Prologue: The End of the World?
The sky was dark with ashes. Below, on a field that used to be green, stood three billion Orion warriors. They came from twenty different kingdoms. Above them floated the Four Biggest Gods:
Aetherius (God of Light)
Gaia (God of Life)
Thalassa (God of the Sea)
Chronos (God of Time)
Beside the gods stood the Seven Greatest Orions ever:
Valerius (Never Gives Up)
Lyra (Very Fast)
Borin (Strong Like Stone)
Seraphina (Controls Fire)
Kaelen (Controls Storms)
Elara (Moves Like a Shadow)
Theron (Armored in Iron)
Facing them all, alone, stood Arthur Thorne. He was also having the Death God or the Void God. He was the most powerful being the Death God. He looked up at the dark sky, not at the army. His voice was cold and sad.
"Maria... my son..." he whispered, but everyone heard. "I am sorry. I cannot save you. I am sorry."
Fear spread through the billions. One of the greatest Orions, Kaelen, spoke. He meant to talk to himself, but everyone heard his voice shake: "He is Death itself... a monster so bad, even other monsters call him a monster."
Arthur Thorne slowly looked down at the army. His eyes were black and empty. He looked at the gods, the Orions, the kings, the people, and the Four Giant World Beasts:
Veridia (Beast of Forests)
Ignisia (Beast of Fire)
Aquaria (Beast of Oceans)
Ventora (Beast of Winds)
A cold, scary smile touched his lips.
"So..." he said, his voice like ice. "...you think you can beat me? You are all very wrong."
His power felt heavy. Everyone was terrified. Fear turned into a wild scream. Millions, then billions, the kings, the gods, the beasts, all shouted together: "CHARGE!"
The whole world exploded with light, noise, and power as everyone attacked.
Arthur Thorne didn't move. He just lifted his hand towards the sky. He said one last thing: "Ziras. The Death Sky."
Then, everything went dark.
---
Now: The Stonewell Orphanage
The air in the orphanage yard was dusty and smelled like bad cabbage soup. Four bigger boys were kicking and hitting a smaller boy curled up on the ground. His name was Zaren.
"Think you're special, brat?" yelled Brad Valros, kicking Zaren hard in the side. "Ignoring us? Hiding your food?" Another kick landed.
Zanet Zendar spat near Zaren. "We saw you hide that bread, Brad. Thought he was smart."
Mario Simen laughed meanly. "Yeah, this little butt thinks we're stupid." He pulled his fist back to punch Zaren in the face. "Need a lesson?"
Before Mario could hit him, another boy ran out of the orphanage door. William Corner moved fast. His fist hit Mario's jaw with a CRACK! Mario cried out, holding his bleeding face.
Brad and the others stared, shocked. "William!" Brad screamed. "You jerk!" He tried to punch William.
William was too quick. He dodged Brad's punch and hit him hard under the chin. CRUNCH. Brad stumbled back, spitting out a tooth! He looked at it, yelled in pain and fear, and ran away. The others ran too, dragging Mario.
It got quiet. William breathed hard and looked down at Zaren. He held out his hand.
"Get up," William said. He sounded angry, but not at Zaren. "Hiding and taking hits won't help forever, Zaren. What if I wasn't here? What if I... couldn't help?"
Zaren slowly stood up, hurting. He wiped blood from his mouth. His dark eyes met William's. "It's okay," he mumbled, but it wasn't true.
William sighed, his anger turning sad. "Yeah? Tell that to your sore ribs tomorrow." He helped Zaren stand straight. "Look... My parents left me here thinking I was 'special'. Brad and Mario? Their families are just poor. This place is like storage for them. But you..." William's voice got softer. "You have no parents, Zaren. But that doesn't mean you are nothing."
Zaren fixed his old shirt. He looked past William, over the orphanage walls, at the cloudy sky. A sky where amazing heroes like the Primarch Orions were said to fly. "I know you'll be here," Zaren said quietly. Then his voice got strong. "But I won't always need saving."
William gave a small smile. "Okay, tough guy. But remember our dream? We have to become Orions. Not just normal ones. The highest kind. Primarch Orion."
A fierce light burned in Zaren's eyes. It cut through the pain and dirt. It was more than a wish; it was a deep promise. "Yeah," he said, his voice low and serious. "I know. And I will become the most powerful person ever born."
William looked surprised by how strong Zaren sounded. He patted Zaren's shoulder. "Alright then, future Primarch. Let's get to the canteen before the good food is gone. Need food for your big destiny!"
As they walked to the noisy canteen, the smell of stew got stronger. This was their world: a world under attack. Zibos – ugly, scary monsters – could appear anywhere, anytime, alone or in huge groups. Orions were the warriors who fought them. They used special weapons and armor called Kiren gear, made from Zibo body parts! They killed Zibos, took their heads and parts to Kiren Guilds. The Guilds, run by the Kingdoms, gave Orions money and missions. The cycle was simple: Kill Zibos. Get money and gear. Survive. And somewhere out in the wild lands lived the World Beasts – huge, powerful animal gods.
Zaren walked beside William. The pain from the kicks faded. The fire of his promise burned brighter. The story of the dark battlefield, Arthur Thorne's sad voice, the terrible "Ziras, the Death Sky"... these weren't just stories. They were real history. And Zaren felt deep inside that his own story was starting right here, in the Stonewell Orphanage. His goal was as huge and scary as the sky Arthur Thorne had destroyed. The shadow of the Death God was long, but in a beaten orphan boy, a fire had started that wouldn't go out.
(Chapter 1 Fin)