The Royal Sanctuary burned.
Thick black smoke rose into the sky as flames swallowed homes that had stood for generations. The peaceful sanctuary had become a battlefield.
Outside the broken gates, the earth groaned under the weight of an entire invading force.
Thousands of human soldiers surrounded the sanctuary from every direction.
Some carried massive shields bearing the crest of the human empire, locking them together in an impenetrable wall of steel.
Some held long spears, their polished tips glinting ominously through the haze of ash.
Others were mages, chanting complex spells while glowing magic circles formed beneath their feet, pulsing with volatile arcane energy.
The sanctuary had fallen.
But the Draganutes...
Had not.
At the center of the devastated courtyard stood a single man.
King Drakonis.
His crimson wings slowly unfolded behind him, sweeping away the smoke and casting a shadow across the blood-soaked ground. His golden eyes remained calm, tracking the movements of the enemy with predatory focus, even as countless enemies surrounded him.
Around him stood only twenty Royal Guards.
Every one of them was wounded. Their armor was cracked, and their breath was heavy.
Every one of them knew...
None of them would leave this battlefield alive.
A young royal guard stepped forward, wiping a streak of crimson from his cheek.
"Your Majesty..."
"The eastern wall has fallen."
"The western gate has fallen as well."
"There are too many."
King Drakonis looked toward the palace standing in the distance, its white stone stained with soot.
His son had just been born.
He smiled faintly, a genuine expression of warmth that defied the carnage around them.
"As long as they can escape..."
"This battle is already worth fighting."
The guards lowered their heads in perfect unison.
None of them questioned his words.
Their duty had never been to survive.
It had always been to protect.
A loud voice echoed from the front lines of the human army.
"Draganute King!"
A heavily armored general rode forward on a massive warhorse, the beast stamping its hooves nervously at the smell of dragon blood.
He pointed his ornate sword toward Drakonis.
"Surrender."
"I promise your death will be quick."
Silence answered him, save for the crackling of the burning buildings.
King Drakonis slowly drew the longsword hanging at his waist.
The crisp sound of sliding steel echoed across the battlefield, silencing the murmur of the human troops.
He raised the blade toward the smoke-filled sky.
"My people..."
"...have never bowed to fear."
The human general frowned, his face twisting into an ugly scowl.
"Then die with your pride."
He swung his sword downward.
"Attack!"
Like a tidal wave of metal and flesh...
Thousands of soldiers charged with a deafening roar.
The ground trembled beneath countless boots.
Volleys of iron-tipped arrows darkened the sky, raining down like a deadly storm.
Mages released torrents of scorching fire and freezing ice, lighting up the courtyard in blinding flashes of elemental fury.
The Royal Guards stepped forward without a shred of hesitation, their weapons at the ready.
"For His Majesty!"
"For the Sanctuary!"
The battlefield exploded into utter chaos.
One Draganute guard leaped into the air, dodging a barrage of spells.
His enormous wings beat once, creating a massive shockwave.
He crashed into the frontline of soldiers, sending armored men flying through the air like dry leaves caught in a hurricane.
Another guard caught a massive, downward-swinging war hammer with a single bare hand, the sheer impact cracking the stone beneath his boots. With a twist of his wrist, he crushed both the iron weapon and the knight holding it.
The human soldiers stared in absolute horror as their comrades fell.
"Monsters!"
"They're monsters!"
A seasoned captain shouted, slapping the helmets of his retreating men.
"Don't stop!"
"They're only twenty! We have the numbers!"
The soldiers surged forward again, driven by fear and military discipline.
King Drakonis disappeared from his spot.
For a brief, terrifying moment...
No one could see him.
Then—
A blinding crimson flash cut a horizontal line right across the packed battlefield.
One...
Five...
Ten elite knights collapsed, their armor sliced clean through before they even realized they had been struck.
Blood painted the shattered cobblestones.
The king stood several meters away, his posture entirely relaxed as he calmly wiped the edge of his blade.
The human general's face turned pale, his grip loosening on his reins.
"So this..."
"...is the power of the Draganute King."
Far behind the front lines, safely perched on a rising hill...
The Archbishop of Arhan watched the slaughter with narrowed, calculating eyes.
"They're much stronger than the scout reports indicated."
A high-ranking bishop standing beside him nodded, clutching his holy pendant.
"One Draganute equals dozens of our finest soldiers. This attrition rate is unacceptable."
The Archbishop looked toward the ruined sanctuary with absolute disgust.
"That is exactly why they must disappear from history."
"If creatures like them continue to exist..."
"...humanity will never stand at the top of this world."
He raised his staff high into the air.
The circle of bishops behind him began chanting together, their voices blending into a haunting hymn.
A gigantic golden magic circle appeared in the clouds above the battlefield, its intricate runes spinning and locking into place.
The air itself became heavy, pressing down on everyone like a physical weight.
One of the Royal Guards looked up, wiping a mixture of sweat and blood from his eyes.
"Your Majesty..."
"They're preparing another holy bombardment."
King Drakonis nodded, his gaze fixed on the glowing sky.
"I know."
He looked at the remaining guards around him.
Many were barely standing, leaning heavily on their weapons.
Some had shattered wings hanging limply at their sides.
Others had deep, life-threatening wounds across their chests and arms.
Yet...
Not one of them stepped back.
Not one of them showed a single ounce of fear.
Drakonis smiled proudly, feeling a deep swell of gratitude for his men.
"You have all fought brilliantly today."
One of the oldest guards let out a hoarse laugh, spitting blood onto the ground.
"Your Majesty..."
"We've protected this sanctuary for hundreds of years."
"It would be terribly embarrassing to run away now."
The others laughed as well, a rough, defiant sound.
Even in the middle of certain death...
Their spirits remained completely unbroken.
King Drakonis tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the hum of his own power rising to meet the threat.
"Then let us buy them a little more time."
Behind him...
The palace still stood, a silent witness to their final stand.
Inside...
His wife.
His newborn son.
That alone was more than enough reason to keep fighting until his final breath.
The sky suddenly glowed with blinding intensity.
The massive holy spell was fully complete.
The Archbishop lowered his staff with a cold command.
"Erase them."
A pillar of pure, destructive golden light descended from the heavens, large enough to consume the entire courtyard.
King Drakonis spread his wings wide, bracing his feet against the cracked stone.
His crimson Magenia erupted from his body like a blazing inferno, pushing back the oppressive holy pressure.
He raised his sword directly toward the falling light.
His voice thundered across the battlefield, loud enough to shake the mountains.
"DRAGANUTES!"
The remaining Royal Guards roared together, unleashing every last drop of their energy.
"FOR THE KING!"
Then...
The heavens themselves crashed upon the battlefield, drowning out everything in a blinding explosion of gold and crimson.
Deep beneath the burning Royal Sanctuary...
A hidden stone passage echoed with the frantic, hurried footsteps of those left behind.
Queen Aurelia held her newborn son tightly against her chest, wrapping him completely in her thick royal cloak to shield his fragile body from the damp, freezing air of the tunnels.
Beside her ran Gormen, the captain of the Royal Guards, his heavy boots splashing through shallow puddles.
His sword was already stained with fresh blood from the earlier breach.
Fresh wounds covered his body, slowing his pace, but he ignored the searing pain from every one of them.
His only duty now...
...was to protect the future of the Draganutes, no matter the cost.
"The exit is just ahead, Your Majesty," Gormen said between heavy, ragged breaths.
"The King's secret passage ends safely outside the sanctuary borders."
The Queen nodded, her lungs burning from the continuous sprint.
She looked down at the tiny baby sleeping peacefully in her arms, completely unaware of the tragedy unfolding above them.
A weak, sorrowful smile appeared on her face.
"You really chose the worst possible day to be born..."
Shorabh heard every single word, his adult mind racing inside his tiny new body.
"I'd rather have been born on a peaceful day too..."
"Now let's hurry up before those heavily armed idiots find us."
A few agonizing moments later...
A ray of natural sunlight appeared ahead, breaking through the darkness of the cave.
The hidden tunnel finally ended.
The three stepped out into the sprawling wilderness known as the Ultimate Forest of Venara.
Ancient, massive trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, their dense canopies blocking out the distant smoke.
The air was incredibly fresh and crisp.
Birds sang peacefully in the branches above...
As if the natural world knew absolutely nothing about the brutal war happening only a few kilometers away.
Gormen stepped out first, looking around the dense foliage carefully, his senses on high alert.
"We're safe... for now."
The Queen let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief, leaning slightly against a moss-covered boulder.
Then...
A sharp, deadly whistle cut through the tranquil sounds of the forest.
Gormen's expression changed instantly from relief to pure lethal intent.
"Get down!"
Whoosh!
Several black-fletched arrows shot through the gaps in the trees, aimed directly at the royal family.
Gormen threw his body in front of the Queen.
His heavy broadsword flashed in the sunlight.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Three arrows were knocked away with perfect precision.
But he was exhausted, and his reaction time was slipping. The fourth arrow pierced deep into his shoulder.
Blood splashed violently across the grassy ground.
Before he could even pull the arrow out...
Figures dressed in dark, camouflaged cloaks jumped down from the high branches.
Human assassins. The empire's shadow unit.
"There they are!"
"Kill the Queen!"
"Don't let the cursed child escape!"
Without a second of hesitation, Gormen charged right at them.
His majestic wings spread wide as crimson Magenia burst around him, fueling his dying body with a final surge of adrenaline.
His sword danced like a streak of red lightning.
One assassin lost his head before he could even draw his weapon, letting out a choked gurgle.
Another was split clean through his reinforced leather armor, collapsing into the bushes.
The remaining assassins hesitated, backing away from the ferocious Draganute warrior.
"He's already severely wounded!"
"Surround him! Keep your distance and wear him down!"
Steel clashed against steel, sparking wildly in the shadows of the forest.
Gormen fought like a man completely possessed by the spirit of war.
Every step he took forward resulted in another enemy body falling lifelessly to the dirt.
But there were simply too many of them, and his previous injuries were taking their toll.
A jagged blade pierced his side, slipping past his guard.
Another assassin dashed in and cut a deep gash across his back.
A poisoned arrow struck his left wing, pinning it uselessly to his side.
Even so...
He never stepped back.
Not even once.
He became an unbreakable wall of flesh and steel between the assassins and his Queen.
Behind him...
The Queen held Kaizen as close to her heart as possible while slowly backing away toward the deeper, untamed parts of the woods.
Suddenly...
A hidden assassin, who had circled around the chaos, appeared silently right behind her.
His poisoned dagger shot forward with terrifying speed.
Gormen's eyes widened in sheer horror as he saw the movement over his shoulder.
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
He forcefully threw his heavy sword across the clearing.
The spinning blade pierced the sneaking assassin right through the chest, pinning him to a nearby tree trunk.
But...
It was a second too late.
The assassin's dagger had already reached its intended target.
A deep, fatal cut opened across the Queen's side.
Crimson blood rapidly stained her pristine white dress, blooming like a dark rose.
She stumbled forward, her knees giving out completely.
Kaizen's tiny eyes widened as the world tilted around him.
"No..."
"Please..."
"Not now... I just got here..."
The surviving assassins looked at one another in the sudden silence.
Their primary mission was complete.
Every one of their comrades lay dead in the grass.
But so did the mighty Gormen.
The captain of the Royal Guard dropped heavily to one knee, a pool of blood forming beneath him.
His breathing became incredibly weak, a raspy rattle in his chest.
He looked toward the fallen Queen, his vision fading to black.
"...Forgive me..."
"...Your Majesty..."
"I failed..."
The Queen shook her head weakly, pressing a trembling hand against her fatal wound.
"You protected us..."
"...until the very end. You were magnificent."
Gormen smiled, the lines of stress finally leaving his bloodied face.
For the first time since the horrific battle had begun...
He felt totally at peace.
His massive body slowly collapsed onto the soft forest floor.
The last loyal Royal Guard had fulfilled his sacred oath.
An eerie silence returned to the ancient forest.
Only the Queen remained.
Holding her newborn son with the last traces of her strength.
Blood continued flowing rapidly from her side.
She knew the undeniable truth.
There wasn't much time left before the cold claimed her.
Hot tears rolled down her pale cheeks as she gently kissed Kaizen's forehead one last time.
"My precious child..."
"I'm so sorry..."
"I won't be there..."
"...to watch you grow into a great man."
Shorabh desperately wanted to tell her not to give up, to put pressure on the wound, to hold on just a little longer.
"You can still live!"
"We just need to find some help!"
He forced every single bit of his adult willpower into his tiny, underdeveloped vocal cords.
"WAAAAAAAH!!"
His loud, heart-wrenching cry echoed violently throughout the quiet forest.
At that exact moment...
A cold, mechanical, yet calm voice sounded directly inside his mind.
Voice of All Things activated.
Emergency survival protocol initiated.
Without him even realizing it...
Kaizen's desperate, overwhelming emotions spread across the invisible magical network of the Ultimate Forest.
It did not broadcast as coherent human words...
But as a primal, agonizing cry for immediate help.
The forest suddenly became incredibly silent, as if holding its breath.
Even the rustling wind stopped completely.
Then...
A long, haunting howl echoed through the distant mountain ridges.
"Awooooooooo..."
The Queen slowly lifted her heavy eyelids and looked toward the shadowy tree line.
Glowing golden eyes appeared in the dark.
One pair.
Then another.
Then dozens more, lighting up the bushes like fireflies.
A massive pack of enormous Moonfang Wolves emerged from the shadows, their paws making absolutely no sound on the dry leaves.
The towering Alpha stepped forward, easily the size of a warhorse.
His majestic silver fur shimmered brightly beneath the sunlight filtering through the canopy.
He looked directly at the crying baby lying in the dying mother's arms.
He did not look at them as prey.
He did not look at them as an enemy trespassing in his territory.
But...
As someone desperately calling for the pack's help.
The Queen smiled weakly, recognizing the ancient beasts of the forest.
"So..."
"It was you who answered him..."
The Alpha slowly approached, his massive frame towering over the fallen woman.
He gently lowered his enormous head, hot breath washing over the child.
The Queen carefully, with agonizing effort, placed Kaizen onto a patch of soft green grass right in front of the beast.
"Please..."
"Take my son..."
"Protect him from this cruel world..."
The Alpha gently opened his jaws and picked up the child by the thick royal cloth wrapped securely around him.
His razor-sharp teeth did not scratch or hurt the baby in the slightest.
For a brief, magical moment...
Kaizen and the great silver wolf looked deeply into each other's eyes, an unspoken bond forming instantly.
Then...
The Alpha turned gracefully toward the deepest part of the forest.
The entire pack followed his lead, melting back into the shadows as quickly as they had appeared.
The Queen watched them disappear among the giant, ancient trees until she could no longer see the silver fur of the leader.
A peaceful smile appeared on her beautiful face.
"My king..."
"Our son..."
"...will live."
She slowly closed her eyes.
Never to open them again.