. They turned against each other, fighting for pride and power. Slowly, the world fell into destruction .
The Nios who gave in to evil won. They killed the good ones and grew even stronger from their evil desires. These remaining evil Nios began to rule over humans, forcing people to serve and entertain them. They treated humans as tools, sacrificing them to demons to gain more power. Women were used to give birth to half demon children, men were enslaved, and their blood was used to paint the Nios' evil desires. What was once a heaven on Earth became something closer to hell.
But after centuries of suffering, we saw the hope we needed for years . The sky that felt gray for a long time, turned blue again. And for the first time in ages, people felt the joy of freedom. They remembered what it meant to be human. This hope came from a group of heroes who raised war against the Nios. They called themselves the Neosbane. These champions sacrificed their lives to trap the evil Nios in the depths of hell.
Fifteen years ago, they gave humanity back its what humanity originally was. Now, the last living champions…our protector and ruler works to keep the peace of the earth and humanity and watches over the nations of Earth, keeping the promise to make this world a better place " A woman in her forties said standing before a large group of children, her long red hair flowing over the shoulders of her elegant gown.
Her voice created echo's through the high wooden walls of the grand classroom inside a room of a medieval school.
The children, all around ten years old, sat quietly on thick mattresses spread across the floor. Each had a small wooden table in front of them, holding a few sheets of parchment.
In the front row sat a boy with golden hair and golden eyes . To his right sat a girl with long black hair and striking orange eyes. On her other side was a boy with short black hair, his eyes also a burning shade of orange.
A few rows back, a boy with tousled brown hair suddenly stood up. He raised his hand casually and called out, "So, Teacher... are you getting paid by the king to say all these bullshit tales?? My dad pays for teaching us the real thing not something from past that doesn't matter anymore now? "
The room fell silent.
The woman blinked. "Lio... what do you mean by that? Yes, I'm a teacher...I get paid."
Lio shrugged. "That's not what I meant. The way you are talking about the king...it sounds like he paid you to make you talk about him so that he can make us respect him. He was one of those 'champions' you keep praising, right? I wonder if King Shanglui saved humanity just so he could rule it."
All eyes turned to Lio, stunned by his boldness.
The teacher's face darkened slightly, but she kept her composure. "No. I speak highly of the king and the champions because they deserve respect. Today marks fifteen years since they saved us. That's not just history, it's something you children need to understand. Without them, we would still be living in fear and pain.
You're all too young to understand what that was like. Anyone over fifteen knows the suffering we endured. And as for King Shanglui....if he hadn't taken the throne, we might not have this peaceful world today. He and Commander Douzan rebuilt everything with their divine strength, faster than anyone else could have."
This class was held in a massive wooden hall, one of several schools in "Ula" (the central kingdom of the world and the capital nation of nine Grand Nations)
Ula was filled with medieval-style houses that stretched far and wide, and this school was the closest one to the towering palace that stood in front of a great mountain.
When the lesson ended, the younger students poured out of the classroom, and older students began to file in.
The golden haired boy and the black haired girl walked together down the stone road toward the distant palace, its silhouette sharp against the sky.
"I can't believe Lio said that to your father," the girl muttered. "He should be punished."
"People have the freedom to speak," the boy replied calmly. "And even if he insults my father, it won't change who my father is."
"You're right." she said, nodding. "By the way, where's Doulong?"
"He said he'd join the senior class today. He wants to learn more about mana control."
As they spoke, a group of boys stepped onto the path, blocking their way. Among them stood Lio.
"Look at Selay and Diana," one of the boys jeered. "Walking like a sticky piston ."
The two ignored them and tried to pass, but Lio moved to block them.
"Let us through, Lio," Diana (Black hair girl) said, her voice sharp.
"Only if one of you can beat me in a fight," Lio said with a grin. "You're both weak. It's kind of pathetic, honestly...children of the so called strongest mens in the world, and yet this is all you've got?"
He placed his foot on Diana's dress which was a long, elegant gown woven in soft pinks and embroidered with silver. As she moved, she lost her balance and nearly fell, but Selay ( Golden hair boy) caught her in time.
Selay helped her stand and said coldly, "Maybe try fixing your own broken pride instead of dragging others down."
Lio sneered. "Oh? And what if I don't?"
Before he could finish, Selay stepped forward, clenched his fist, and swung. Lio dodged swiftly and countered, landing a punch deep into Selay's stomach.
Selay cried out in pain but he didn't stop there.
Lio's hand burst into flames, searing through Selay's clothes and burning his skin. Selay collapsed onto the ground, his body writhing in agony.
Diana rushed to his side, kneeling beside him. Her voice trembled as she looked up at Lio.
"What is wrong with you?" Daina said frustrated.
"My problem? You two get treated like you're something special just because you're the king's son and the chief commander's daughter? Even though you're both weaker than most people your age... Honestly, sometimes I wonder if your fathers are even that powerful," Lio sneered.
But before he could finish, a calm voice came from behind him.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
Everyone turned. Selay, Diana, Lio, and the other boys saw the black-haired boy who sat silently beside them in class (Doulong.)
"Oh, really? What are you going to do, Doulong? You're just another weakling like them," Lio said with a mocking smile .
But before Lio could say another word, Doulong moved. In a flash, he landed a punch squarely on Lio's face. Blood sprayed, two teeth flew out, and Lio hit the ground hard.
The other boys froze in shock.
Lio, clutching his mouth and staring at his bloody teeth, snarled, "What are you waiting for? Get him!"
Two boys charged at Doulong. One swung a punch, but Doulong ducked and countered with a powerful kick, sending the boy crashing into a pillar. He hit it hard and collapsed, unconscious.
The second boy rushed in but was slammed into the ground before he could react.
The rest hesitated. All but one turned and ran.
The last boy raised his hand, summoned a ball of water with magic, and hurled it at Doulong. Doulong didn't move. The water splashed across him but it did nothing.
Doulong looked at the boy and smirked.
"Seriously? That's your attack?" he said.
He raised his left hand slightly, conjuring a spinning ball of water. It twisted like a drill, then he hurled it. The boy couldn't dodge. The water struck his chest, tore through his clothes, and hit with enough force to knock him across the courtyard. Blood began to trickle from where the blast had landed.
Lio, enraged, summoned a fireball and threw it. Doulong turned, sliced it cleanly in half with his bare hand, and the flames vanished into the air.
Lio's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to sit up.
Doulong stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled back for another punch. Lio twisted out of the way just in time, and Doulong's fist cracked a deep hole into the ground.
Leaning in close, Doulong whispered coldly,
"Do you still doubt my father's power?"
Lio began to sweat as Doulong tilted his head slightly, then raised his other hand to strike. Just as the punch was about to land, a larger, adult hand stopped him mid-swing.
Doulong looked up in surprise. A tall man stood before him who was well-built, with defined muscles, long black hair, a touch of facial stubble, dressed in black with a flowing cloak. [ Black haired man from chapter 0 ]
"Father?" Doulong thought, stunned.
Lio stared at the man, heart pounding.
"Is this… Commander Douzen?" he wondered.
Douzen firmly pushed Doulong back and turned to Lio.
"Are you alright?" he asked calmly.
"What?! Dad, why are you asking him that? He's the one who started it!" Doulong protested.
Douzen's eyes narrowed.
"I don't want to hear it. Why are you picking fights in the middle of the street, especially when I see others injured and bleeding...and only you standing unharmed?"
"Yes, sir...I mean, Commander Douzen...he started the fight with us," Lio added quickly.
"That's a lie!" Diana snapped.
At that moment, a carriage pulled by two horses came to a stop nearby. A woman stepped out, dressed in a green, renaissance-style gown. Her orange eyes quickly scanned the scene. She had dark green long hair.
"What's going on here?" she asked, walking closer.
"Mom! These guys were attacking Selay!" Doulong said, trying to defend himself.
She ignored the noise, kneeling beside a boy lying on the ground, clutching his chest, blood seeping from a wound caused by Doulong's water attack. The boy trembled in fear. The woman reached out, green mana glowing in her hand. As she touched the wound, it healed instantly.
"What the hell, Mom? Dad? Why are you both taking the criminal's side? They started it!" Doulong shouted, frustrated.
Douzen crossed his arms and asked calmly,
"Then why did you say, 'Do you still doubt my father's power'?"
Doulong blinked.
"That was different! Lio struck Selay first!"
Their mother looked around.
"Then where is Selay?"
Doulong and Diana froze. They hadn't even noticed Selay was missing no longer there.
Lio said, "You guys didn't notice, but he ran away like a coward a few moments ago during the fight."
Far from the noise, beside a quiet river, Selay sat on the grassy bank, gazing into the flowing water. His reflection shimmered, distorted by ripples.
"Why? Why don't I have any powers yet?" he thought.
"The other kids awakened theirs by the age of eight. I'm already ten and still… nothing. No mana, no elemental abilities. How can I ever live up to being King Shangluis' only son? I'm just ruining my father's name…"
Behind him, soft footsteps approached. Diana, who had been searching for him, spotted him and smiled.
"Found you."
Selay turned slightly.
"Is the fight over?"
"Yeah. Doulong beat the crap out of them," she said, plopping down beside him. "But then Father suddenly showed up."
"I see," Selay murmured, eyes drifting back to the water.
Diana studied his face.
"You look sad. Are you?"
Selay hesitated, then spoke quietly,
"I'm the reason those kids doubt my fathers power. I still haven't learned any basic powers. I'm the only one without mana or abilities in a world where everyone else has something. I don't even know if I'll ever awaken. It feels like I'm just a disgrace to my father's name."
Diana shook her head.
"Don't think like that. Even if you never gain powers, it doesn't change your worth. You don't have to represent King Shangluis through strength...you can carry his kindness. You're already just as noble-hearted as he is. And me, my family, your family, we're all with you. We love you for who you are."
Selay turned to her, his expression softening.
"Thank you," he said with a faint smile.
Diana stood and reached out her hand.
"Now stop moping and come on. Let's go."
But in the behind them, unseen by their sight , a monstrou creature stood which was a humanoid figure. It was tall, skeletal, draped in a black, tattered robe.
He came silently from the shadows. His curved horns curled back. His face, stretched and inhuman, wore a permanent sneer.
In one clawed hand, he held a big obsidian scythe stained with something far darker than blood.
Selay rose and turned to follow Diana, stretching out his arms.
"Alright... Let's go ho..."
He froze mid-sentence.
Standing barely ten feet away, the creature locked its empty, soulless gaze onto him.
Diana turned, confused.
"Selay?"
Then she saw it.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She screamed....but the sound collapsed in her chest as a cold, invisible force choked it out before it could leave her lips.
The demon attacked .
In a blink, the scythe carved through the air and hit her chest with a crack of bone and flesh.
Her eyes widened and frozen in shock, as blood bubbled at her lips. The creature lifted her off the ground like a butcher displaying his kill.
"Diana!" Selay cried out, his voice raw.
The demon tilted his head and slowly dragged his tongue across the blade, savoring the blood like wine.
Then, without a word, he thrown Diana's body to the ground with brutal force . She landed on the ground , twitching once… then lying still.
Selay rushed to her, dropping to his knees, his hands shaking as he cradled her broken body.
"Diana... "
But the demon was already upon him.
Before he could react, a clawed hand gripped his throat and lifted him off the ground.
Selay thrashed, gasping, kicking....but the creature was too strong. In a flash of light, the demon's claws pierced through his chest, sliding between ribs with brutal precision.
The breath left Selay's lungs in a choked gasp. His eyes widened as blood spilled from his mouth. He couldn't scream. Couldn't move.
TBC...