The Kingdom of Daria stood as the crown jewel of the continent of Serenia. It was a beacon of harmony, the very first kingdom where all species coexisted in peace and dignity. Comprising of nine distinct states, the kingdom shared its name with its magnificent capital.
Despite Daria's steady progress, it faced a persistent struggle: the scarcity of Vita Resources. These rare, high-density energy stones were the lifeblood of advanced innovation, yet they remained elusive,a challenge even the wise King Dorman Dane Emberfall could not resolve.
Nevertheless, the King ensured that every citizen, regardless of race, lived with equal rights and unwavering dignity.
THE FOREST: ELDARIDA
A short distance from the capital stretched the mythical forest of Eldarida, a vast and untamed wilderness. Legends spoke of ethereal Dryads who nurtured the woods, ensuring every tree remained vibrant and resilient. During the day, when hunters dared not tread, a miracle unfolded.
The forest seemed to breathe; flowers bloomed in an instant, their petals shimmering with iridescent light. The air thrummed with the rhythmic drumming of woodpeckers and the melodic calls of Azure-winged thrushes, while small, silver-furred creatures darted through the underbrush like flickering shadows.
"Every single time, it is a struggle to navigate this place. It is as if the forest is sentient; the paths never stay the same," Maria remarked, brushing aside a luminous vine.
"Haha, I thought you would have mastered its whims by now, Maria," Erika replied with a soft laugh. Erika was a woman of haunting grace, her long black hair cascading down her back like a silken waterfall. She was on the verge of welcoming a new life into the world.
"Come, sit beside me," Erika beckoned, gently combing Maria's hair.
"You really don't have to do this anymore. I'm not a child," Maria said, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "I am a mother myself now, with two children of my own."
"You will always be a child in my eyes," Erika teased gently. "It feels like only yesterday I found you, and now you have grown so much." She looked down at her stomach, her expression serene. "Soon, you will have a baby brother."
MYSTIC LYTHORIA SCHOOL
"Miss Lisanna, the school day has not yet concluded," an administrator noted.
Lisanna, a striking Demi-human, possessed an enigmatic and commanding presence. Two curved horns, shimmering like polished silver, protruded from her forehead, contrasting beautifully with her piercing blue eyes and flowing purple hair. She was dressed in an elegant gown of deep violet, embroidered with silver threads that seemed to glow.
"I am aware," Lisanna replied smoothly. "But Lord Damon has sent for her. It is a matter of great urgency."
The administrator nodded. "I see. Allow me a moment to fetch her."
Shortly after, a young girl with long, raven-black hair and bright brown eyes ran toward them.
"Lady Lisanna!" she cried, her face lighting up with joy.
Lisanna took the girl's hand, leading her toward a black-and-gold wagon parked outside.
"Cassandra, how was school today? Did you discover anything new?" Lisanna asked with a warm smile.
"Hmm!" Cassandra nodded enthusiastically, her brown eyes sparkling as the wagon began its hurried journey through the city streets.
ELDARIDA
Deep within Eldarida, the tranquility shattered. Erika let out a sharp groan, clutching her side.
"The baby... he is coming now."
Maria quickly assisted her into the small cottage hidden within the trees.
"I am grateful I could fulfill my wish at last," Maria whispered, helping Erika to the bed. "I would not want to leave this responsibility solely to my daughter, Cassandra."
As Erika labored, the forest reacted with violence. The wind howled, animals shrieked in agitation, and the sky bruised into a dark, unnatural purple.
"Push, Erika! I can see his head! Just one last time!" Maria urged.
With a final, echoing cry, Erika pushed, and the sheer force of the energy released caused every glass pane in the cottage to shatter into dust.
Maria gasped, cradling the infant in trembling hands. The boy was a miracle of duality: his hair was split perfectly between snow-white and midnight-black, while his eyes mirrored the heavens—one a radiant star, the other a dark abyss.
"My child," Erika whispered, tears staining her golden skin. "I will not be here to see the man you become... but I leave you in hands I trust."
With a final breath, she named him Aristo. In a flash of light, her physical form dissolved into highly concentrated Dio energy, vanishing into the air.
Maria wrapped Aristo in a crimson blanket and fled. Outside, two emerald-skinned Dryads approached Maria and gave Aristo a gentle kiss on his forehead. They wordlessly pointed toward a hidden path as the forest created a way forward.
Maria sprinted down the path, clutching Aristo tightly, wrapped in a red blanket.
From the shadows charged a colossal, bull-like beast, its horns sharp as blades. Aristo's cry erupted into a wave of raw energy, forcing the predator to retreat in sheer terror.
DARIA PALACE
"I have never witnessed a storm of this magnitude," King Dorman muttered to himself, watching the crimson lightning from the balcony. "Such weather is unheard of this time of year. Something is deeply wrong."
Damon, the Commander of the Elite Forces, stood stoically behind him. Damon was more than a soldier; he was the architect of an unparalleled networking system. His "Shadow Web" stretched across every corner of Serenia, with informants and hidden beacons in every kingdom, ensuring that no secret remained hidden from Daria for long.
"This is no natural storm, Sire," Damon reported. "I can feel a highly concentrated Dio energy. It is unlike any phenomenon I have encountered. It originates from Eldarida."
The King turned, his voice ringing with authority.
"Take immediate countermeasures. Dispatch the guard to every school within the capital! Each squad leader must prioritize the children—protecting our future comes first."
He continued firmly, "Broadcast an emergency decree: a severe storm is imminent. All businesses must cease operations immediately. The capital gates are to be sealed. Any travelers or citizens from the outer states must seek immediate refuge in the guild houses or public shelters. Ensure no one is left outside the walls!"
A guard rushed to the church towers to broadcast the King's words through the magically enhanced speakers. This information was passed to other churches, as they all relayed the decree for all to hear.
"Damon," the King said, his tone softening. "You seem troubled. Go, check on your family. Once they are secure, resume your post at the gate. We must uncover the source of this anomaly. Be careful, my friend."
"How could I ever repay your kindness, my lord?" Damon replied. With a single, powerful leap, he vanished into the distance, covering miles in heartbeats.
DARIA CAPITAL
Amidst the chaos, Maria approached the city gates.
"Is that... Lady Maria?" a guard shouted in disbelief.
"Open the gate!" one of the guards shouted.
The gates opened just enough to let her through before slamming shut again.
DAMON'S HOUSEHOLD
The capital was in chaos as the air vibrated with oppressive force. Damon landed outside his estate just as the wind began to roar.
"Lisanna! Are you there?"
The doors swung open, and Lisanna stepped out, her violet silks whipping in the gale.
"Lord Damon, you have returned earlier than expected," she noted, her voice steady despite the trembling earth.
"I needed to ensure you were safe. Where is Cassandra?"
"Dad!" Cassandra shouted, sprinting from the hallway.
The young girl was the image of her father, her bright brown eyes full of relief as Damon swept her up onto his shoulder.
For a brief moment, the warmth of his family stilled the chaos in Damon's heart. But then, he looked toward the horizon where the energy was thickest.
"Maria... has she returned yet?"
The heavy silence of the estate was shattered as the front gates groaned open. Maria stumbled through, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her arms locked tightly around a pulsating red bundle.
"Maria isn't back yet," Lisanna had just begun to say, but the words died as Maria appeared like a ghost from the storm.
"What is the meaning of this, Maria?" Damon demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. His keen eyes tracked the volatile, shifting energy bleeding through the fabric of the blanket. It was a kaleidoscope of colors—vibrant, terrifying, and wrong.
"Lisanna, prepare a room!" Maria choked out.
Damon's authority snapped like a whip.
"Lisanna, take Cassandra inside. Now."
As the door closed, Damon stepped into Maria's path.
"What is hidden in that cloth? The entire capital is in an uproar. Tell me you aren't related to this."
"I wish I wasn't," Maria pleaded. "It's a baby. Please, let's go inside. He won't last much longer."
"Inside? Not a step closer," Damon's expression hardened. "What won't last?"
"The child! It's—ARGH! I don't need to explain things to you now! You're wasting time standing here!" Maria's tone grew desperate. "I promised his mother I'd care for him!"
Damon thrust out his hand, his Dio energy surging as it condensed and hardened, shaping itself into a holy, radiant blade of crystalline light.
"That child is dangerous! The energy emitting from that child is unreal. It's not just Dio; it's something else."
"You went into Eldarida alone. You, who are afraid of an empty room at night, braved that hellscape? Take him back, Maria. I am doing this for our family. We have a one-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter. We do not need this... thing."
"He's not a thing," Maria said, her voice breaking. "He's my child. I'd rather die than let you take him back ."
She sank to one knee and pressed her trembling palm to the ground. Stone cracked and rose at her touch, shaping itself into a jagged, crude dagger. Without hesitation, she lifted it and held it to her own throat.
"He is my son," she whispered, tears slipping down her face. "I chose him. I took responsibility. If you want him, you'll have to take me too."
A thin line of blood formed where the earthen blade was pressed against her neck.
Seeing her resolve, Damon relented. With a heavy sigh, the radiant blade dissolved.
"Fine. Inside."
"Thank you for understanding, Damon."
"Lisanna! Send an SSS message to the priests!" Damon barked.
GREAT LIBRARY OF DARIA
Deep within the labyrinthine halls of the Great Library, Barnabas stood amidst the scent of ancient parchment and dust. He was a figure of immense respect—a dwarf who had walked the earth for over two centuries, making him one of the oldest living souls in the Kingdom. His long, snowy beard reached his waist, and a pair of small reading glasses rested on his nose, tucked just beneath the brim of his signature red hat.
Suddenly, he paused, his eyes narrowing. The air in the library hummed with a resonance that made his old bones ache.
"This intensity... it is far beyond the usual," he muttered to himself. His mind flashed back a century, flickering with the haunting memory of a woman he had encountered on a night very much like this one. "She must be close."
A guard broke his reverie, rushing into the study.
"Sir, an urgent message from Lady Maria."
Barnabas took the parchment. The moment he saw the embossed crest of the Kingdom, his expression hardened. It was an SSS-rank dispatch—the highest level of emergency.
"You may take your leave," he dismissed the guard with a flick of his hand.
Barnabas knew this was no ordinary storm; it was tied to the raw, suffocating energy he felt pressing against the library walls. He reached beneath his heavy oak desk, his fingers finding a hidden mechanism. With a soft click, a secret compartment swung open.
He pulled out a tome so ancient its leather cover seemed to hold the weight of history,a book passed down through generations, containing forbidden techniques and secrets of the old world. He blew a thick cloud of dust off the cover, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of fear and duty, and headed straight for the waiting carriage.
Damon Household
Outside the estate, six high priests arrived, followed closely by their young apprentices. The apprentices were commanded to wait in the courtyard, their faces etched with anxiety as the heavy doors closed behind their masters.
"This way, the child is over here at the end of this path, the last room by your right," Lisanna directed the priests. Six priests had been summoned, and they quickly walked straight to the room where the child was laid to rest.
His body was being covered slowly by some dark matter particles. The energy was well-concentrated Dio energy, but it was much more than just Dio—there were different energies unknown to them. The energy seemed to have been created by the child; the Dio energy was more pure than anything they had ever seen.
"This child is producing so much energy! Not just Dio, he's producing different kinds of energy, most of which I've never seen before!" Zeal shouted in disbelief. They tried every seal they knew, but the energy simply vaporized their efforts. They tried countless spells—high-level sealing spells—but everything was eaten up by Aristo.
"There is only one sealing technique left. The Otiot Shel Shedim. The seal used for the demon Raji."
"Raji?" Dir exclaimed. "Don't tell me it's actually one of the Books of Tova! The book containing the lost history of thousands of years ago?"
"If this is real, then the legends of the dragons and the elves must be real too!" Zeal asked, his voice shaking. "Do you have the rest of them?"
"They are all real. I've been guarding this very book with my life; it has been passed down from generation to generation," Barnabas answered grimly. "But I have only this one which I was given. The others are lost in unknown locations. This book speaks of an era when humans, demi-humans, elves, dwarves, and dragons stood together to seal the demon Raji, who sought to eradicate all life."
"Demons!" Flint fell back in shock. "Those creatures... they existed for real? A single demon could wipe out our entire elite force!" His voice cracked as the reality of the legends set in.
"This is a secret you must carry to your graves," Barnabas commanded, his voice rising with authority.
They began the ritual, sealing the energy nine times over. As the final words of the Otiot Shel Shedim were spoken, the dark aura began to recede. But the cost was catastrophic.
Five of the priests let out strangled cries. Their bodies began to melt, turning into a dark liquid substance that slowly vaporized into the air. Barnabas alone remained, his Dio energy drained to the point of collapse.
"If this seal breaks without the child learning to control this power," Barnabas whispered before falling unconscious, "the whole world will come to an end."
Maria rushed to the child. Even with the seal, a dark energy seeped from his eyes. She took a strip of DPS hide—a monster skin with a thousand tentacle-like hairs that feeds on raw energy—and bound it over Aristo's eyes to hold the remaining power.
Outside, the apprentices were finally allowed in. They stood speechless, finding only the empty clothing of their masters and a lingering dark mist. The news of the five priests' deaths spread like wildfire through Daria.
The King, devastated by the loss of his most trusted advisors and the forbidden nature of the seal, made a heavy decision. Damon was relieved of his duties. The commander who had built the continent's greatest network was stripped of his position. It was a night of tears and agony for the Kingdom.
In the quiet of their home, Maria laid Aristo down beside her son, Phobos. With her fiery red hair cascading over her shimmering blue gown, she leaned down and gently kissed both their heads. She looked upon Aristo, her son, knowing that though the air was now purified, the true storm was only resting.