Prologue – The Passage
Modern Era, Third Era, Aven Era
Mis, 18 Ves 900 AC.
The sky was rumbling.
A storm of rare violence tore through the skies, masking the light of the purple moon. Lightning streaked the black clouds, revealing at times a titanic silhouette: an earth dragon, with metallic scales, whose technilysis form blended into that of an immense cargo plane. Her name: Persis. His destiny, on this day darker than all the previous ones, was about to change.
On board, in the cockpit illuminated by the pale light of a blue screen, stood Carlson, a man with a carefully trimmed black beard, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. His angular face exuded elegance and mastery. In front of him, the Persis System, an artificial intelligence with a digital face, came to life.
Persis system:
> Alert. Intrusion detected at the rear of the vessel. Analysis in progress.
> Undetermined threat. Suggestion: intercept immediately. Be careful.
Carlson, unmoved, grabs the protection squad transmitter.
Carlson:
> Alpha, we have visitors. Suspicious intruders. Neutralize them without damaging the cargo. And above all, don't wake the passengers.
Alpha:
> Received.
At the back of the freighter, darkness took shape. Shifting shadows rose up, morphing into black-clad human figures, their pupilless white eyes glowing in the darkness. The members of the brigade drew their spirit swords. The intruders, armed with daggers, fought back. The shock was brief. Too brief.
The shadows reformed, multiplied, gaining strength. The brigade, submerged, fought valiantly, but the oil tide seemed inexhaustible.
Issuer :
> Alpha, we are overwhelmed. We won't last. We need reinforcements.
Alpha:
> Understood.
He contacted Carlson.
Alpha:
> What are these things?
Carlson:
> Wait... Here's the analysis: they're Voidmen.
Alpha:
> Impossible! We haven't even crossed the Passage yet…
Carlson:
> Doesn't matter. Get rid of it quickly. We enter the Passage in ten minutes.
Alpha activated his timer. Ten minutes. Not one more.
He cut through the corridors, his sword purifying the shadow entities. Arriving at the back room, he traced circles of light on the walls, then engaged in combat. The Voidmen attacked him. He wobbled, but held on. His sword rose, tracing a circle of light. A bright wave swept through the room, reducing the creatures to ashes.
Alpha (looking at his watch):
> Too late… We are in the Passage.
A tremor.
The Persis entered the Dark Zone. The Voidmen crowded around the ship, forming a gigantic, hungry face, ready to devour everything.
Alpha:
> Carlson, I need you. This one is too big for me.
Carlson:
> We can't lose the little one... Persis system, automatic mode.
He got up and opened the exterior hatch. The wind howled. He put away his glasses, spread his wings and jumped into the void. In an aerial spin, he swooped down on the giant shadow. The impact dissipated it.
Back in the cockpit, his eyes glowed red. He said in a deep voice:
Carlson:
> My allies are light, my enemies darkness. Light is for glory, darkness for damnation. May my enemies be punished...
> JUDGMENT.
A divine light bursts from the Persis, consuming the Voidmen. The ship emerged from the Passage, flying over a sun-drenched forest. In the distance, a mansion stood.
But the peace was short-lived.
Persis system:
> Alert. Missing merchandise... The egg. The baby of Savior and Sun.
Carlson:
> What? Complete review!
Persis system:
>The egg was their target. He disappeared before the Passage. It stayed on the other side...and probably hatched.
Carlson turned pale.
Carlson:
> No... The daughter of both lines... If she is lost, it is the end of me. I'm done...
A tear rolled down her cheek. He thought about what the two families could do to him.
---
In a snowy forest, far from everything, an egg split the ice.
A baby dragon, with iridescent scales, crawled through the snow.
A figure approached.
A man, whose shadow stretched across the frozen ground, took him in his arms...
And disappeared into the whiteness.
---