The morning bell echoed across the village of Black Hollow long before the sun rose above the jagged mountains.Smoke curled from stone chimneys while villagers hurried to begin another day. Merchants prepared their carts, hunters sharpened their spears, and children dressed in their finest clothes.Today was Awakening Day.It was the day every sixteen-year-old would stand before the ancient Bloodstone Altar and receive their Blood Sigil—the magical mark that determined their destiny.Some would awaken the strength of warriors.Others would become mages, healers, or beast tamers.A few, blessed by fate, would inherit noble bloodlines capable of changing kingdoms.But everyone already knew one person who would receive nothing.Kael."You'd better hurry!" an old woman shouted as she threw a bucket of dirty water toward him.Kael stepped aside just in time."I'm sorry, Granny.""Sorry won't chop the firewood!" she barked.The young man smiled despite the insult.He picked up the scattere

The ground split apart with a thunderous roar.Ancient trees swayed violently as birds fled into the darkening sky. Deep cracks spread across the forest floor, glowing with crimson light.Kael struggled to keep his eyes open.His chest burned from the wound the Crimson Fang Wolf had inflicted. Warm blood soaked through his torn shirt.The beast remained kneeling.Its massive body trembled as if it stood before a being far more terrifying than itself.Then...A pillar of crimson light erupted from the shattered earth.The air grew heavy.Even the wind stopped.From within the light came the sound of slow, measured footsteps.One...Then another.A tall figure emerged.He wore black armor etched with glowing crimson runes. A long crimson cloak flowed behind him despite the still air. His silver hair reached his shoulders, and his piercing red eyes seemed to hold thousands of years of memories.His presence alone made the forest bow.The Crimson Fang Wolf lowered its head until its foreh

The earth groaned beneath their feet.A second colossal claw burst from the abyss, gouging deep trenches into the forest floor. Ancient trees, some hundreds of years old, snapped like dry twigs under its weight.The Crimson Fang Wolf whimpered and fled without looking back.It no longer cared about Kael.Its only instinct was survival.Kael stared into the darkness below.A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.They were enormous.Each was larger than a house.The creature's gaze alone filled the forest with unbearable pressure.Kael dropped to one knee, struggling to breathe."W-What... is that?"Arkan's face was grim."The Abyssal Dragon...""The first beast created by the Abyss.""It should still be sealed for another thousand years."The dragon's massive head emerged from the darkness. Black scales shimmered like polished obsidian, streaked with glowing crimson veins. Two immense horns curved backward from its skull, and smoke drifted from its nostrils with every breath.When it inh

Kael stared at the figure standing before him.At first glance, it was him.The same black hair.The same grey eyes.The same face.But something was different.The other Kael stood confidently, wearing magnificent black armor covered with crimson symbols. A powerful aura surrounded him, making the air itself tremble.Unlike the real Kael, this version looked like someone born to rule."You..."Kael tightened his grip on his dagger."Who are you?"The copy smiled."I am the version of you that you could have become."The battlefield around them changed.The ruined tower disappeared.The endless valley vanished.Now they stood inside a massive palace made of black stone and crimson gold.At the end of the hall stood a throne.The copy walked toward it and sat down."I am the Blood Sovereign."Kael frowned."No."The figure looked amused."No?""You spent your entire life being humiliated.""You were called useless.""You were abandoned.""You were rejected by the Bloodstone."He leaned

BOOM!Another thunderous step shook the Valley of Fallen Kings.The gigantic skeletal warrior emerged fully from the crimson mist.Its ancient black armor was cracked by countless battles, yet it radiated an overwhelming aura. A tattered crimson cape fluttered behind it, and its enormous sword dragged across the ground, carving a deep trench wherever it passed.Blue flames burned fiercely within its empty eye sockets.Kael instinctively took a step back."What... is that?"The spirit of the First Blood Sovereign stood beside him."His name has long been forgotten.""He was once the greatest general of our clan."Kael looked at the old man in disbelief."He was... one of us?"The old man nodded sadly."He gave his life defending the Blood Sovereign Palace.""When the clan fell, his body remained here.""But the Abyss corrupted his soul.""He became the eternal Guardian of this valley."Outside, the giant stopped walking.Slowly...It turned its burning gaze toward the ruined tower.It