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On the continent of Kedron…
And specifically, in the Kingdom of Boro.
Deep within the catacombs of the Golden Dragon Castle…
stood King Sardar Boro IV.
He was forty-five years old,
yet his features bore the weight of kings who had come five hundred years before him.
Before him…
the skull of a massive dragon,
its fangs still radiating a dread as if it had never died.
The king slowly raised his hand…
and removed his crown.
The Crown of House Boro.
A dragon encircled by thirteen swords…
all of them aflame.
Except for one.
It was silent.
Cold.
As if… waiting.
Sardar stepped forward,
and placed the crown before the skull.
A heavy silence fell…
before a voice behind him broke it:
"The leaves of the Root Tree… have begun to turn black."
The king did not turn.
But his fingers… tightened.
—
And in the next moment…
the Golden Dragon Castle ignited.
Flames devoured the sky,
and smoke swallowed glory.
Screams…
steel…
and collapse.
—
Six charred bodies…
burned until their features vanished.
A shadow stood among them…
and said in a cold voice:
"Five hundred years…
and your legends end here."
He paused briefly… then added:
"And the bird… has kept its promise."
—
Year 512 After the Founding
In the far west…
at the Tribal Mountains.
The wind howled between the rocks,
and the cold gnawed at everything alive.
A boy stood…
thirteen years old.
Adam Null.
(Null… a name given to one with no lineage.)
He shouted:
"Father!"
From afar, a voice came:
"What do you want, Adam?"
The man approached…
Lorian Kyles.
His gaze was sharp,
and his body carried the marks of untold wars.
Adam said eagerly:
"I want us to continue our training."
Lorian sighed, then said:
"So here we are… then.
Come on, draw your sword."
—
In an instant…
the sword was in Adam's hand.
He lunged.
A swift strike—
parried.
A spin—
a feint attempt.
But Lorian…
evaded everything.
Without a sword.
Without effort.
—
One final strike from Adam—
Lorian stopped it with his bare hand.
Then…
he knocked him to the ground with ease.
Adam froze for a moment…
then stood up.
His eyes burned with stubbornness.
He raised his hand—
and there appeared…
blue flames… tainted with black.
—
In the blink of an eye…
Lorian appeared before him.
He grabbed his hand firmly.
"I told you many times…"
His voice was sharp.
"Do not use those flames."
He fell silent for a moment, then continued:
"I taught you to use ordinary fire."
Adam clenched his teeth and said:
"But… my brother Camil used it!"
Lorian stopped.
He looked at him…
with something that was not anger.
Nor sadness.
Something heavier.
Then he said coldly:
"Camil… is different."
He paused.
"And he left long ago."
—
Adam turned his back…
and walked toward the house.
But…
the flames did not completely disappear from his hand.
—
The Empire of Rein
The Palace of the Winged Sun
In one of the rooms…
there was a young girl,
eleven years old…
Asi… Aselin Hailiard.
Lying on her bed,
trying to sleep.
Playing with her blonde hair,
her eyes half-closed.
—
And suddenly…
before her appeared…
a golden circle.
It expanded slowly.
And from within it…
someone emerged.
His features… unclear.
A black cloak…
that swallowed light.
He spoke in a calm voice:
"Hello, Asi."
She froze.
Fear paralyzed her body.
She was about to scream—
but…
Snap.
With his fingers.
And everything stilled.
She calmed down.
Unnaturally.
—
He said:
"Do you like destruction?"
She shook her head quickly:
"No…"
He smiled.
Or so it seemed.
"Then… do you like helping those who were wronged?"
She hesitated…
then said:
"Yes."
—
He extended his hand.
"Then… come with me."
—
And they entered…
the golden circle.
—
The Kingdom of Solvira
The Catacombs of the Eternal Dusk Castle
A boy, twelve years old…
Bari Kane.
Playing with shadows between his hands,
shaping them… breaking them… reshaping them.
—
Behind him…
a golden circle appeared.
And from it…
the same person emerged.
"Hello, Bari… Lord of Shadows."
Bari turned quickly:
"Who are you?!"
The man approached him…
and said calmly:
"You will know now."
—
Snap.
Bari calmed down.
He looked at him…
then said:
"Yes… I remember you."
—
And he went with him…
into the circle.
—
Tribal Mountains – Kingdom of Boro
Adam stood…
the tainted blue flames still in his hands.
—
Behind him…
a golden circle appeared.
It began to form—
but…
—
It suddenly shattered.
—
Inside the circle…
the unknown man stepped back in anger:
"Damn it… you shadow!"
"What are you doing now?!"
—
On one of the Root Trees…
stood someone.
Silent.
Watching.
Then he said:
"If Adam enters your circle…"
He paused.
—
"He will not listen to you… Manipulator."