[Backstory Continues — A Broken Empire]
After the dust of war had settled and the Emperor's body had turned to ash, the once-mighty Ryehemian Empire was split in two.
To the north, ruled with fear, manipulation, and dark power: Vareon.
To the south, stabilized under honor, resilience, and structure: Shang.
Fifteen years passed.
[South Ryehem — Shang & Isabela]
Shang, the last standing heir of the Emperor, took charge of the newly formed South Ryehem. He was no longer just a warrior—he became a strategist, king, and protector.
Beside him stood Isabela—no longer a girl, but a powerful woman who had evolved her Spiritual Telekinesis into a force of refined precision. Her celestial spirit had matured, and so had she.
They married—not out of love at first, but out of necessity, unity, and shared scars. Together, they led the new kingdom with balance: her intellect and his fire holding the domain steady.
The people flourished under their care.
But the past was not done with them.
[The Return of Raizen and Darius]
One morning, under the soft golden light of South Ryehem's twin moons, two visitors arrived at the southern palace gates.
Raizen and Darius.
Shang sensed them before he saw them. Their aura was still strong—slightly distorted, but familiar.
They bowed before him, and Raizen, ever composed, spoke first.
"After the empire was divided… we left both kingdoms. We wanted a peaceful life."
Shang nodded slowly. He already knew this story.
But something about their tone—about their Spiritual signature—felt… off.
What they didn't know was that Shang could tell when someone was holding back.
And they were.
[Truth Behind the Lie — Vareon's Web]
The scene shifted again, diving into the hidden truth.
Fifteen years ago, right after the civil war:
Raizen and Darius had vanished.
But they hadn't escaped.They were captured.
They awoke in a dimly lit chamber, high within the tower of the Northern capital. Chains infused with spiritual energy clamped their movements. The scent of sulfur and silence filled the air.
Then—Vareon entered.
Elegant. Calm. Cloaked in black. No malice on his face—only sorrow.
They immediately confronted him.
"Why did you do this?""What happened to the empire we were raised in?"
Vareon sighed heavily and gave them a story—a lie wrapped in emotion.
[Vareon's Deception — The Masterstroke]
"It wasn't me," Vareon said softly."In truth… the killer of your father… was my father."
Raizen and Darius froze.
"He wanted to eliminate all secondary royal bloodlines in the empire. He wanted to be the sole lineage left. He planned to kill you both eventually. I didn't agree with his methods. So I turned against him."
He stepped forward, voice heavy with false grief.
"The Demon King… many say he is evil. But he only asks for sacrifices to survive. Without him, our world would crumble. He saved me… and through me, he might save you too."
Raizen's eyes narrowed. Darius remained silent.
"Why should we believe you?" Raizen asked, his logic resisting the manipulation.
Vareon tilted his head gently.
"Then why do you think I let you live?""If I wanted to kill you… I could've done it the moment you awoke. I spared you because you—like me—were victims of my father's ambition."
The chamber fell silent.
That final sentence cracked something inside them.Their confusion, their grief, their fractured loyalty—Vareon twisted it perfectly.
He rewrote their history, redirected their hatred, and tied their trauma to a lie.
And they believed him.
Not fully.Not blindly.But enough to doubt their doubts.
Enough for Vareon to start the next phase of his plan.