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✅ Chapter 2: The Prophecy and Birth of Dragons
The Night of Fate
This was not a simple night.
It was the night that gave birth to emperors—chosen by angels and gods themselves.
The night was stormy, yet silent, as if it carried a message for the future.
That night, the crimson moon rose over the northern side of the Empire, where a boy was born—a mighty candidate for the position of lord in the great Duke Veridian's House.
They named him Valen Veridian, the god-gifted child, born with the grace of two gods—the God of Death and the God of War.
The house celebrated the victor's birth.
But everything comes with a tag.
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Valen's Birth
When Valen was born, unlike others, he did not cry. He was calm.
A maid took the child and placed him beside his mother.
With his mother's warm hand touching him, he felt warmth.
But he was too young to understand.
Yet even then, he knew—
That warmth was being devoured by the abyss.
And soon, his mother left the world.
Everybody blamed Valen's blessing as the cause.
But his father stood beside him with a calculating and heartless gaze, smiling at the "weapon" Valen was about to become.
Kairos Veridian thought to himself:
> "You are the key to restore our family's past, boy.
You will be the weapon I desired the most."
Kairos Veridian did not see Valen as a son, nor as a human being—but rather, as a weapon.
They say:
As high as a person stands, his heart sinks into the unmoral hands of the devil.
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Marcus' Birth
Yet in the southern side of the Empire, things were not the same.
It was a lovely day.
A boy was born—not during a celestial phenomenon nor a grand banquet, but rather in the simple embrace of a commoner's home, underneath the rays of the sun.
The boy was joyful. As the people watched him, they were stunned by his beautiful smile.
> "What an adorable child you have sent to this village, my Lord," one elder whispered.
"His smile… it even makes the sun look dull."
All the people were looking at him as if his smile was the source that could eliminate their pain and sorrow.
Yet no one knew the darkness he carried within that smile.
And that darkness… would soon consume him.
As Marcus Alderwood was born, everyone was happy—
His mother, father, grandfather—they hugged and kissed him.
It was a joyful day for everyone.
Everyone… except the rulers of the Empire.
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The Dragon's Prophecy
In the center of the Empire, in the Goliath lands of the capital, inside the Royal Castle—
All nobles (except Duke Veridian) had gathered, standing before the Emperor and the Royal Dragon.
They were there for the prophecy the Guardian Dragon was about to make.
Just looking at the dragon's enormous size sent shivers down their spines.
As the Goliath began to move, it shattered the walls and pillars of the castle.
When he opened his eyes, they tore through time itself.
The nobles froze.
The Emperor could not even blink—until the ancient beast lowered its power.
As he opened his mouth to speak, the mana radiating from his breath alone destroyed the surroundings and forced the nobles and the Emperor to kneel.
The Goliath spoke:
> "The Empire shall meet its demise through the hands of the god's chosen dragon.
The two-headed dragon has taken birth.
Stop it at all costs… before it grows a third head.
The dragon's roar will shatter the crown and the heavens themselves."
As the dragon spoke, it left the nobles and royals in shock and fear.
The fear clung to their hearts—
In that silence, one could hear even their heartbeats.
Emperor Yuslov Alexander August Veridian tried to ask a question, his whole body and voice still trembling with fear:
> "Who is the dragon?
How do we stop it?"
But as the words left his mouth, the dragon lowered his head to the ground...
And entered his slumber.
The Emperor thought to himself:
> "They always say...
The third head is the one who brings ruin and rebellion."
His mind ran with emotions—rage and helplessness.
He cloaked his fist in mana...
Then clenched it in fury—
Smashing it into the wall of the castle, destroying the entire area.
That night… was not a simple night.
For some, it was fortune.
For others, misfortune.
That night was chaotic… yet calming.
In some places, there was sorrow.
In others—happiness.
As the world slept through the night,
The prophecy still echoed through time.
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Beyond Time: Two Beings Watch
Far from the capital, in a place untouched by time, two beings stood—watching the events unfold.
As one figure moved his gaze, the void itself trembled—
As if the universe both feared and respected him.
A golden and peaceful, yet demonic and chaotic energy, radiated from his form.
He turned his head toward the other figure—
A being cloaked in shadow.
Yet a light shone brightly within his heart,
Making all the darkness around him vanish.
He turned his head to the first being and asked:
> "So… this is where it all begins, huh?"
Although his body was covered in shadows,
His face was… familiar.
The first being replied:
> "No.
It began long before this."
The being sighed and said:
> "Still… everyone walks the path life guides them to—
Not the path they belong to."
The cloaked one asked:
> "Are you disappointed?"
The golden being replied:
> "No.
Just a little surprised by humans."
Then, the first being turned his head—
Toward you.
The reader.
And with a voice that echoed across the story, he said:
> "You shall soon know the truth.
Keep patience till then."
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End of Chapter 2
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