In the royal castle of Myard....
The King of Myard was sitting in silence with a stern, sullen expression, while the guards stood anxiously and tensely. The atmosphere was silent, like a cemetery where a fresh corpse had been buried.
His vassals were also present here: high nobles, marquises, viscounts, barons, and lords of provinces. They were all here because of the news of Arsai's invasion by the enemy. They were all terrified, afraid that Hysin could capture Arsai. Two days had already passed since the invasion.
"Any news from Arsai?" the King asked seriously.
"No, my king, not news from them yet," a knight replied.
"What about the transmission crystals? Aren't there wizards? Dozens of them? Why in hell aren't they responding!?"
"Your highness, with all due respect, crystal messages require a high-level wizard, and I don't believe there is anyone in Arsai who can do that except for the Ivory Tower wizards," the soldier replied.
"Damn! Days have already passed. Why not___
Knock knock!
"Enter."
"Your Highness, the Mayor of Arsai has arrived at the capital," a knight shouted while giving a half-bow to the King.
"What?! Bring him in quickly!" the King shouted and slammed his hand on the throne.
"At once," the knight replied and left quickly.
After a while, a man in his forties arrived with a pale face, bandages on his arm, sad eyes, and two people supporting him by his arms, who were also injured.
"Gasp! Is this...." a noble shouted, not believing what he saw.
"Marquis Eldrin!" the King shouted, rising from his chair and walking towards him.
"It has been a long time, my old friend," Eldrin replied with a broken spirit.
"What happened to Arsai? Did you repel the enemy army?" the King asked.
"We... we didn't...." Eldrin tried to gather his courage to speak.
"What about the adventurers? Did they at least take down that giant?" the King asked anxiously.
"We lost. The Hysin giant destroyed everything. All the adventurers were crushed by his hands. Arsai is finished."
As soon as he said this, the King fell back onto his chair in shock, put his hand on his head, and suffered from a headache he hadn't felt in decades.

"My God, Artosius, help us," the King spoke in shock.
"Sire, we must order the army to prepare quickly. Arsai's location is not far from the capital," a general shouted.
"And with which army can we defeat this giant?" someone asked from the shadows.
Everyone turned and saw an old man with a gray beard, faded brown hair, wearing a dark blue robe. When they saw the emblem on his robe, they immediately realized who it was.
"Is this the Head Wizard of the Ivory Tower, Forbas?" a general asked.
"What brought him to the palace?" a baron spoke.
"Perhaps because of what happened to Arsai?" a viscount asked.
"My King, it seems our kingdom has entered a dire situation. Now is the time to awaken the dragon, as it is not far from its lair."
As soon as he said this, the royal hall filled with uproar.
"Forbas's proposal seems more credible now," another general spoke.
"But awakening a dragon?" another general replied.
"True, it might be dangerous, but it's better than being defeated by Hysin scum," a baron spoke.
While they were talking among themselves, the King looked down and made his decision.
"No..... there is still hope. Contact Argudin," the King spoke to one of his knights, who immediately left.
"But, my King, this is our golden opportunity now. What if the giant leaves Myard? We will lose everything if the war continues in this state," Forbas spoke with some resentment and anger in his voice.
"My ancestors told me about it, and I know well how powerful a dragon is," the King said.
"Then why__
"And that's another reason to prevent its awakening," the King said, looking at Forbas. "If it were easy to awaken, it wouldn't be called the Scourge of Flame without reason."
"It will burn the entire continent if we make any mistake, and our kingdom will be erased from history and cursed forever."
"I will not risk everything I have for a possibility," the King replied.
"Yes, he is right," a general replied.
"It would burn my entire province if it woke up," another marquis replied.
"We must form__
"We must gather everyone: Serafield, Argudin, and even distant kingdoms if possible, and form an army capable of eliminating the Hysin military threat," the King spoke seriously.
"But, my King, you know this is impossible. Neighboring kingdoms are also at war. Awakening the dragon is the optimal solution," Forbas spoke, narrowing his eyes in anger.
"And awakening it may threaten the entire continent. Weren't you listening to me a moment ago, Forbas?" the King asked sternly.
"Sorry, excuse my rudeness. Then I will leave since you have made your decision."
Forbas left the throne room, watched by the nobles and generals with both nervousness and approval. As he departed, he noticed someone leaning against the wall.
"Hmph, it seems your king is as useless as expected," a woman's voice spoke from the right.
When Forbas turned, he saw a woman with white hair, yellow eyes, wearing armor and royal clothes, and a crown. He recognized her immediately and narrowed his eyes.

Vera Lindragon, the Second Princess of Serafield," Forbas spoke.
"My father and brothers are cowards, and it's a disgrace to be called descendants of the sacred dragon lineage, Dragunimir," Vera replied indignantly.
"I don't think it's good for you to be here, Princess of Serafield. The King might worry about you," Forbas said.
"That is the least of his worries. He is busy now with that peace treaty," Vera spoke with some venom in her voice.
"So what brings you here, if you hate surrendering so much?" Forbas asked with some interest while stroking his beard.
"I heard what you are planning, and I want to join you."
"I carry dragon lineage. Its blood runs in my veins," Vera replied, placing her hand on the chest of her armor.
"I can communicate with it and make it burn Hysin to the ground!" Vera shouted angrily.
"I'm sorry about that, but I think you already heard that my king completely rejects that idea. I apologize for making you travel all this distance for nothing," Forbas replied.
"And does that matter?" Vera asked.
"He is the King. I cannot oppose him," Forbas said.
"You saw for yourself when you entered that these so-called nobles are divided and hypocrites among themselves. Some of them say yes and no to the same thing at the same time."
"But if we succeed and completely crush Hysin, then you will be able to win them all over to your side, since you..."
"You could even form your own faction after succeeding and possess more power and authority than Malamados ever did. Think about it."
"I... but the King is...." Forbas thought deeply.
"Tell me, are you truly the director of the Ivory Tower?" Vera asked, raising her right eyebrow.
"Yes, that's me," Forbas replied.
"And what does the director of a tower do?" Vera spoke in a poisonous tone.
"He makes decisions himself," Forbas replied.
"And what is your decision, then?" Vera asked, pointing her finger at him.
"My decision?.... I.... Oh, I see now," Forbas spoke, understanding what she was trying to tell him.
"I have made my decision now. I will awaken the dragon of the Silent Forest, for the sake of the Ivory Tower and for Myard."
"Now that is a wise choice," Vera spoke, smiling.
And meanwhile, there was something smiling like the smile of a venomous snake from an unusual place.
...
In Argudin..... somewhere, a person wearing armor in the Viking style was sitting. His armor was dark blue, and he was a man in his forties with gray hair, carrying two large axes on his back. He was sitting outside a certain fort, eating rabbit meat he had just hunted.
While eating the rabbit, he noticed the approach of a warrior and looked at him.
"Would you like to take a portion?" the person asked.
"No, thank you, General Thorkan," the knight replied.
"As you wish," Thorkan replied while continuing to eat.
"So, what is the decision of the King of Myard?" Thorkan asked.
"It seems the King of Myard has requested that we continue fighting and send soldiers to him."
"Is his request based on invading Hysin Myard, especially after the complete occupation of Arsai?" Thorkan asked.
"Yes," the knight replied.
"Alright, tell him we will fight, but only if they provide us with enough food," Thorkan replied.
"But they said they don't have provisions to send us," the knight replied.
"Well, that's their problem if they want to continue the alliance with us," Thorkan spoke while looking towards a snowy mountain.
"This winter has been harsher than others. If the King of Myard does not provide any support in resources and supplies, we might have to surrender," Thorkan replied.
"How can you say such a thing?!" the knight shouted in shock.
"This decision is not mine alone; many warriors might be thinking the same thing."
"We are currently suffering from famine. If we cannot invade, and if we remain in this state, we might die before we can even lift our swords," Thorkan replied.
"I... agree with you, General," the knight replied.
"But this is strange," Thorkan spoke, scratching his chin.
"What's strange?" the knight asked.
"Why are all their forces concentrated only in Myard?"
"Perhaps because it is a strategic land connecting us, Serafield, and the Silent Forest."
"Yes, but we and Serafield are only taking a defensive stance. They completely stopped when each invaded a border region. But Myard?"
"They went to the extent of looting and burning villages, destroying almost everything. This is a somewhat extreme war tactic."
"As if..." Thorkan thought about something as if solving a puzzle.
"As if what?" he was asked.
"As if there is something... bright... that the King of Hysin wants to erase quickly. But what is it?" Thorkan asked.
"Thinking about it, the cause of the war was illogical. Myard's declaration of war was when they planned___
"Ah, damn it, everything makes sense now," Thorkan spoke, having put the puzzle pieces together and completely understood what is happening.
.....
In Serafield....
In a place inside the castle, in its deepest part, there were many statues and sculptures of dragons, all of them in a majestic form. All of them depicted the shape of a single dragon: white, armored in gold. There were two huge walls with some curtains.
The 54-year-old King of Serafield was staring at a mural, parts of which were covered by some curtains.
"Father, the council requests your presence. It's concerning the Hysin matter."
"My son Louis, do you know what this mural depicts?" the King of Serafield asked.
"This is the legend of the Lindragon family legacy, telling the story of our ancestor who earned the respect of Dragunimir and received his blood, and once fought side by side with the Primordial Dragons. It's the protection you taught me when I was young," Louis replied proudly.
"Yes, that is correct. And do you know what this dragon is?"
He removed the curtain covering a certain painting, revealing a hidden part of the mural.
What was at the end of the mural was a large dragon breathing fire, and the mural depicted people fleeing, crying, and kneeling.
Louis looked at the mural with shock and strangeness, trying to understand what it symbolized.
"Father, this is the first time I've seen this part of the mural. What exactly does this dragon symbolize?" Louis asked.
"This is the Cataclysm Dragon of Incineration, nicknamed the Scourge of Flame, Evryx."
"He is the only living dragon in the Silent Forest," his father replied.
"Wait, he's alive in the Silent Forest?!" Louis asked in shock.
"Yes," his father replied indifferently.
"Then why don't we bring him here?" Louis asked.
"Because it is not permitted," his father replied.
"We are of the sacred dragon lineage. Why aren't we allowed to bring him to our land? It could be our chance to possess the strongest power on the entire continent."
"We could rule the continent and___
Louis stopped talking when he saw his father shaking his head left and right.
"What's the matter, Father? Is there a problem with him?" Louis asked.
"Because this dragon is like a temperamental and violent deity."
"You never know when he will turn against you. In the entire history of Serafield, he was on the verge of destroying Serafiel. If not for the intervention of the sacred dragon Dragunimir, our kingdom would not exist," his father spoke.
"I don't believe this. I've never heard of such a thing," Louis shouted in shock.
"Because this legend would bring terror and fear with it."
"It might make people plan a raid on him, which would bring annihilation to the continent of Entris," the King of Serafield spoke with concern.
"My God," Louis spoke in shock.
"Wait, Father, why did you mention something like this so suddenly now? Is there a specific reason?" Louis asked with some suspicion.
"Because your sister left angrily and went outside. I'm afraid she might do something, something dangerous that threatens our kingdom."
"In her eyes, we have become weak, and she is obsessed with the throne, just as she is obsessed with glory and honor, more than any noble or knight I have seen. Warn her when she returns, in the appropriate way, because she at least listens to you," his father replied.
"I understand this, Father," Louis replied.
"Good. And now leave me alone for a while. I want to stay here a little longer. I will go to the council shortly."
"At once, Father."
When he left, the King of Serafield hoped that the worst would not happen.
In Arsai.... two days later.
The adventurer town, the symbol of exploration and equality among races, the most touristic place in Myard, had become a deserted town. The Hysin army was exploring the houses and buildings, putting items into carts and taking them away.
"The carts are full of gold and jewels!"
"What a haul!" a soldier spoke with a smile on his face.
"It looks as if we've raided a dragon's lair," another soldier replied.
"Man, I'm going to become rich. Maybe I'll buy a new house, maybe I'll open a Gorgis lizard farm," a soldier spoke.
"Come on, not to that extent. Did you forget your house is in a noble's fiefdom?"
"Ugh, don't remind me of that," the soldier spoke angrily.
"By the way, where is Atlas? I don't see him anywhere," a soldier asked, raising his hand and looking up.
"Who?" a soldier asked.
"The Hysin giant. That's his name," a soldier on his right answered.
"He has a name?" the soldier spoke in shock.
"The whole time, Zander was calling him that. Didn't you hear?" the soldier asked.
"I was in the rear; I didn't hear what he was saying," a soldier replied.
"He's over there; he's in the center of the town."
"I didn't notice because the building was wide. What is this place anyway?" a soldier asked.
"I went there during the invasion. It's a large church built in the center of the town," a soldier replied who was pulling a cart full of corpses.
"Really?! They spent their time to build something like this?!"he shocked
"Yeah,no one can't understand what nobles thinks"
Inside the church.....
everything was built with precision and elegance. There was a statue seven meters tall, holding a sword and a shield. There were paintings with drawings, symbolizing some religious things, and golden artifacts were sacred symbols.
Atlas was sitting inside here after tearing the entire walls with his hand. He was sitting and looking at Zander, who was kneeling and clasping his hands together, holding a necklace with a picture on it.
"Sorry for the wait, Atlas. It seems you were worried about me," Zander spoke.
"Who is this person?"
"This? It's a statue of the God of Peace and War, Artosius."
"Is that his name?"atlas asked
"Yes, it sounds a bit strange to pronounce."
"He... seems familiar," Atlas spoke, narrowing his eyes.
"Perhaps you saw him in Hysin when you were young," he spoke.
"Really?"
"Yes, don't be suspicious. This might be difficult for you to understand, but Artosius is a god believed in by all humans. He is like the father of all humanity."
"Wait, there were people of strange appearances when I was fighting."
"Yes, there are other races who worship gods of their own kind."
"Other races like Elves and Dwarves?" Atlas asked.
"Yes, but how did you know? I didn't tell you this."
"I think I saw them while I was crushing them during the invasion,and they told me about them" Atlas replied in an apologetic tone.
"Haha, you really are something else," Zander spoke, laughing.
"By the way, what is this necklace? Is it a religious symbol?" Atlas asked with pure curiosity.
"No, this belongs to my son. I'm praying for his safety."
"You have a son?" Atlas asked with half surprise.
"Surprised?" Zander asked.
"Well, it's because over the years you were with me, you rarely left, when you were in that place," Atlas spoke frankly.
Yes, I'm a bad father, aren't I?" Zander spoke, looking down sadly.
In case I die in the war, tell my son___
"Zander! Commander Julius wants you immediately!" a knight shouted, interrupting Zander's speech.
"So quickly? Alright, I'll tell you later, Atlas," Zander spoke as he left the church.
"Alright," Atlas spoke, still remaining here.
Atlas looked at the statue. For an unexplained reason, he felt a strange familiarity towards it, unable to explain it in words. He left the church, giving one last look to the statue as he departed.