Inside the grand hall of Arcadia's palace, the nine kings of the continent gathered. They discussed the organization and its connection to the dark sorcerer from the distant past, and they all agreed to unite their strength to confront it. After several decades, the kingdoms finally managed to raid the hidden bases of the organization and destroy its failed experiments. Yet, the pitiful sight of thousands of children who had been kidnapped from their families and subjected to horrific experiments lingered in their memories—only a few had survived. The survivors were sent to the Academies of Mutants. Despite the kingdoms' efforts, they could not bring a final end to the organization. And with the looming Race Wars, which were only thirty years away, they had no choice but to temporarily abandon the pursuit of the organization and prepare their realms for war.
In the Continent of Dragons, fifteen years later, amidst blazing flames, molten lava, and towering mountains, the Dragon Kingdom loomed on the horizon. Yet it was in a state of unprecedented turmoil.
Dragon King: "Unbelievable! A mere human sorcerer dares to trespass into my land and steal what belongs to me. Find him at once and bring back what he stole!"
The king commanded all the dragons to hunt the sorcerer down and bring him back alive, no matter the cost. Elsewhere, the dark sorcerer was desperately fleeing from the wrath of the dragons, clutching in his hand a legendary egg—the egg destined to hatch the Sacred Dragon long awaited by the dragon race. Now, that egg was in the sorcerer's grasp. Suddenly, a fiery whip descended from the skies, striking right before him.
Sorcerer: "That was close… So, you dragons won't let me escape, huh? Then I'll carve my own path. Very well."
Enormous tendrils erupted from the sorcerer's back, lashing into the sky, tearing down a dragon and ripping it into shreds. A fierce battle ignited between the sorcerer and the dragons. Flames raged everywhere, the sorcerer dodging with agility while unleashing his sorcery against them. Within a single minute, a mound of dragon corpses rose beneath his feet.
Sorcerer: "Is this all dragons of the seventh rank can do?"
As he mocked them, an aura of wrath and hatred surged forth—an aura powerful enough to kill weaker beings by presence alone.
Sorcerer: "I won't waste my life here any longer. Time to leave."
With speed surpassing sound, the sorcerer shot toward the Continental Wall, fleeing the dragons' pursuit. Upon reaching it, he tore open a portal and vanished. On the other side, the Dragon King and his soldiers arrived at the barrier, glaring with fury.
One dragon stepped forward: "If he crossed through here, then he must be human. Shall we send trackers after him?"
Dragon King: "No. He annihilated an entire squadron of seventh-rank dragons—clearly he is formidable. But the real question is how he crossed the Continental Wall. That cursed barrier opens only once every thousand years. Under normal conditions, only weak creatures can pass. From what I saw, he's anything but weak. Sending strong dragons is impossible, and sending weaklings is useless."
As the Dragon King finished, he sensed faint remnants of the sorcerer's energy. At that moment, the Dragon Sage appeared, and the king ordered him to investigate and track the sorcerer.
The Dragon King scanned the Human Continent with his piercing gaze but found no trace of him.
Dragon King: "He is not within the human lands. Search for any clue, follow the remnants of his energy. I want him found—no matter the cost."
Dragon Sage: "At once, my liege. I shall devote all my strength to this task."
Three long years passed as the sage tracked and pursued, until finally he found the answer.
Dragon Sage: "Yes, my king. It seems the sorcerer created a pocket dimension within the barrier itself. The barrier was originally a space-time distortion, a rift that separated the races from one another. Every thousand years, the rift resets, and the Race Wars begin anew. But crossing now is suicide—one would fall into a void of endless nothingness, without time or space, an infinite abyss dividing the continents. Yet the sorcerer forged a small realm inside this void, hiding himself from us."
Dragon King: "Then how do you propose we reach him?"
Dragon Sage: "He traveled through a transfer portal. If we can precisely pinpoint the dimension's location, we can forge our own gate into it."
Soon, preparations were complete. A host of powerful dragons assembled, led by the Dragon King himself. A colossal gate was torn open in the barrier, and the dragons surged through like a storm.
At last, they breached the pocket dimension. It was a miniature world, so small one could glimpse its very edges. The sorcerer emerged, startled by the disturbance—only to witness his worst nightmare: the Dragon King leading an army of ancient dragons into his realm.
The king charged at him, his eyes brimming with hatred. Each gaze from the monarch was like a blade piercing the sorcerer's heart.
Dragon King: "Where is it?"
Sorcerer: "What do you mean? Where is what?"
Dragon King: "If you won't speak, I'll make you writhe in the flames of hell raining upon you now!"
Fear flickered on the sorcerer's face. "Very well… if you mean the egg, I'll tell you. But its appearance now… won't please you."
Dragon King: "Speak! Where is it—before I show you true despair!"
Sorcerer: "…It's there."
The Dragon King turned, only to behold a nightmare. The sacred egg, meant to be the pride of his race, had been defiled beyond recognition.
The sorcerer had used it to conduct experiments on children, forging hybrids with dragon genes. Gigantic capsules held their twisted forms: some bore dragon scales, others horns, others wings. All were failures. The children inside were corpses.
Rage consumed the king. No longer could he restrain his fury. With a thunderous roar, he unleashed a whip of fire like lightning, reducing the sorcerer to ashes.
But then, his eyes fell upon one capsule—within it, a child no older than ten, a hybrid of human and dragon. Disgust and anguish welled within him, for he realized the child had been created using the blood of his own son.
The king erupted, flames engulfing the entire dimension, intent on erasing it.
Dragon Sage: "Retreat! Everyone, through the gate—NOW!"
The dragons fled, leaving only their king. His wrath tore the realm apart. The pocket world cracked, collapsing under his fury.
Amidst the destruction, a single child's eyes opened—the boy, Rian. He watched the dragon burn and shatter everything, and then the dragon's whip of flame descended upon him, obliterating all in its path.
The pocket dimension was annihilated.
Back in the Dragon Continent, the sage and his kin sensed the collapse. He worried deeply: "If the dimension collapses, the gate will too, trapping the king in the void. Unless… unless he has another way to return."
Meanwhile, in the endless abyss of the void, darkness prevailed. A faint heartbeat echoed—thump, thump—a crimson heart pulsating with energy, a scarlet aura encircling it. Flesh formed around it, reshaping into the body of a human, then twisting into a dragon hybrid. Scales, claws, wings began to appear.
From the abyss, Rian was reborn.
Abandoned by life itself, and even by those closest to him, he carried only the memory of betrayal. The dragon's presence felt to him like that of a father—yet that bond was shattered when flames rained upon him.
Once, he had lived peacefully with his grandfather, until he was kidnapped at the age of three by the remnants of Erebus. Experiments killed countless children, leaving only him alive. He had feigned unconsciousness, silently observing. His fusion with the dragon hatchling granted him awareness beyond his years—mutants matured differently, their minds outpacing their bodies.
Now, in the abyss, his body ignited with a scarlet aura. In his mind, the small dragon hatched from the egg appeared before him, nudging him gently—propelling him forward like a comet through the void.
Suddenly, a radiant light burst forth. Rian was hurled into it—
And when he opened his eyes, he found himself amidst ancient ruins.
End of Chapter Two.