In the Dragonic Empire of Alarica, a young boy with dark skin walked toward the garden of his family estate. Jahlon, son of Duke Erzaon Afan, entered the courtyard and began releasing his aether. He threw punches and kicks into the air, practicing his technique.
He was a High Dragon, the most powerful type of dragon, and was training his Tier 1 Aether Art. His family's inherited art, Caldera Ascendant, was renowned even among High Dragons. At only 150 dragon years old (the equivalent of 15 in human years), Jahlon was already learning Pressure Tap—a move that built up aether pressure through movement, then released it with a finger snap, firing a beam of heat and force.
The grass in the garden was scorched to ash.
Suddenly, Erzaon stormed into the courtyard, looking furious. Jahlon didn't notice and kept practicing.
"What did I tell you about using Pressure Tap in the garden?!" Erzaon shouted. "I told you the training hall would be finished tomorrow!"
Jahlon froze. His father's tone made him nervous.
"Sorry, Father! I didn't mean to—I just forgot," Jahlon said quickly, bowing. He wasn't truly sorry; he just wanted to escape punishment.
Erzaon sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Nothing I can do if you're that desperate to grow stronger. Fine. I'll teach you some new skills. But first—you need to push your aether core to the Adept stage."
He raised a hand, demonstrating.
"The first is a Tier 1 skill of our art, Smoke Lash. You concentrate smoke and pressure into a burning rope. The second is a Tier 2 skill, Heated Strike. Instead of releasing heat outward, you store it inside a limb—then strike. The energy transfers into your opponent. That's the only Tier 2 skill I'll teach you for now. The rest, you'll figure out yourself."
Jahlon nodded, pretending to listen. In truth, he was bored out of his mind. Still, he caught the core idea and began practicing. As he worked, his aether core pulsed stronger, its quality rising.
Then—chaos erupted.
Men in red-scale armor barged into the palace. Jahlon froze at the sudden noise, then bolted toward the main hall. There, he saw his father being arrested for treason.
"Father! What's happening?!"
"I'm innocent!" Erzaon shouted, struggling against the guards. "Son—listen to me. Take the Demon Destroyer from my room and run! The emperor has gone ma—"
Before he could finish, a guard kicked him hard in the chest.
Jahlon didn't hesitate. He sprinted to his father's chambers, grabbed the Demon Destroyer—a three-sectional bo staff that boosted aether output—and ran back. But by then, his father had been dragged away.
In the execution plaza, Jahlon saw the emperor himself.
The emperor was beloved by all—praised as a liberator who had freed dragon slaves from human chains. But now, Jahlon could see the truth behind his smile. The empire had been at war with humans, yet his father had brokered a ceasefire. To the emperor, peace was betrayal.
"People of Alarica!" the emperor's voice boomed. "The Duke has sided with the humans! Wasn't it suspicious, how quickly he became friendly with our enemies? These humans enslaved your children, slaughtered your kin! And now the Duke wants peace with them? No—we will not forgive such treachery!"
The crowd roared in rage.
"Down with the Afan clan!"
"Traitors!"
"Death to them all!"
The emperor raised a hand. "And the Duke's heir… will be sent into the Forbidden Forest. Let him be devoured by the nightmares within!"
Jahlon was seized by the mob and thrown into a sealed carriage.
Luckily, the Demon Destroyer had the ability to turn invisible. He hid it just before they reached their destination. When the guards dragged him out, he saw the forest looming ahead—dark, suffocating, filled with the cries of monsters.
Nightmares. The para-beasts of legend.
The moment they shoved him forward, Jahlon struck. With a flick of his hidden weapon, the bo staff snapped out, lashing like a chained serpent. He unleashed Heated Strike, the staff glowing red-hot, and smashed both guards into the dirt.
Breathing heavily, he stared into the abyss of the forest.
"Damn it…" His hands tightened around the weapon. "I have nowhere else to go."
The darkness seemed to swallow him as he stepped inside, smoke curling off the Demon Destroyer.
"I'll survive this. I'll destroy the emperor. And I'll avenge my clan."
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