For centuries, Tsuyokuni had been left behind. The once-powerful territory that had dominated entire eras a thousand years earlier had become the last among the five great territories of the continent. Its glory had been erased by time, and its strength had been corroded by stagnation. While rival powers continued to evolve, Tsuyokuni remained farther and farther behind them... until he appeared.
Akirama no Renzou.
Born outside the Akirama family, Renzou was considered an incomparable prodigy from a young age. Even without carrying that name, his talent had attracted the attention of the entire nation.
Ancient mages, court knights, and even the most arrogant nobles recognized the potential of that young man, who advanced through the magic circles at a speed few could keep up with.
When he finally reached the Ninth Circle, something no son of Tsuyokuni had achieved in the previous two hundred years, the patriarchs of House Akirama welcomed him with a mixture of pride and caution. They opened their gates to him, offered him the family name, riches, lands, and even the hands of their daughters.
Renzou did not refuse.
He accepted the weight of that name, not out of ambition, but out of duty. He wanted to see his people recover the strength they had lost. He knew that Sanos, the greatest power on the continent, would never be surpassed easily.
The territory possessed the only Tenth Circle mage born within its territory, a man who constantly disappeared because of his curiosity; three Ninth Circle mages, two born in Sanos and one from another territory; the greatest concentration of dungeons rich in treasures and, in addition, one of the best kings the continent had seen in many years.
Renzou could accept that Sanos was above Tsuyokuni.
What he could not accept was remaining in last place, below everyone else.
Tianlong occupied second place among the five great territories. Known as the land of the heavenly dragons, the nation combined tradition and rigor with a constant pursuit of strength. Its martial culture was severe, its hierarchy inflexible, and its magical schools did not tolerate failures.
Although Tianlong did not currently possess a Tenth Circle mage, three Archmages of that level had emerged from the territory in past eras. Their legacy still influenced politics, military strategies, and the training of young mages and knights.
But Tianlong's strength was not only in the past. The territory possessed the largest concentration of Eighth Circle mages on the continent, its training programs were considered some of the most rigorous and effective, and its military strength was known for its organization and loyalty. Until recently, the country had also housed two Ninth Circle mages, but one of them ended up allying with Sanos, making the difference between the territories even greater.
Even so, Tianlong had not stopped.
Its leaders continued seeking to create the next Tenth Circle mage, subjecting promising young people to survival missions in wilderness areas and long periods of meditation under elemental pressure.
In Tianlong, strength was not seen as a blessing, but as an obligation. They did not expect miracles. They forged them.
In third place among the five great territories was Floravita. The region was home to two of the four known Kairom-Level Nartheis, extremely powerful entities capable of challenging the very foundations of magic and life. The mere existence of these creatures attracted a constant flow of Nartheis to their lands, and those monsters had greater chances of evolving within the territory.
This constant threat had transformed Floravita into the place with the highest rate of daily battles on the continent. Mages and warriors were forced to fight from a young age, and those who could not keep up with that pace rarely survived.
Because of this, Floravita possessed the largest number of Seventh Circle mages and the second-largest number of Eighth Circle mages on the continent. The territory was also home to the third most powerful Ninth Circle mage on the entire continent.
Unlike Sanos or Tianlong, Floravita did not rely mainly on dungeons or experiments. Its strength came from survival, constant battles, and the pressure of living in a territory where magic had to be continuously improved.
It was a kingdom where mages had no choice but to evolve... or die.
Vesparello occupied fourth place and had built its strength mainly around alchemy. Even more so than Tianlong.
Its Eighth Circle mages, aided by legendary elixirs, were capable of accomplishing impressive feats. The territory was also the second richest on the continent, behind only Sanos, and was home to the fourth most powerful Ninth Circle mage. According to Vesparello's higher-ups, he had isolated himself somewhere unknown, training to reach the Tenth Circle as quickly as possible. Some said he was meditating on the moon itself.
And then came Tsuyokuni.
Without great names among its higher ranks. Without an army that caused fear in the other territories. Without grand dungeons. A kingdom that had spent years sinking into its own stagnation... until Renzou ascended.
With him, a new hope emerged.
For years, Renzou worked tirelessly to change his territory. He improved talents, reformed magical education, created academies and fortresses, and negotiated alliances to strengthen Tsuyokuni. He even devoted less attention to two of his own children because he considered them to have no potential, while focusing his efforts on those he believed could take the territory forward.
And that had led to his greatest pride: Rina.
His daughter was a true genius. Since the age of four, she had already understood the structures of magic circles with an ease that frightened even experienced adults.
Renzou knew that she would surpass him one day.
And he accepted that with pride.
To him, the most important thing was for Tsuyokuni to shine once again.
But then came Kagenai.
The disease was already known in Tsuyokuni. It was rare and deadly. Only about two percent of the population carried the possibility of developing it, and when it was activated, time became the victim's greatest enemy. Only forty days remained until death.
There was no known cure.
The first symptoms seemed harmless: a strange fatigue, followed by fever and cold sweats during the night. Then, the skin began to lose its color, the eyes became less clear, and magic began to fail. It was as if the body's very source of mana were slowly drying up.
Only those closest to Renzou knew about the situation. His three wives and eight children silently watched the deterioration of the man who had supported Tsuyokuni for so many years.
Raizen, the eldest son, tried to maintain his composure in front of the others, but cried in secret. Rina refused to accept that her father could die. The other children alternated between hope and despair as they watched Renzou lose his strength.
The two children he had cast aside, however, remained practically expressionless.
Renzou did not blame them.
Deep down, he believed that this was the consequence of his own choices.
Then came the thirty-sixth day.
Everything went dark.
Renzou's body hurt as if hundreds of needles were piercing his insides. His lungs burned, his head felt as though it were about to explode, and his ears could no longer distinguish the voices around him, only distant noises.
Kagenai was consuming his body.
Four days remained.
'Why...? Why me?'
Renzou had already accepted his own death. He would be the first Ninth Circle mage of Tsuyokuni in two hundred years, someone who had dedicated his entire life to restoring strength to his people, but he would end up dying precisely when he was beginning to believe that his goal could be achieved.
Then something happened.
Something warm flowed from his mouth.
A liquid.
Sweet and warm.
At first, Renzou believed he was hallucinating. But a few seconds later, the ringing in his ears disappeared.
The pain did too.
His body was still weak, but that feeling that death was approaching had disappeared. A relief he had not felt in weeks filled his body.
Little by little, the world returned.
First came the light.
Renzou blinked several times and finally managed to see the embroidered ceiling of his chamber. The golden columns were where they had always been, and familiar voices echoed around him.
He was alive.
He tried to get up, but hands immediately supported him. His vision was still blurry when he found familiar faces.
His third wife was crying beside the bed, while Raizen remained kneeling, holding his hand tightly.
"Father..."
Kaena's cry echoed through the room as she ran toward him. Rina also approached, her eyes red, but trying to maintain a firm expression. Airi came right behind her, almost crying, accompanied by the other children.
The room quickly filled with voices and tears.
Renzou, still dazed, simply smiled.
He could still feel some remnants of Kagenai, as if shadows remained hidden inside his bones, but the disease had disappeared.
He was cured.
"I... am..."
"Yes."
Raizen answered with a trembling voice, while tears finally streamed freely down his face.
"You... came back..."
Raizen turned around and only then noticed the young man with golden hair and eyes who remained a little farther away, watching the scene with some embarrassment.
He appeared to be fifteen years old and wore a simple kimono, but there was something different about his presence. Renzou's wives treated him with respect, while his children looked at him with gratitude. Even the guards present in the chamber were beginning to show a different attitude toward him, especially Daigo, who seemed to be the most grateful. After all, Renzou had saved his life in the past, and now that boy had repaid the favor in a way no one expected.
Raizen approached the young man and gave a small bow before turning his attention back to his father.
"It was him, Father..."
Renzou was still trying to understand what had happened. His mind remained confused, and his eyes turned toward the boy again. How had someone so young managed to cure him? Was he some alchemy genius? Perhaps a user of extremely rare healing magic? He could not find an explanation.
Raizen then continued, his voice still filled with emotion:
"He was the one who cured you, Father..."
Renzou raised his eyes with difficulty and looked at the young man before him. For a few seconds, the two remained silent. The emperor tried to recognize that face, but found no memory of it.
He then asked the only question he could formulate at that moment.
"What... is your name...?"
The boy smiled simply and naturally.
"Enrico Solcren Ferreira."