After Sage had fully healed from his injuries, he was ready to embrace the outside world once more. He stepped out of the house, feeling the burning radiance of the sun hit him like a wall of heat.
"Ah, finally!" Sage took a deep breath, savoring the natural air, his face lighting up with relief. Then, in a dramatic, almost cinematic turn of events, he immediately shriveled up, turning into a ball of sweat, and stumbled back into the house.
Slam.
Yona, standing inside the doorway, shook his head with a smirk. "I told you," he said, casually dropping a flower onto Sage's chest as if it were a ceremonial offering. He muttered a few words under his breath, as though performing a prayer for Sage's survival in the wild outdoors.
Sage groaned from inside the house. "You did not tell me the sun was this hot..."
Yona, even the dramatic one, stood in front of the door handle, his face serious. "Are you sure you want to do this, my friend?" His voice was thick with concern.
Sage, with his back pressed to the cool wooden door, hesitated for a moment. Then, squaring his shoulders, he turned around with a face full of determination, a comically exaggerated expression that could've belonged to a hero from an old epic.
"Yeah... I'm sure of it." He nodded firmly, his resolve set in stone.
Yona sighed dramatically and looked away, wiping away an imaginary tear. "Alright... I won't stop you, my brave friend," he said, as if he were sending Sage off on some grand adventure into the unknown.
Sage gently opened the door, squinting at the blinding sunlight, and took another tentative step outside before immediately falling face-first into the dirt, completely overcome by the heat once again.
The door slammed behind him.
Yona sighed again. "Well, at least he's consistent."
Sage and Yona walked silently through the ruins of the village, their footsteps echoing on the cracked stone streets. The air was thick with the scent of destruction, the silence of the once-bustling marketplace now replaced by a haunting stillness. Uncollected bodies littered the ground, a grim testament to the carnage that had unfolded. The familiar sights of the village once vibrant with life were now nothing but rubble, broken structures, and memories of what had been.
The incident had devastated Eirini. It had left scars, not just on the land, but on the hearts of its people.
Sage's eyes remained fixed ahead, his jaw clenched as he took in the destruction. His thoughts churned, his mind unable to settle on any one question.
"I still don't get it…" he muttered under his breath. "How could an entity like that something so powerful find its way into the GrailRealm?"
Yona, walking beside him, noticed the tension in Sage's posture. He glanced at his friend, studying the subtle signs of strain in his face. "What's on your mind?" Yona asked quietly, his tone more serious than usual.
Sage's eyes flickered to Yona, but then quickly shifted downward, as if unwilling to face him directly. His pace didn't falter, but the weight of the question hung heavy in the air between them. "You don't find it suspicious that an entity like that could just... slip into the GrailRealm? No barriers, no warnings. Not even Bounders, nothing."
(TheGrail Realm is a vast human-dominated world divided by climate, ideology, and power.)
Yona paused for a moment, considering the question, before nodding slowly. "Yeah, it is strange. But what can we do about it? We're just kids, Sage. We don't have the skills or abilities to fight something like that. We're not even close."
Sage's eyes darkened as he continued walking, the conflict swirling inside him. "I know," he said, his voice tight. "But we can't just stand here and let things go on. We can't ignore it."
He stopped abruptly, his hand reaching out to touch the cold concrete of the ruined market square. The moment his fingers brushed against the hard surface, a sudden, intense flash of light engulfed him. His body jerked as though the ground beneath him had given way, and he was thrust into a void, dark, empty, and suffocating.
Sage's eyes widened in shock. "What the...?" His voice was barely a whisper in the oppressive silence.
He spun around, his heart racing as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. But there was nothing to see. No ground beneath his feet, no sky above him, just an endless, inky blackness that swallowed everything.
"Where am I?" he breathed, his voice barely carrying in the void.
Without warning, the darkness around him began to shift. The emptiness fractured, rippling like a brokenmirror, and suddenly, the scene before him changed.
Sage's breath caught in his throat as the familiar sights of the village materialized around him. But it was different now. The streets were burning. Buildings were collapsing. Screams filled the air with screams of terror and agony as the village was being torn apart.
The Skeletal Orc loomed in the center of it all, its eyes glowing with malice as it slaughtered the helpless villagers. The echoes of fear, pain, and death rang in Sage's ears, a sickening replay of the horrors that had unfolded in this very place.
His chest tightened as he watched, powerless, unable to intervene. The chaos, the violence it was as if he were reliving the nightmare all over again.
Sage's gaze shot upward, drawn to an unfamiliarpresence. A figure hovered in the air above him, suspended in the chaos like an eerie specter. The man's hair was dark black as midnight and his eyes seemed to absorb the light around them, as if there were noreflection within them, no depth. They were hollow, empty, like windows into an abyss.
The man's clothing stood in stark contrast to the darkness that seemed to emanate from him. He wore a whitekimono that billowed softly in the chaotic winds, paired with greypants that fluttered slightly in the shifting air. There was an unsettling stillness about him, as if he were not part of this world, but something... beyond it.
Sage's heart skipped a beat as his eyes narrowed. There was something far more disturbing about the figure than his appearance alone. It was the dark aura surrounding him. It wasn't just a shadow that clung to him; it was like a twisted, sentient presence, a dark string that tethered him to the chaos unfolding below. The aura snaked its way down toward the skeletal orc, connecting the two in a way that felt... unnatural.
The connection was undeniable. A bond, forged in darkness, linking this mysterious figure to the beast that had slaughtered so many. It was as though the orc's very existence was being manipulated by this man.
He clenched his fists, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "This… this isn't just a random attack," he whispered to himself, the truth dawning on him with horrifying clarity. "This was planned."
Sage's attention snapped away from the dark figure above as a voice cut through the air. "Sage!" Yona's voice was urgent, pulling him back from the edge of the void. Sage turned, his vision swimming as he saw Yona gripping his arm, dragging him away from the eerie presence in the sky.
The world around them shifted, and Sage's breath caught in his chest as the scene before him began to repeat, like a broken record playing the same twisted melody. The same village, the same destruction, the same chaos everything unfolded just as it had four days ago.
But this time, Sage was awake. Thistime, he could see it all.
He watched himself, lying unconscious on the ground, the skeletal orc looming over him, its eyes gleaming with hunger. The memory was still fresh, the terror of that moment crawling back under his skin. But what happened next? He never got to see it before. His heart pounded harder as his eyes darted over the battlefield.
In a flash, he saw Yona. The knight the one Yona had been fonding over suddenly swept Yona away, their figures disappearing into the chaos as the knight's pure emerald sword struck with brutal force. But that wasn't what grabbed Sage's attention.
There was someone else.
A woman.
She moved like a shadow, cloaked in deep violet and black robes, her presence almost ethereal, blending with the dark energy that had consumed the village. She moved swiftly, her hands glowing with a strange, powerfullight as she intercepted the orc's attack. With one fluid motion, she swooped in to save Sage from the jaws of the skeletal orc, pulling him out of harm's way just before it could deliver the killing blow.
Sage's chest tightened. "Is that...?" He gasped, his body moving instinctively toward her, desperate for answers, but before he could take another step, the scene before him shifted again.
The Clash. The knight and the darkmancollided, their power sending shockwaves through the air. Time seemed to slow, and Sage felt the impact reverberate through his very soul. The force of their battle was enough to send him spiraling backward, hurtling back to the present with a painful jolt, as if something had cracked deep within him.
He gasped for air, struggling to shake off the feeling of being pulled from a place where he didn't belong. His vision blurred, and the lingering weight of the void pressed against his chest.
"Earth to Sage, what's gotten into you?" Yona's voice was sharp, bringing him back to reality. His friend stood in front of him, concerned, his hand on Sage's shoulder as if grounding him.
Sage stood there, breathing heavily, feeling like his soul had been stretchedthin just by existing in that space for so long. The weight of the vision still clung to him, like a dark fog clouding his mind. He swallowed hard, trying to focus, to bring himself back to the present.
"I… I saw it," he muttered, his voice hoarse, like it had been dragged through the wringer. "The woman… She saved me. But there's more. There's more to this… more than we know."
Yona's eyes narrowed, his expression now a mix of curiosity and confusion. "The woman in the robes?" he asked, his voice steady. "What does it mean? And who was she? Have you gone insane?"
Sage didn't have the answers. All he knew was that whatever had happened back then, it wasn't just an accident. There was something darker at play. And they were only beginning to understand the true depths of it.
Yona sighed, his frustration evident. "Maybe we should head back-"
"No," Sage cut him off, his voice calm but resolute. He steadied his breathing, grounding himself before speaking again. "No, we will not."
Without another word, Sage broke into a run, his feet pounding against the shattered streets of the ruined village. He couldn't stop now. Something inside him demanded he push forward. He had to understand what was happening, why it had all unfolded like this.
Yona, catching up quickly, shouted after him, his voice sharp with concern. "What are you doing?!"
But Sage didn't answer. He only ran faster, his mind replaying the scene over and over. He had to see it again to the point where everything had begun. The place where the memory had become a vision. Where the darkness had started to unravel everything.
Yona's frustration grew as he watched Sage dart further ahead. "Hey! Answer me, you son of-" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. His foot caught on something in the street, and he stumbled, tripping hard onto the cracked stone ground.
"Tsk tsk–what the hell was that..." Yona muttered, trying to regain his balance. His eyes fell on what had caused his fall, and his voice faltered. "This is–"
Sage, already too far ahead, had completely separated himself from Yona. He arrived at the spot where it all began, the spot he had seen so clearly in the vision. The wreckage of a village, the same ruined house, the same desolation. He stared at the scene one more time, his chest tight as he felt the weight of it all pressing down on him.
Sage, already too far ahead, had completely separated himself from Yona. He arrived at the spot where it all began, the spot he had seen so clearly in the vision. The wreckage of a village, the same ruined house, the same desolation. He stared at the scene one more time, his chest tight as he felt the weight of it all pressing down on him.
Without hesitation, Sage reached out to touch the concrete hardscape, the very place where everything had shifted for him before. He closed his eyes, hoping the same sensation would return that dark void, that ripping shift between worlds. He needed to know more. He had to.
Will it work? He muttered to himself.
Sage's fingers brushed against the rough surface. He waited. The seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity.
Nothing.
His brow furrowed in frustration. He pulled his hand away and tried again. He pressed his palm down firmly, feeling the coolness of the concrete against his skin. His eyes squeezed shut once more, but still, nothing happened. No shift, no sudden plunge into darkness.
"Why isn't it activating?" he muttered under his breath, his voice edged with frustration.
He looked down at his hand, still resting on the hard-scape. His fingers trembled slightly, this time with more urgency. His actions became increasingly desperate: place the hand, remove it, place it again. Each attempt felt more futile than the last.
Then, without warning, the air around him grew still, and for a brief moment, everything seemed to blur. The concrete beneath his palm darkened, as though a shadow was stretching over it. The ground seemed to pulse slowly, rhythmic as if it were breathing.
Suddenly, the world around him fractured. The bright daylight shattered into jagged, dark fragments, and the village around him began to fade. The sky became an endless void, black and suffocating. The same oppressive darkness from his vision swallowed him, pulling at his soul.
But before he could fully fall into it, the sensation flickered. The void wavered like a shadow caught in the wind, then snapped back, and the sunlight hit him again with almost painful intensity. The wreckage of the village returned to its lifeless form, and the smell of decay assaulted his senses.
Sage gasped, stumbling back, his heart pounding in his chest. He blinked rapidly, disoriented. Was that it?
He tried again, more cautiously this time. The hesitation barely noticeable before he touched it once more.
The void came back more powerful this time. The darkness swelled around him, pulling him into it. His breath caught in his throat, and the world shattered again, but the flicker came faster this time. His surroundings would twist, only to snap back as if they were fighting for control.
Sage's head spun. What's happening?Can I control it or not?Or is it just some twisted version of my own mind, playing tricks on me? The weight of it all pressed down on him; he had to know more.
"I feel like an idiot," he groaned, stepping back from the hard-scape. "Screw it. I'll just look around."
Sage sighed and turned, his steps slower now, but still driven. He walked through the wreckage, moving toward the house he had fainted in the place where everything had happened. The village was small, so far from the Great Taleos Empire, yet it felt like it was at the heart of something much larger than he could comprehend.
(Great Taleos Empire, the ruling hegemony of the Grail Realm engulfing every part of the continent)
"Why this place…?" he muttered under his breath, his mind still spinning from the vision. "A small village... so far from everything…"
As he stepped into the broken-down house, the scent of decay and old memories flooded his senses. The place was nothing more than a shell of its former self. The walls were cracked, the roof caved in, and the floor was littered with the remnants of destruction.
Sage's eyes scanned the ruins, but then something in the back of his mind clicked. The bright flash of light, the shadow of a hand pressed to his chest, the overwhelming surge of energy all came rushing back to him.
It had been so strange then, so sudden, but now, it made sense.
Sage's eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. "Did I… receive a Blessing from Fate?" His voice faltered, barely above a whisper, as disbelief and awe tangled in his chest.
The words hung in the air, thick with the weight of their meaning. He ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing in circles. What did this mean for him? For everything? Fate is an almighty being that grants blessings to those in despair... but why now? Why me?
His fingers dug into the cracked stone of the floor, trying to ground himself in the reality he knew. But even the familiar surroundings felt distant, like the world was shifting beneath his feet. His thoughts scattered again Blessings didn't exist during the The Shattered Dawn War. They didn't just appear out of nowhere. So where did they come from?
(The Shattered Dawn War, a millennial ancient war that has been long past, which would be the birth of Fate and Blessings–A New Age–of Power)
A cold shiver ran down his spine, and the silence of the ruined village pressed in on him, suffocating. Something shifted within him, a pulsing power or was it fear? Sage's chest tightened as if the very air had thickened, making it hard to breathe. Was this a gift, or was it a curse?
His mind raced. Am I meant for this? He couldn't tell if he was being chosen or consumed. Power he hadn't asked for burned through his veins, and all he could do was try to hold on. His fists clenched, trembling, as panic threatened to overtake him.
Why me? Anger flared, sharp and sudden. He'd already lost so much. Why did it feel like the world was asking for more? This power didn't feel like something he could control. It felt like a force beyond him, waiting to break free.
He dropped to his knees, struggling to steady himself. His thoughts were a blur of fear, doubt, rage. What if I can't control it? The thought sliced through him, leaving a deep unease.
But at that moment, he realized he had no choice. This was his burden, whether he was ready or not. He couldn't run. He had to face it.
With a shaky breath, he pushed himself to his feet, his chest still tight with uncertainty, but his resolve hardening. There was no going back.
Before he could spiral any further, a voice cut through his thoughts.
"Sage, are you done with your strange dilemma?"
Sage blinked, startled. He looked over to the doorway where Yona stood, arms crossed, his brow raised in that familiar mix of curiosity and concern. Sage rubbed his face, pushing down the swirl of emotions threatening to consume him. "Yeah… sorry. It was nothing, after all."
Yona's gaze lingered for a moment longer, but he didn't press. Instead, he stepped further into the ruined house, eyes scanning the destruction. There was a moment of quiet understanding between them before Yona spoke again.
"Just be careful, okay?" he muttered, almost like an afterthought.
Sage nodded, though he wasn't sure if he could promise that. Whatever was happening, this was only the beginning. And he couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.
The air in the room was thick with an unsettling stillness, punctuated only by the quiet rustling of something in Yona's hand. He hid it behind his back as he turned toward Sage, but it didn't escape the younger boy's sharp eyes.
"What's that?" Sage asked, his voice laced with curiosity and suspicion.
Yona's movements were swift, almost defensive as he tucked his hand further behind his back. "It's just a small rock I tripped on earlier," he replied nonchalantly, though his voice carried a faint edge. "I plan to break it when we get back."
Sage narrowed his eyes but said nothing more. He was used to Yona's oddities, and for now, he had other things on his mind. "Right… You do you. Let's just head back," he muttered, turning toward the door. Without another word, the two of them set off for Sage's house, their footsteps echoing through the quiet streets, the day winding to a close.
Hours passed, and Sage found himself deep in sleep, the weight of the day's strange happenings settling in his subconscious. But Yona, back in his room, sat wide-eyed, his fingers trembling as they grasped a single red gemstone earring. It gleamed under the dim light of the room, almost alive in its stillness.
"How do I activate this?" Yona hissed under his breath, sweat beading on his forehead as his hands moved in erratic patterns, as if attempting to conjure the magic trapped within the stone.
A low, eerie whisper filled the air, barely perceptible at first, but then it grew louder, more distinct. "Lord Azrael," the voice croaked, dark and raspy, calling to him in a demonic chant. "We await your return…"
Yona froze, his heart skipping a beat. The words sent a chill down his spine, as memories began to flood back strange, fractured images from a past life he didn't understand. His hand trembled as the name Azrael echoed in his mind.
"Azrael...?" Yona whispered, confusion and recognition clashing inside him.
His vision blurred with the overwhelming rush of memories, memories not his own, but someone else's. His entire being felt like it was being torn apart by the force of it, and with a sharp breath, Yona recoiled, dropping the earring onto the floor. He staggered back, his head spinning, trying to shake off the haunting fragments of who he was or had been.
"My name..." Yona murmured as the fragments fell into place, the truth crashing through him like a tidal wave. "Yona Azrael Eilif–?"
The moment the name left his lips, a violent surge of magic erupted from the earring, a shockwave that tore through the room. The walls shuddered, and the very air seemed to warp under the force. Yona was thrown back, his body slamming against the wall with a sickening thud.
"Shit!" he gasped, struggling to his feet, his heart racing.
The door slammed open with a deafening crash, and Sage rushed in, his eyes wide with alarm. "What the hell is going on?!" he shouted, taking in the chaotic scene of magic swirling around the room like a storm, the air thick with crackling energy.
Sage's mother followed closely behind, her face pale with concern.
Yona, already on his feet and visibly shaken, shot a look at Sage. "It's a magic disruption also a mana storm," he said quickly, his voice tight. "It happens when you release a binding spell or misuse an artifact."
Both Sage and his mother stared at him, stunned by his knowledge. Sage's mom blinked in disbelief. "Yona... how do you know that?" she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
Before Yona could answer, the room seemed to grow colder. The temperature dropped so sharply that Sage could see his breath fog in the air. It was suffocating, like the very air itself had become thick and oppressive, pushing against him. The walls felt as though they were pushing out, the floor beneath his feet shuddering with a low, ominous hum. The magical energy rippling through the room hummed with a deep, vibrating resonance that rattled his bones.
Sage's skin prickled as though the air was charged with electricity. His pulse quickened in response to the growing disturbance.
Yona's expression turned grim, his face pale and drawn. "I remembered something... There's no more time to explain. We need to seal this spell now before this whole village is wiped out."
Sage's chest tightened with a rising panic, the pressure of the air making it hard to breathe. He could feel the crackling energy around them, an invisible force trying to push them back, like a tangible barrier. His gaze darted between Yona and the violent storm of magic swirling before them, its chaotic energy pulling and snapping at the air. His mind raced. "I don't know what you're hiding, Yona... But I'll trust you for now."
Yona nodded, his face a study in grim determination, but there was a flicker of gratitude behind his eyes. "Thank you. I need you to follow my lead."
"Seal it?" Sage's voice cracked, rising in panic. "Don't we need some kind of artifact to do that?"
Sage's mother stood by the door, helpless, her eyes wide with concern but unable to offer any answers. The temperature around them had continued to plummet, and the swirling magic began to hum louder, almost as if it was alive.
Yona's face twisted with frustration, but he didn't waste time answering. His focus was absolute as he raised both hands, fingers slicing through the air with rapid precision. The energy around him crackled, sharp like a static charge, and the room seemed to ripple in response to the motion. Sage watched, heart pounding, as Yona twisted his wrist an almost imperceptible movement before a glowing sphere materialized in his palm, shimmering with an otherworldly light.
Sage's eyes widened in disbelief. "Where the hell did that come from? What is that thing?"
Yona groaned, his patience snapping. "Stop asking questions!" he snapped, his voice tight with urgency. "It's an Ancient Technique--Rhaagthar It's only meant to summon a-ugh, why does it matter."
Sage and his mother exchanged a confused glance, both tilting their heads. "What? Did you just stutter?" Sage teased, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief.
Yona shot him a sharp, exasperated look. "It's a language, alright? Now enough with the questions just follow my lead."
With a sharp exhale, Yona dashed forward, stepping into the swirling storm of magic without hesitation. The air seemed to crackle and pulse around him, tendrils of energy lashing out, but he moved with purpose, vanishing into the chaos.
Without thinking, Sage cursed under his breath and followed. The air around him thickened, pressing down like a weight, and the magic around him surged, twisting and pulling at him. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but he forced himself forward, knowing there was no choice.
"Be careful!" his mother's voice echoed from behind, but it was already lost in the cacophony of the magic, swallowed by the storm. Sage barely heard it as he was swept up in the madness, his heart hammering in his chest. They were rushing headlong into the unknown, to confront a power neither of them fully understood.