A young man walked along the high ridge of the Dragon Empire. From the vast mountain where he stood, everything below looked so small, like a miniature world at his feet.
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Six years, huh… and I'm still here. Well, I've already accepted it. Reincarnation… who would've thought?"
Sirius Soleil's blood-red eyes were cold and emotionless—so different from how they once shone when he was with others.
Suddenly, a presence appeared behind him. A figure knelt respectfully.
"Young Master," the voice said.
It was a young knight, likely in his late teens, with short blond hair and sharp green eyes. His armour shimmered faintly in the morning light, and a calm aura radiated from him.
Sirius glanced at him, a flicker of emotion returning to his eyes.
"Blake. Did something happen?"
Blake stood and placed a hand over his heart."I'm just here to take care of you, my lord."
Sirius turned his gaze back toward the horizon."Tell me about the outside world."
Blake nodded and began speaking.
"Last time, I told you about the Five Guardians—also known as the Five Gods of this world. The Dragon God, who is our Queen. The Basilisk God. The Phoenix God. The Angel God. And the Demon God. Each one resides in a different domain."
He paused before continuing.
"Each Guardian has their own devoted race. The Elves worship the Dragons. Humans worship the Basilisk. Spirits follow the Angels. Vampires serve the Demons. And the Beastkin revere the Phoenix."
He spoke with pride as he added, "But aside from the Guardians, the strongest race is still the humans."
Sirius looked at him, curiosity flickering in his gaze."Do you regret coming into this domain, Blake? After all… didn't you worship the Basilisk?"
Blake blinked, then smiled softly.
"You misunderstand, my lord. I never worshipped the Basilisk."
He knelt even lower, lowering his head in respect.
"I have only ever worshipped one man. All of us from the Soleil House feel the same. My uncle—the King. Then the Queen. And now you, Young Master. You are the only ones worthy of our loyalty."
Sirius was silent for a moment before murmuring, "Right… Alexander von Soleil. The human who reached the level of the gods. The first Human God in the history of this world."
He closed his eyes as a gentle breeze passed by.
What a load of bullshit. Gods? I know gods. These so-called Guardians are just measly transcendents.
***
Far beyond the Dragon Domain, near the border of the Elven Empire.
A group of twenty cloaked individuals stood before a cave hidden deep within a dense forest. The air around them pulsed with ancient energy.
A man at the front, wearing a black mask, reached out and touched the stone wall of the cave.
"Greetings… to the Outer Gods," he whispered.
A crimson Zen energy formed in his hand, crackling violently. With a flick of his fingers, a swirling pocket-dimensional gate opened inside the wall.
A woman in a white mask stepped forward."My lord… is this wise? Opening a pocket dimension may alert the Dragons."
The masked man shook his head."No. This energy originates from outside this world. It masks the Zen in the atmosphere. Unless someone has mastered this ancient magic, no one will sense it."
He paused, glancing toward the distant mountains."I'm more worried about the Elven Kingdom. But that doesn't matter. We just need to move fast."
A faint smile tugged at his lips beneath the mask."Now… let's awaken one of our Lords."