Ash rained like snow.
The golden towers of Valedorn, once the mightiest of the Gravity Kingdoms, crumbled beneath blood-red skies. Screams echoed through the capital walls as steel clashed with steel, and magic lit the air with destruction. A kingdom that once ruled the skies was now burning from the inside out.
On the battlefield, Kael Draven, the 26-year-old crown prince of Valedorn, stood among the ruins. His cloak was torn, stained with soot and blood. His red hair was wild in the wind, and a scar stretched from his chest to his chin — a reminder of betrayal.
> "Where is she…?"
His voice cracked as he stepped over broken stone, staring ahead at the collapsing Royal Hall. That's where she was supposed to be.
Lyra.
His light. His balance. His reason.
A scream rose in his throat as the building caved in. The place they had sworn to protect together… gone.
---
Above the ruins, the skies cracked open. Black clouds twisted as shadowed figures descended — not just demons, but human banners.
Betrayers.
Former allies.
Kingdoms that once called Valedorn their brother.
Kael's hands curled into fists. Around him, the ground began to shake. Gravity pulsed outward, lifting rubble and bending metal midair.
> "You all did this…"
---
From the air above him, a familiar voice echoed with twisted joy.
> "The prince awakens... Too late to save even a memory."
It was General Lysurr, the Crimson Howl — one of the Demon King's five warlords. He hovered in the air, flanked by cursed banners and screaming demonspawn.
Kael raised his head. His eyes were glowing — silver lines tracing from the scar across his body.
> "I'm not here to save anyone," he growled.
"I'm here to make you all pay."
---
With a roar, Kael unleashed his magic. Gravity collapsed inward. Demons were crushed midair, armor folded like paper, and the ground cratered around him.
But Lysurr only smiled.
> "Such rage… You'll make an excellent pawn for our King once your heart truly breaks."
Kael launched himself toward Lysurr, blade drawn. But the General vanished into the black mist, leaving only a chilling whisper behind.
> "She called your name… right before the end."
---
That was the day Valedorn fell.
The day Kael Draven died as a prince…
And was reborn as something else entirely.
A warrior without a crown.
A man with nothing to lose.
And a power he could barely control — one the world wasn't ready for.
---