- Grinus: The largest country in Kradlos, mainly inhabited by humans, located in the west of the continent. This country has recently expanded its territory and power through military conquests.
- Hagam: The oldest country in Kradlos, situated in the east, formed by one of the Origin's first creations: the light dragons. Due to its adopted isolationist policy, very little is known about Hagam.
- Ydillia: A nation founded by elves near the center of Kradlos. Rumors say that they are pure beings incapable of harming others, which is why Ydillia is an isolated country that only maintains relations with Hagam.
- D'vel: The smallest nation in Kradlos; its territory consists solely of a large guild near Grinus. D'vel is inhabited by merchant dwarves who trade through various caravans across the continent.
- Elessia: An abandoned city once considered almost a metropolis. However, after the "judgment," what remains is the headquarters of the assassin's guild.
With Grinus's constant invasions, the countries began to be overtaken, with D'vel being the first. Other countries and villages started fortifying themselves for the imminent invasion, except for Hagam, whose king firmly believed that Grinus would not invade a land considered a mirage due to the rare sightings of its population and the difficult access to the country, located on the Mountain of Dawn. Nevertheless, Grinus started slowly invading Hagam's borders onward the capital. Despite the invasion, the king refused to leave until this fatefull night:
Dairin, capital of Hagam – inside the castle at 02:11
An elderly man of short stature, with short gray hair, orange eyes, and wearing a light brown silk robe, desperately run down a castle corridor with three guards. Upon reaching a room, he enter quickly, leaving the guards outside, and shake a young man who was sleeping:
- "Prince Norik! Wake up!!"
- Norik: "Alder?! What happened?! What is all this commotion?"
-Alder: "I'm afraid I don't have much time to explain... My priority now is to get Your Highness out of Hagam as quickly as possible. Come, now!!"
-Norik: "What?! So Grinus truly... I see, I’ll act now!"
While Norik hurriedly gather his belongings, he questionss Alder:
-Norik: "What about my mother?"
-Alder: "I believe the royal guard will escort her and your father to Hagam’s exit. Have you taken everything you need, Your Highness?"
-Norik: "Yes, my royal attire, sword, draconic essence, bandages, and the Dr?kker."
-Alder: "Great, the guards are waiting in the corridor to escort you. Let’s go!"
As the two leave the room, they were struck with shock upon seeing the guards fiercely battling Grinus soldiers in a corridor that had begun to catch fire.
-Guard 1: "Your Highness, Alder, RUN!"
-Guard 2: "We’ll hold them back! AAAGH!!"
-Grinus Soldier: "Capture all the dragons you can, especially the king and the prince!"
Norik and Alder run as fast as they could. However, near the border leading to the Mountain of Dawn, Alder, breathless, looked the prince in the eyes:
-Alder: "Your Highness, sadly, this old man can no longer accompany you."
-Norik: "Stop with this nonsense, Alder! I won’t leave you behind!"
-Alder: "But Your Highness must. Your survival is what will keep Hagam’s hope alive, as you are the prince of this land: a light dragon. At least this old body can serve as a distraction for the invaders."
-Norik: "You talk about yourself like that, but..."
The prince is interrupted by the enemy soldiers. Alder quickly pushes the prince through the exit and briefly say goodbye to him:
-Alder: "Farewell, Prince Norik. Know that it was an immense joy to serve you and see you grow."
-Norik: "ALDEEEER!!!"
Only the sounds of battle were heard from inside, while Norik fell to the ground, crying outside. Even so, he stands up:
-Norik: (I-I have to survive... for Hagam... for everyone who sacrificed themselves...)
Even after escaping to the Mountain of Dawn, Norik was spotted by Grinus soldiers and pursued. At one point, he became exhausted and stumbled. One of the soldiers shouted:
- "THERE HE IS! CAPTURE THE PRINCE OF HAGAM!!"
-Norik: (NO! IT CAN’T END LIKE THIS!!) he thought desperately.
At the exact moment one of them was about to grab him, the soldier let out a loud scream of pain, collapsing to the ground in a pool of blood. Everyone who witness the scene was shocked, until it became clear that every present soldier had suffered the same fate, one by one. The last remaining soldier screamed:
- "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPEN...AAAAAAH!!!!"
The only one left was Norik, confused and terrified as he stared at the last fallen soldier. Rising to his feet, he saw a shadow moving in the darkness, coming toward him. Frozen with fear, he could only kneel and plead with the mysterious figure approaching:
-Norik: "P-P-Please, don’t kill me! I was only running away from them... I... I..."
- "I won’t do anything to you," said a cold female voice.
The prince is astonished when he managed to get a better look at his mysterious savior as she approaches him: she wears a long-sleeved dark brown shirt, black leather boots, pants of the same color, and a tattered black coat with a hood that concealed her face. The young woman extends her hand to the prince:
- "Can you stand up?"
-Norik: "Y-Yes, thank you."
- "I was just passing by."
- Norik: "W-Well... if you don’t mind..."
As he begin to speak to the mysterious woman, more enemy soldiers arrives, shouting to capture the prince:
-Norik: "Agh! Can't I complete a single sentence?!"
- "Hold tight."
-Norik: "Huh?"
She carried Norik like a "princess" and run through the steep valleys of the mountain until they manage to lose their pursuers in a small cave. Upon arriving, the prince collapses to the ground, trembling as he recalled the jumps and speed during the escape. The mysterious young woman asked:
- "... Are you okay?"
-Norik: "Y-Yes... I think I’m just not used to the acrobatics you did to get us here."
The young woman glanced toward the cave’s exit and says:
- "For now, it seems they won’t find us."
He slowly get to his feet:
-Norik: "I’m grateful for saving me back there. I’m Norik, Prince of Hagam. My country was invaded by Grinus, and I ask for your help. Er... sorry, I didn’t even ask for your name..."
- "Undying."
-Norik: "Huh? Undying?"
- Undying: "I’m a trained assassin from Eflessia. No assassin gives their true name, only a codename assigned to them for security reasons."
-Norik: "Ah... That explains your skills... they would be of great value to reclaim Hagam."
- Undying: "If you want to hire me, I need an advance."
-Norik: "Advance...?"
-Undying: "I’m talking about money. In Eflessia, there were contractors who fled after the assassin completed the task. The guild started enforcing an advance payment to avoid this issue. I may no longer be affiliated with the guild, but I still require an advance money."
-Norik: "Hagam has plenty of gold; I can give it to you after we reclaim the country."
Stolen story; please report.
- Undying: "No advance payment, no contract."
-Norik: "W-Wait! There must be another way...!"
Norik rummages through the backpack he had brought, dropping various items. At that moment, Immortal noticed a round object resembling a shiny black jewel adorned with two golden dragons. She picked up the small object and examined it under the moonlight:
-Undying: "Well, this looks valuable."
-Norik: "Ah, you mean the Drek?r? It’s true that it’s considered a royal relic in Hagam. They always told me to carry it, but I don’t even know its purpose."
-Undying: "...I’ll accept this as an advance."
-Norik: "R-Really?!" he says joyfully but quickly returned to his normal tone as he asked her: "But... first: how does the contract work?"
- Undying: "Usually, the guild mediates, but since I left the guild some time ago, I take contracts independently. To close a contract, it requires written documentation or a verbal agreement with a handshake. Since we lack paper and ink, let’s go with the latter."
-Norik: "Alright, in exchange for your help in reclaiming Hagam, I’ll give you the Drek?r and whatever wealth you desire from the national treasury!" he declares proudly.
-Undying: "Agreed." (Whatever wealth I desire? That’s too na?ve. Well, I won’t want to bankrupt a country, just enough so I won’t have to worry about money for the rest of my life.) thinks her in a disapproving way on the prince’s naivety.
Norik approaches Immortal for the handshake, and at that moment, he see what the hood has been hiding. He observe a face with scars: two on the cheeks, one at the top on the right side, another near the chin, and one more on the forehead. The face has narrow red eyes which shines under the moonlight, straight white hair down to the chin, and skin the same shade as the hair. The prince stares at her face to the point of forgetting he is holding her hand, until he is brought back to reality by her voice:
-Undying: "Hey, you can let go of my hand."
-Norik: "A-Ah! Sorry! It’s just that I was struck by your appearance... I already knew you were a woman from your voice, but... I didn’t know you were this beautiful..." he said, embarrassed, as he let go of her hand.
-Undying: "Flattery won’t lower the price of the contract."
-Norik: "I-I didn’t mean it that way!"
-Undying: "Let’s go, we have a few things to do before you come up with a plan to reclaim your country," she said, glancing outside the cave to check for enemies and to hide her surprise at having received a compliment.
She signalizes to Norik that they could leave, and the two ran out of the cave.
-Norik: "A-Alright! Where are we going?"
-Undying: "There’s a small village near where we are. There, you’ll need to change your clothes for simpler ones because what you’re wearing now draws too much attention."
-Norik: "Well, this is what I usually wear on a daily basis. Are the clothes outside Hagam that different?"
-Undying: "Very." she said, trying not to roll her eyes in disapproval.
-Norik: "Ah, right... I apologize. This is the first time I’ve really left the country, so I ask you to guide me on how things work in Kradlos."
Undying stops for a moment and looks at him:
-Undying: "...I already figured that out from your mannerisms, so I suggest you listen carefully to what I’m about to say: Kradlos is full of cruel people who will try to take advantage of everything you have. Never, under any circumstances, let your guard down."
-Norik: "A-Alright, but I believe I can trust you, because not only did you save me, you’re also helping me, even if it’s part of the contract."
She is surprised but tries to hide her reaction. Before responding, the two hears distant shouts:
- "LOOK! ISN’T THAT THE PRINCE OF HAGAM?!"
- "CAPTURE HIM AND KILL THE OTHER PERSON!"
-Norik: "More of them?! Ugh..."
-Undying: "Stay here while I deal with them."
The assassin run toward the soldiers; however, Norik follows her:
-Norik: "Wait! I know how to use a sword, and I’m tired of running! Let me fight for my country!"
She stops and notices the determination in his eyes:
-Undying: "Very well. Do as you wish."
Undying charges at the soldiers, killing those in her path. One of them reach the prince and attack him with a sword, which Norik manages to block. The soldier laughs:
- "They’ll give me a generous promotion and raise when I deliver you! Bwahahahaha!!"
-Norik: "As if I’d surrender so easily!" (Alright, I trained with the royal guards for situations like this. I can do this!)
The soldier jumps back and tries to strike the prince’s left leg again, but Norik manages to dodge by lifting it in the opposite direction. He takes advantage of the opening in the soldier’s chest and strike him superficially. The enemy clutches his chest and curses him. However, he becomes distracted by the shouts of the other soldiers:
- "WHAT IS AN ASSASSIN DOING HERE?!"
- Undying: "Fulfilling a contract."
The soldier tries to flee, but Immortal was faster and strike him from behind:
- "An assassin?!"
Norik closes the distance between them and slashes the soldier’s neck, killing him. Norik stares at the body on the ground, his hands trembling on the sword, whispering to himself:
-Norik: "I-I killed someone... b-but it was deserved, r-right?"
Undying had just defeated the last soldier and sheathes her dagger. She approaches the prince and notices his unease:
- Undying: "First time?"
-Norik: "H-Huh?! Y-Yes, I know they did many wrong things..."
-Undying: "If you keep hesitating, you’ll never reclaim your country. So, was that determination from before just a facade?"
-Norik: "What?! No! I will save Hagam!"
-Undying: "Then stop trembling and move forward for what you truly want. If you keep this up, you might as well die."
Norik is moved by Immortal’s words and recalls the sacrifices he had endured to get to where he was. He sheathes his sword and thanks her:
-Undying: "I’ve seen many people hesitate and end up crossing to the other side. As long as you don’t do the same, you’ll survive. Besides, it was good you used your sword instead of turning into a dragon, it would’ve drawn too much attention."
-Norik: "T-True... huh?"
At that moment, he begin rummaging through his backpack as if to check his belongings, only to open it and realize he had forgotten to retrieve them in the cave, the prince panics and Undying sighs in disbelief at the situation until she notices movement among the mountain rocks. She grabs his arm:
-Undying: "Unfortunately, we don’t have time for this. Let’s head to the village because people are approaching."
Noticing this as well, Norik agreed, and the two run, leaving traces of the recent conflict behind:
Dairin, capital of Hagam – 05:33
Alder woke up with several injuries, bleeding slightly from his forehead, beinga dragged by a Grinus Soldier and chained at both his hands and feet:
-Alder: "*cough* *cough* Am I alive...?"
-"ALDER!"
He recognizes the voice and turned his head to the right, where he sees Hagam in flames, with the king and several citizens chained and injured:
-Alder: "Your Majesty! Thank the Origin you are alive! Where is the queen?"
- "Unfortunately, she didn’t survive, she..."
Before the king could finish speaking, his chin is grabbed and lifted by a tall woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, pale skin, and wearing black armor adorned with the symbol of Grinus. She smiles menacingly:
- "Well, well, it’s great that tonight’s prize is still intact, don’t you think, Nigel?"
A man with a shaved head, dark gray eyes, pale skin, tall stature, and wearing silver armor with white accents approaches the woman and knelt down:
-Nigel: "Yes, I made it clear to my men to bring the light dragon, Princess Bel. I only ask your forgiveness for not managing to capture the prince. In the mountain, only a few dead soldiers and these objects were found in a cave."
He handed her the bandages and the draconic essence. Upon seeing the latter, the king and Alder begin to worry, as it was necessary to transform into the dragon form.
-Bel: "Could he be receiving some help? Well, it doesn’t matter much: we’ve already managed to capture several dragons. Send them to Rodney, after all, he’s the one who requested the light dragon and multiple dragons. Don’t be discouraged, Nigel, as you’ve done an excellent job."
-Nigel: "Thank you very much, Your Highness."
Nigel stands up and ordered the soldiers to take the captured dragons to a huge metal cage with several purple diamond-shaped devices around it. Alder, shocked, says:
-Alder: "I saw other Grinus soldiers using this, and I couldn’t transform even with my essence... what could this object be?"
- "I don’t know, Alder, but Hagam lost the battle to a mysterious technology."
-Alder: "Your Majesty may think that way, but I believe that if we had forged more political alliances and better understood what was happening on the continent, this wouldn’t have happened."
- "Alder, we’re in the worst possible situation, and you’re still giving me a lecture?!"
The two were pushed into the cage along with other citizens. Meanwhile, Bel climbs into a carriage to return to Grinus. Nigel also tries to board, but the princess stops him:
-Bel: "Wait, Nigel. I want you to stay in Hagam. I believe the resources here will be of great value to Grinus. Furthermore, I need someone trustworthy to guard this place."
-Nigel: "Are you sure, Your Highness? Won’t you need my help in the capital?"
-Bel: "Yes, I already know how to defend myself. I’m not ten years old anymore," she said mockingly.
-Nigel: "As you wish, Princess Bel. However, if you need my help, send me a letter, and I will head to the capital as quickly as possible."
-Bel: "Alright, alright," she said while rolling her eyes in disapproval. (Tch, fool as ever since the day I helped so many years ago. At least his loyalty is useful fpr something at least.)
Before entering the carriage, she turns to the soldiers:
-Bel: "ARE YOU DONE? LET’S RETURN TO GRINUS, NOW!!"
Under Bel’s command, the army marches towards Grinus, along with the imprisoned citizens of Hagam, uncertain about their future.
Village of Enios, 05:38
Norik and Undying arrives at a small village after evading the soldiers. He looks around curiously:
-Norik: (Wow, so this is what a human village looks like...)
Undying turns to him:
-Undying: "Stay here while I buy some new clothes."
-Norik: "Alright, I’ll stay behind this rock."
She went to a small stall where an elderly drunk man stood:
-Undying: "A simple set and a rope."
-"*urp* 5 dreks."
While waiting for Immortal, Norik tries to observe the small village from a distance and thinks:
-Norik: (I know I’ve just been through some really tough situations, but I can’t help feeling happy about seeing new things.)
Shortly after, she returns to where he is and hands him the new clothes. Norik changes into them and notices they were much simpler than what he usually wore. The outfit consisted of a thin shirt with a hood and thin pants, both in a dark beige color. Once he finishes, he informs her, and she approaches him:
-Undying: "Now, I’ll need to hide your ears."
-Norik: "WHAT?!"
-Undying: "Ssssh!!! Quiet! Did you forget you can’t attract attention?! Unlike the ears of humans and dwarves, dragons and elves have pointed ears. Remember when I said people would try to take advantage of you? They’ll want to go after you because you’re a dragon."
-Norik: "Ah, yes. I apologize for yelling like that. Do you know how to hide them?"
-Undying: "Yes, sit down and turn around; I’ll hide them under your hair. I know how because I’ve worked with elven contractors before."
-Norik: "You mentioned elves, and I believe the next step would be to go to Ydillia. Hagam has had a long-standing alliance with the elves."
- Undying: "Alright, then that would mean going to the Forest of Mist, which isn’t far from here. However, are you aware that elves can only heal and not fight?"
-Norik: "Well, I am. However, I believe any help would be good in the current situation."
- Undying: "True. There, I’m done. For now, it would be better if we left, or do you need some rest?"
-Norik: "Well, I do feel exhausted, but time is of the essence."
- Undying: "Lie down. I’ll stand guard."
-Norik: "But what about you?"
- Undying: "I’m used to it, but you’re not. It’s better for you to rest now than for me to have to carry you in the morning."
-Norik: "Um... Good point. Is there an inn here?"
- Undying: "This is a small village; not even a D’vel caravan passes through here. To avoid walking further, you’ll have to sleep on the ground."
The prince resigned himself and lay on the ground. However, due to the extreme exhaustion he endured throughout the night, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.