Year 1014 - Valka Village, Eastern Territories
Snow fell softly over the village of Valka.
It was a small place—barely a hundred families, tucked away in the eastern mountains where the 10th Empire's protection was more myth than reality. The kind of village where everyone knew everyone. Where life was simple. Hard, but simple.
Fourteen-year-old Nida didn't think it was special.
She thought it was boring.
But tonight, as she sat by the fire with her family, she didn't know that boring was a gift. That peace was fragile. That tomorrow, everything she knew would turn to ash.
Tonight, she was just annoyed.
THE STORYTELLING
"Again?!" Nida groaned from her spot against the wall. "We've heard this story a hundred times!"
Her grandfather chuckled, his weathered face crinkling with amusement. He sat in his favorite chair, a cup of cheap wine in one hand, surrounded by children eager for a tale.
"Then you can listen a hundred and one times," he said warmly.
The other children giggled. Nida's younger sister Yuna—eight years old with braided black hair—stuck her tongue out at her. "If you don't want to listen, leave!"
"I'm not leaving. Someone has to make sure you don't have nightmares."
"I don't get nightmares!"
"You cried for three days after he told you about the undead army."
"Did not!"
"Did too."
"Girls," their mother Ruioa's voice cut through the argument. She emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Tired eyes, calloused hands, but a kind face. "Enough. Your grandfather is speaking."
Nida crossed her arms but fell silent.
Grandfather smiled and began.
THE LEGEND
"Eight hundred years ago," he said, his voice taking on that rhythm all storytellers know, "the world nearly ended."
The children leaned forward.
"Humanity summoned an ancient dragon to fight a demon from Hell. The dragon won the battle, but we broke our promise. The demon survived. It bonded with a girl and demanded we make her our god."
"And we said no!" six-year-old Kito shouted, unable to contain himself.
"That's right." Grandfather's expression darkened. "We said no. And she destroyed us for it. She led an army of the dead across the world. Villages burned. Kingdoms fell. The sun disappeared and the sky turned red."
The room grew quiet.
"But then," Grandfather continued, his voice dropping to a whisper, "one man refused to give up. He performed a forbidden ritual. He sacrificed his own blood, his own life, to summon the Blood Dragon Warrior."
"The one with the red scales!" Yuna whispered, eyes wide.
"Yes. Crimson scales that glowed like fire. Wings that blocked out the sky. With one strike, he split mountains. With one breath, he poisoned the air itself."
Grandfather's voice grew stronger.
"He tore through the undead army—thousands upon thousands fell before him. And when he reached the girl, he ended her. Just like that. The darkness lifted. The sun returned. Humanity was saved."
Silence.
Then Kito asked quietly, "Where did he go?"
Grandfather smiled sadly. "No one knows. He vanished. Left nothing but ash and legend."
NIDA'S DOUBT
"It's fake," Nida said suddenly.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Dragons? Undead armies? Warriors that can destroy mountains?" She shook her head. "It's just a story. None of it's real."
"NIDA!" Ruioa's voice was sharp. "That's enough!"
"I'm just saying—"
"Is this how you speak to your elders? After we asked you to let him tell the story?"
Nida looked down, cheeks flushing. "Sorry, Mother."
Grandfather waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, Ruioa. Questions are good. Doubt is healthy." He looked at Nida with knowing eyes. "You don't believe in legends, child?"
"I believe in what I can see," Nida muttered.
"Mmm." Grandfather took a sip of wine. "Then you'll have a hard life. Sometimes the truth is more unbelievable than any story."
Before Nida could respond, Ruioa clapped her hands.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Everyone to bed. Now."
The children groaned but obeyed, shuffling off to their sleeping mats.
Nida lingered for a moment, watching her grandfather stare into the fire.
"Grandfather?"
"Yes, child?"
"Do you really believe it? The story?"
He was quiet for a long moment.
"I believe the world is darker than you know. And sometimes..." He looked at her. "...sometimes it takes a monster to save us from ourselves."
Nida didn't understand what he meant.
She wouldn't understand until it was too late.
UNDER THE STARS
An hour later, Nida found her grandfather sitting outside on a wooden bench, staring at the night sky.
She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and sat beside him.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"No."
"Me neither."
They sat in comfortable silence, watching their breath mist in the cold air.
Then Nida asked quietly, "Grandfather... if the Blood Dragon Warrior was real... why doesn't he come back now?"
He looked at her, surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Since I was born, we've been hiding here. The 10th Empire barely protects us. The 6th Empire raids villages nearby. We're always scared." Her voice grew tight. "And Dad... that day when the soldiers came... why did he have to die just so we could stay hidden?!"
Tears stung her eyes. She wiped them away angrily.
Grandfather set down his wine and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Your father didn't die just to keep us safe, Nida. He died so you could carry his will."
She looked up at him, confused.
"He wanted you to make this country free again. A place without fear. Without cruelty." Grandfather's voice was soft but firm. "That's why he gave his life. So you could live and carry that dream forward."
Nida stared at him, her throat tight.
"The dragon will come again," Grandfather said quietly, looking back at the stars. "Not to save the world. But to save us from ourselves."
Nida didn't respond.
She just sat there, her mind racing, a strange feeling growing in her chest.
One day... I'll make them pay. I'll free us.
But she didn't know how. Didn't know when.
She was just a fourteen-year-old girl in a forgotten village.
What could she possibly do?
The snow kept falling.
The night grew colder.
And in a few hours, everything would change.
END OF CHAPTER 1