A small figure slowly glided through the warm darkness, feeling heaven's comfort. It seemed as if the darkness would never let the figure leave when a male voice appeared inside that realm.

“Wake up! The time has come! Restore your strength, unlock your memory,” said the voice as the small figure felt how his realm began changing.

Cozy darkness suddenly started pushing him while a comfortable liquid disappeared. He tried to fight and stay here, tried to grab the darkness, tried to buy some time when he heard the voice once again.

“Remember who you are!” said the voice as the small figure felt how much more distance appeared before them and how the light replaced the darkness.

...

..

.

9500th year on the Continent calendar since the Arrival. Griffon Kingdom, Mount East Spear.

It was the middle of the night. Raindrops hit the roofs, and dark clouds hid the moon. Everything looked usual except for a beautiful woman that was crying from the pain. She was pushing in labor while several midwives were long prepared. Finally, after several hours of constant struggle, a childish cry resounded in the house.

Holding on to her last reserves, Tiona turned towards the women who were cleaning her crying child.

“It’s a boy!” said a midwife as she handed over the child to his mother. When the boy finally opened his purple eyes, a beautiful, smiling face appeared before him. As if feeling who was holding him, the boy calmed down and looked at her.

Tiona smiled, and a lonely tear slipped down to the ground. As if trying to calm her down, the boy unclenched his fist. A clot of blood appeared in there. Surprise appeared on midwives’ faces as they looked at him. Only heroes from legends and tales came to the world with a clot of blood on their hands. However, unlike them, Tiona only smiled before hugging him. She hugged him tenderly and carefully as if the boy were her only treasure, as if he could disappear.

“He asked me to call you Nero. You are Nero Claus,” she whispered to the boy's ears as he slowly fell asleep.

In such a manner, half an hour passed as she continued to hold her son and listen to his heart. Right now, there was nothing more important than a little, sleeping son, the one who she carried for the whole decade below her heart.

Only when she felt oncoming exhaustion and saw a familiar face, she finally agreed to pass her son to the midwives. They quickly took the child to let him and his mother rest. As soon as they left, an old man with a gray beard quickly kneeled before the woman and vowed with a fist on his heart.

“Lady Tiona, I vow to protect your child. Nothing bad will happen to him as long as I can breathe,” The man wanted to add something more when she interrupted him.

“I know it, Gustav. Please, stand up," said the woman. "No need to prove yourself. You have already proved your loyalty to us a long ago. If not for your help, I would have been long dead when chasers came after me. That's why, stand up, dear counselor."

The old man followed her command and looked at the beautiful and exhausted woman.

"Now, when he is no longer with us, and I lost most of my prowess, you are the only one who can guide my son and teach him here. Our son can't stay weak. Our enemies won't tolerate that," said Tiona with a clear clue in her words.

Tears appeared in the edges of the man's eyes.

"It's an honor, my lady. I will teach him everything I know. His ancestors and his fallen father will be proud when I finish teaching him," said the old man as he bowed.

"I am glad to hear that, counselor," said Tiona with a relieved expression on her face.

"I am just an old man, teaching children now, no need to recall my title that has no meaning anymore," he said as he stretched his back before an anticipating smile appeared on his lips. "I am already in anticipation for the start of our lessons, it has already been hundreds of years when I had a personal disciple,"

Tiona only sighed, realizing what through her son will have to pass in the future in the chase of strength.

“Let the heavens bless him with luck and wisdom,”

Gustav nodded as he saw how strong she was tired.

“Now, go, I need some rest,” said Tiona with slowly closing eyes.

Gustav nodded and covered her with a blanket.

“Don’t worry, my lady, rest in peace, I will take care of all needs,” said the man, quickly leaving the room with unseen energy inside his movements as if he was no longer a 600-years old man who was living out his last years before the imminent death.

Tiona followed his departure with her sleepy glance.

At the same time as the old man hurried to leave to village and Tiona fell asleep, nobody knew about a small unique-looking earring which was buried in the chest in the neighbor room. The earring continued to shine the whole process while Tiona was in labor and only stopped several minutes ago when a strange sign, resembling a person with wings appeared on the small bluestone. As soon as the door closed behind Gustav, the stone was no longer shining and everything inside the chest returned to the norm.

...

..

.

Inside a cave, some distance away from the village.

Moonlight passed through a hole above the cave, falling at the certain man-made object at the center. It was a platform made of many colorful stones. Moonlight fell directly at the egg on the altar as if it was embracing it. Thanks to the light, it was possible to see many bones and corpses around the altar which stretched upward for several meters. Only a petrified egg that looked like a fossil or stone looked weird for this potential cave cemetery.

But, suddenly, a weak sound came from the egg! It was a heartbeat and with each new moment, it became clearer that it was still alive. As soon as heartbeat resounded across the cave, strange runes and incantations started appearing one by one, surrounding the altar. They glowed, darkened, changed, and formed a certain structure.

Such scene continued for half an hour before a figure made of water appeared before the altar as runes and incantations darkened with each moment as they disappeared inside an egg. After these changes, an egg no longer looked like a fossil, its heartbeat strengthened.

Only a figure made of water saw what was happening. The water spirit after hundreds of years finally felt hope. There was still a path. An ancient pact left for future generations was finally unsealed. This meant only one thing - a true heir was coming! There was still hope for the dynasty.

...

..

.

In the distant forest, a hooded man was standing at the tree and looked at the falling snowflakes. A snowflake in his hand disappeared as he released a warm breath and looked at the moon as he dived into his memories. Inside those scenes, there was a woman with a purple cloak, smiling at him.

Even the sound of training knights and mages, coming from their secret camp couldn't distract him from that woman. It was a norm for the hooded man to spend all his nights in such a manner, but for the first time in years, he felt something was different. He didn't know why, but a strange instinct in his heart made it hard to spend the night as usual. The man furrowed his brows and touched a big scar on his face, trying to realize that feeling when he heard a familiar sound. The sound was made during stepping on the snow and with each moment the sound approached him.

The hooded man already knew the reason and turned in a certain direction when a wide man in furs appeared before him. That man saluted with a fist on his heart, giving an ordinary legionary greeting.

“General, everything is ready. The war council is waiting for you.” said the man with furs, watching how his general nodded and released a sigh.

This change replaced all inappropriate thoughts in general's head as he changed his face, gathered his focus, and looked at his adjutant with an attentive and piercing gaze.

“Let’s go. Let’s hear what our scouts learned new today. I don't even doubt that those usurpers will once again please us with another set of shit,” said the man as he jumped from the tree.