In a faraway land once home to many races and kingdoms, I lived among a variety of personalities in a place that could only exist in one’s imagination. It was called Valdoria, a land where, outside the human kingdoms, the dragon race held sway. The dragons were ancient, powerful beings with ten shrines, each governed by twelve elite members of tremendous power. These elites served the will of the great Dragon God, who commanded the elite disciples—one for each shrine. Though dragons had two known weaknesses—magic and a rare metal called Incite—they had been peaceful. Until one day, the Dragon God made a decision: the human race had to be eradicated.

The attack on Eldoria, the human kingdom, came without warning. The dragons, with their mythical strength, overwhelmed the unprepared humans. Even the kingdom’s two elite defenders fell quickly. So, a war broke out, with humans, beast folk, elves, and dwarves forming an alliance against the dragons and their demon allies.

Six years before the attack on Eldoria, my father, Sir Rangio von Ashford, lived in our mansion with my mother, Lady Seraphina von Ashford, and my sister, Silf. We eagerly awaited the birth of a new member of the family. But that night, as they prepared for bed, my mother suddenly cried out in pain.

"Ahhhhh! Ahhhhhh!" she gasped, clutching her stomach.

My father rushed to her side. "Seraphina! What’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Silf, only four years old at the time, looked up in concern. "Mama, what’s wrong? What’s wrong, Papa?"

"Your mother’s water has broken!" he said, his face pale with fear.

With our guards away celebrating Bombs Giving, my father had to seek help himself. He sprinted out, bursting into the closed clinic to track down the nurses, who were enjoying their Bombs Giving party.

"Help me! My water slides just broke—I mean my wife!" he shouted, catching their attention.

Startled, the nurses quickly followed him back to our home. But by the time they arrived, my mother had lost consciousness. My father carried her back to the clinic, with Silf following close behind. The nurses took over, and after what felt like an eternity, a newborn’s cry filled the room.

"Your son, my lord," said the head nurse, handing him the child. "He’s strong and healthy, but… Lady Seraphina…"

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

My father looked down to find my mother, her breathing shallow. She opened her eyes briefly and smiled faintly.

"Rangio… our son… Take care of them," she whispered. She then entered a coma.

Silf watched, confused, too young to understand fully but old enough to know something terrible had happened.

On a night meant to be joyful, sorrow enveloped our family, altering our fates forever. The dragons still rested, unaware of the future calamity their actions would soon unleash. The boy born that night, my brother, would one day be the key to ending their reign of terror, though the path to that destiny was fraught with pain.

Six months passed, and we were hit with a good store of luck: my mother, Lady Seraphina, had awoken from her deep slumber and met me for the first time.

"Rangio, he’s beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"My dear, I am so happy you finally woke up and can meet our… lesbion—I mean baby!" my father stammered, realizing his mistake.

"I mean baby!" he cried.

"Rangio!" my mother corrected him.

"I’m sorry," he replied.

"I think we should name him after my brave husband, Rangio. How about Rion?" she suggested.

Six years later, my father and mother discovered we both possessed extraordinary talent.

"We don’t have the budget for both of you to attend the academy," he explained. "One of you must stay home and be tutored, while the other goes to the prestigious magic academy."

"Father, I love magic, but I believe Silf should go," Rion, my younger brother, offered. "She loves it even more than I do."

Touched, I replied, "Are you sure, Rion?"

"Yes, sister. I love you," he answered with a smile.

"So it is decided," my father said. "Silf, you’ll leave in ten days."

Little did we know, this was the last time we’d all be together before chaos engulfed our lives.

Ten days later, as I prepared to depart, the ground trembled violently. Flames erupted, and the sky darkened as dragons filled the air.

My father drew his sword. "I’m going to join the battle!" he shouted.

"Father, take us with you!" Rion and I pleaded.

"No! Seraphina, take the children and escape!" he commanded.

With a final glance, he rushed toward the battlefront, and that was the last time I saw him. We fled for ten days, surviving on rations, until dragons attacked again.

"No! Run!" my mother screamed, trying to shield us. But the dragons descended, snatching both her and Silf. I watched, horrified and powerless, as they took them away.

He tried to run and attack the dragon, but one of them swiped its tail, and he was on the ground. They wanted him right now; he smelled like a dragon, and they were hungry for humans.

In his dreams, he met a 90-year-old version of himself.

"They died that day," the older Rion said. "I lost everything and was taken prisoner. But then, one day, amidst a betrayal among the dragons, I escaped. I fought relentlessly and became something new. I lost countless times, but eventually, everyone I knew was killed. I always survived, but after so many battles, my blade and I merged. Over the course of five years, I was fully merged with the blade, emanating a unique energy that was the dragon's weakness, merging my magic with Incite, creating the Infernal Indicate Battle Arts. But for what? All this power, and the ones I wanted to protect were already dead. I had the power to slay dragon shrine leaders, but for what reason? Why couldn't I have had this power before? Then maybe I could have changed my fate." Tears began to flow as he told me his unholy tale of sorrow.

"Then give it to me!" I shouted. "Let me destroy their race! Let me protect them!" I cried.