The Red Prairie Continent has long been known as the "Land of Generations." A land where bloodlines defined destiny, and each generation was expected to surpass the last.
Among its countless cities and kingdoms, none stood more renowned than the Golden Rose Empire.
The kingdom was built upon a place of mystery perched along the slope of a fractured mountain. Some believed the mountain had been shattered in an ancient war, leaving a scar etched into the world.
At the mountain peak, the kingdom stood, bearing a name that struck fear into countless hearts… for beyond lay the Evildemon Forest.
Legends claimed that those who fell into the forest had no bodies, no traces, nothing returned! The mountain rose so high that no path existed around it, only a sheer drop into an endless sea of darkness below!
A young man dashed through a bamboo forest, his deep brown skin glowed in the sun as his long white-and-gold coat trailed behind him, its crimson accents flickering like rose petals.
Each step sent stalks whipping and clattering around him.
Behind the Massive Golden Rose Kingdom, the air was warm… yet his blood ran cold. His once-pristine coat was stained with blood, leaving a metallic taste on his tongue.
So this is what trusting him gets me…
The small golden "Rose" etched above his heart marked him as a member of the Golden Rose Empire, and the high collar framing his face like a bloomed flower set him apart as an heir.
Pain twisted on his face as he leaped from tree to tree.
He'd once believed those words were his father's love, but now they felt like manipulation. For a moment, a trace of happiness flickered across his face… then sank back into sadness.
For the first time in years, he allowed himself to hope. It was his greatest mistake!
He was twenty-one this year. In the Golden Rose Kingdom, that meant everything. It was the age a prince was no longer hidden or denied the day he should have stood beside his brother, finally recognized as the King's son.
Although they had long since stopped calling him by his name, replacing it with one he never chose: "Disgraced First Son." His true name…
"Dante. Halt!"
A rough, commanding voice echoed behind him, but Dante barely heard it because of his racing mind.
'I knew something was wrong. I ignored my gut because I wanted it to be real. It was never about me.'
A massive rose burst from a tree ahead, its petals splitting open as it lunged to swallow him whole, but it missed as Dante was already mid-leap.
He knew it wasn't over.
Still airborne, Dante's gaze locked onto a red-winged crow perched above. Its head snapped toward him, its twirling crimson and dark eyes meeting his as if it had pierced straight into his soul and marked him.
His stomach dropped. He read that it meant an omen. And a bad one… especially when it locks onto you.
The instant he landed. Dante's senses screamed. He moved without thinking, twisting forward, as a sharp streak of yellow light tore through the air where he'd just been. It slammed into a tree behind him, erupting in a controlled burst that formed into a small rose.
A second volley followed immediately. This time… he couldn't fully evade mid-air. His gaze hardened as he watched it. Then his hand rose slightly. His fingertips brushed his wrist mid-movement, and the incoming essence veered off, missing by inches.
Another strike came. He tilted his palm just enough to redirect it upward.
A third, he shifted a single finger, and it was gone.
It felt to Dante like an invisible force surrounded his hand. He wasn't blocking anything. He was adjusting it, without using a single ounce of essence.
Finally, the source of the attack revealed itself, drawn out by his sudden, impossible movement.
Twelve figures emerged, clad in polished, curved, elegant white-gold armor. They moved through the forest in perfect rhythm, sprinting and leaping like galloping beasts. Their presence alone silenced the forest. Even the empires' tamed beast retreated into hiding.
Dante felt it immediately as a pressure, absolutely suffocating.
Each of them had cold, brows furrowed with intent. The petal crest on their armor marked them clearly as elite enforcers beneath the Golden Rose Empire's king.
The Twelve Petals were the king's absolute authority, third only to the throne itself.
Rumors claimed each of them had reached a state nearing godhood, and there's even a whisper that one or two could rival the king himself.
And their purpose here was to bring Dante back for trial for his wrongdoings. If it came to the worst… he would be killed.
In the blink of an eye, they all reached the edge of the bamboo forest.
Dante stood still, blood staining the rose over his heart. He smeared it across his coat, more angry and annoyed than hurt.
The Twelve Petals formed a crescent around him, the cold winds tugging at their cloaks, as overwhelming killing intent locked onto him from every direction!
Yet Dante's gaze never wavered.
For a moment, no one spoke; all stood face-to-face, neither willing to back down.
One stepped forward, his armor gleaming brighter than the rest, the petal crest on his chest shaped like a sharpened bloom.
His head tilted slightly, as though examining something flawed. "You disrupted the coming-of-age ceremony before every noble house! You allowed the King to be endangered." His gaze shifted to Dante Rose, and his cold voice made the air cold. "You stained the Golden Rose with blood!"
A second petal stepped forward. "Curious timing… for someone who's spent years in the shadows. Almost deliberate."
Dante's fist curled tightly, almost drawing blood. "I lived in the shadows… I made myself smaller… so he wouldn't have to acknowledge. I stayed out of sight because that's where he wanted me. Today I stepped forward because she believed he could change. I trusted her more than myself."
"Enough!"
The shout cut the air like a blade.
One of the Petals shifted, but the first raised a hand, silencing the rest. His gaze never left Dante.
"We all heard the declaration. The King has spoken. By the King's decree… You are no longer recognized as The First Son." His hand dropped like a sword slash.
"You stand as a traitor to the Golden Rose Empire."
Dante suddenly laughed out bitterly as a fire lit behind his eyes. "A traitor…?" he muttered. "For finally believing he spoke the truth… Then from now on I won't play the role he wrote for me."
"So… you've chosen to stand against the throne."
His gaze narrowed behind him to the endless dark clouds below. The Evildemon Forest loomed beneath him an abyss of shadow and mist, swallowing light… swallowing sound…
"No… I'm going to tear apart that illusion he built, make the truth louder than his authority. About the kind of man he is… the kingdom he built."
His fingers brushed the blood-soaked rose over his heart, ripping it off the crimson petals that blew in the wind… darker now than the gold they once honored.
Exhaling slowly, glancing up at the night sky. He had a small smile.
'If you're watching… Then this time… I won't fail you.'
Taking one painful step back. The edge crumbled beneath his heel, a dry crack, loose stones skittering into the darkness, no echo ever returned.
Several Petals tensed. One moved instinctively. "Wait!"
A Petal's arm shot out, stopping them. "…Don't."
Because they all understood. If Dante chose the Evildemon Forest, even they would not follow.
Dante spread his arms slightly, feeling the cold air rush past him, pulling at him… calling him. Behind him… he had nothing, ahead was everything he had yet to burn down.
Although he doubted he would survive the fall. But the thought of freedom… of revenge for his mother… made him determine to live.
Still, he wondered what would become of his brother now that he was gone. He only hoped he wouldn't do anything reckless… or fall for their father's manipulation, believing that he's a traitor.
"You call this the Golden Rose Kingdom… But all I see are thorns choking the truth." He whispered coldly through the air.
One of the Petals murmured, their voice barely audible. "The Evildemon takes everything."
Another looked down into the darkness, unease creeping beneath their perfect composure.
"…And gives nothing back."
"Without a divine bridge… his lifespan is already collapsing."
One of the Petals looked toward the one who had told Dante to stop.
"Big Sister…" They stepped forward. "Why does it seem you grieve for this traitor?"
The Petal turned toward them, her gaze soft. "We all know the truth. After throwing the kingdom into such an uproar… how could he not flee? In all these years… when has he ever acted against the King? Why would he choose now when he could have proven himself… perhaps even surpassed his brother? It's surprising… what he achieved without ever receiving real training."
Several Petals lowered their heads, their gazes softening. However, one of the Twelve turned away first… his presence colder than the strong winds.
"It doesn't matter. He disrespected the King." He turned slightly. "Announce it. The former First Son is deceased."
As the Twelve Petal disappeared into thin air. A single crimson thread of cloth drifted upward… before disappearing into the endless clouds below.