Year 632
Kingdom of Crimsonia, Barisov Continent
(1st Person POV: Orion Drakonis)
It has already been 8 years since I have arrived in this medival world. I lived in a modern world before with TV and smartphones. God, I miss them so much. My death was cliche as fuck, I have read enough Japanese novels to know that. One truck, no life. But unlike most transmigrators or reincarnators, truck-kun took pity on me. I am a freaking PRINCE!!! Not just of any Kingdom but of one of the three strongest kingdoms in Barisov Continent, the Kingdom of Crimsonia. It has been called that since the ancestor of the Drakonis family, Salvador Drakonis, overthrew the previous rulers of this land around 5000 years ago. Now the Drakonis family is one of the strongest families in the continent with almost no one daring to oppose them. I am the third child of king Krocion Drakonis, 23rd king of Crimsonia. My mother Valerina Drakonis is the daughter of the head of the prestigious merchant family, The Moonveil family. Whenever I think of them only a single world come to mind. RICH!!! My mother's family is disgustingly rich. The Moonveil family runs the Moonveil Chamber of Commerce.They have a branches across the entire continent. Allmost half of the 103 kingdoms has at least 5 branches of this chamber. Making it the richest business association in the entire continent. Now with the backing of the Crimsonia Royal family they are bolder than ever. Overall, I have an extremely powerful background. But it is not without struggles. Although, my mother hasn't said it to my face yet, it is quite obvious the entire Moonveil family hopes for me to be king. It will give them unmatched influence in Crimsonia increasing their already vast wealth. It will not be easy though even with so much support. My rival is the first prince and the third prince. The king, my father, has four wives. The empress and three concubines including my mother. The empress is the daughter of the Grand Duke Duskbane. The second most influential family of Crimsonia. The Grand Duke is second only to the king in authority and respect. The empress has two children. The eldest princess, Aurelia and the first prince, Warren. Foreign dragon cannot defeat a local snake, that why despite being more than a hundred times wealthier than the Duskbane family the Moonveil family is not confident in pushing me to the throne. The Duskbane family is simply too powerful in Crimsonia. There is another prince born to the 2nd concubine (Valerina is the first). The 2nd Concubine is the daughter of the northern front general of Crimsonia. But his influence in the capital is limited so the Moonveil family does not consider him a threat. The last is the youngest princess, daughter of the 3rd Concubine who is a princess of the Darthland kingdom. The Darthland Kingdom is only below the three strongest kingdoms in terms of influence and military strength. It is a steadfast ally of Crimsonia. Fortunately, the first prince is only a year older than me so he does not have too much of an advantage in terms of age.
Today is an important day for me. Today I officially begin my knight training. You see this is not a simple world. Although I have been trained for combat since I was 3 years old I was not given any knowledge about the mystical powers of this world. 2 years ago when my father took me to hunt in the personal forest of the Drakonis family, I witnessed a giant wolf easily the size of a elephant running towards us. I was sure we were gonna die. The wolf jumped towards my father who was on horseback. Than I saw the most amazing thing ever. The wolf froze in midair just before my father. I WAS SHOCKED out of my mind. Then the wolf was being cut into thousands of tiny pieces. That's when I noticed the the razor sharp Crimson strings digging into the wolf's flesh. Blood was spraying everywhere and the organs of the wolf popped out of its mouth and body. It was extremely disgusting. But I could not look away. The sheer power that my father displayed hooked me in. My father must have noticed the awe and desire in my eyes cause he simply smirked at me. From that day on I continued my combat practice with renewed vigour. I also wanted to achieve the level of power my father has and even go beyond. That evening my mother summoned me. She told me my father asked her to talk to me about the power system which my father follows. The gist of it is:
The world has an unique ambient energy known as Aether. Aether is not only in our surroundings but it also flows through the living and the non-living. Aether can be transformed into a specific type of energy which can boost the physical quality known as "Animus". Those who can harness the power of Animus are also known as "Animus Knights". But humans have poor affinity to Animus. So they mimic mythical beasts with extremely high affinity towards Animus energy. The mythical beast that the Drakonis family worships is known as the "Crimson Dragon". With enough time, hard work and resources the members of the Drakonis family can awaken characteristics of the Crimson Dragon. One of these characteristics is blood control. It is what my father used to create fine strings made of blood. There are five known tiers of Animus Knights:
Feral Initiate – The first stage. At this level, the individual makes initial contact with Animus, learning to draw its flow into their body. The energy is crude and unstable, but by channeling it into their muscles and bones, the Feral Initiate gradually hardens their physique, enhancing strength and resilience. The main goal of this stage is boosting one's vitality so their body can handle the creation of an Animus Seed.
Animus Adept – The second stage. The Knight's body can now form the Animus Seed, a special organ created inside one's body based on the mythical beast they follow. At this stage, they learn to channel Animus energy through the seed, stabilizing the energy and enhancing their physique according to the characteristics of the beast they mimic. The more similar the organ is to the original beast the more control one will have over animus energy. This is an important stage to establish one's foundation.
Animus Master – The third stage. At this level, the Knight has mastered the Animus Seed internally and begins projecting its energy outward. The characteristic gained in the Animus Adept stage is greatly enhanced. Animus energy can be used for ranged attack and wrapping around one's body and weapon.
Beastborne Knight – The fourth stage. At this level, the Knight can manifest a supernatural trait of the mythical beast they mimic, such as claws, wings, elemental breath etc. This supernatural requires minimal animus energy. Abilities from previous stages are greatly strengthened. Animus flows more efficiently through the body, enhancing attacks, defense, and agility. Range of external energy release is greatly increased. Animus energy manipulation becomes much easier. This stage represents the beginning of the true fusion of human and beast.
Primal Knight – The fifth stage. At this level, the Knight awakens a second supernatural trait of their chosen beast, such as a tail, horns, or enhanced senses. All abilities from previous stages are further strengthened. Animus flows faster, external projections become more potent, and control over energy is precise. This stage deepens the fusion of human and beast.
My father is currently a Primal Knight. One of the strongest people on the Barisov Continent. The supernatural characteristic available in the 4th stage unique to the Drakonis family is blood manipulation which my father used to create fine blood threds. My father's second characteristic is a secret. Apparently anyone who saw my father using it is no longer alive.
(Third Person POV)
A cute boy was softly snoring in luxurious bed in an even more luxurious room. A maid suddenly opened the door and swiftly moved towards the boy's bed. She gently shook the boy and called the boy softly, " Prince Orion, wake up. The king has summoned you."
The boy groaned and mumbled," What do you want? Let me sleeeeep."
"The king is summoning you. He wishes to see you in his chambers before breakfast."
The eyes of the boy snapped open. He threw away his blankets and screamed, "Knight Training!!!"