Chapter 1
"What's this?
What's going on?! Why is everyone running away?"
...
The clear night sky filled the people of the Kingdom of Varnithor with dread and terror — because they knew he was coming.
"He's here…! Close the gates! He's coming!!"
...
He was approaching the village — a figure clad in black, holding a gleaming sword.
The sword shimmered so brightly under the stars it looked almost noble, reflecting their light like polished silver.
"Wait... It's me… I'm Asheron… Have you all forgotten who I am?"
Asheron sighed as he walked the streets of the kingdom, calling out to the fleeing townspeople.
...
"Is this how you repay everything I've done for you? I never thought you'd be so disgraceful."
He didn't understand what was happening.
The same thing had been repeating for months.
He felt as though some kind of curse had taken hold of him.
...
There was something strange about the sky.
He noticed that the sun hadn't risen since the day he returned to the kingdom.
Still, he hadn't paid it much attention — until now.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from behind one of the buildings.
His face was obscured, but his voice… was eerily familiar to Asheron.
"Aaaaah… Hello, Asheron.
I hope you liked my gift — a gift to let you live the rest of your life… as a curse."
"What the hell?! Where am I?!"
He gasped. "Ah… I'm in bed. Was that a nightmare?"
"But what was Morrow doing there…?"
...
Footsteps echoed closer and closer to Asheron's room.
He wasn't startled — he was used to this kind of thing.
The door opened, and a little girl appeared.
What stood out most was one of her eyes — it was crimson red.
She was Asheron's younger sister.
"Asheron! Asheron! Come play with me! Let's go to the garden! Come on!"
Asheron sighed as he pulled on his coat.
"I'm tired, Kalista… Let's play next time."
Kalista's expression shifted — from joy to a mix of sadness and frustration.
She glared at her brother, and suddenly… the crimson eye activated.
Her curse: Domination — a power that allowed her to impose her will on others, making them obey her words without resistance.
"You know that doesn't work on me," Asheron said with a small smile.
"And yet, you keep trying."
He placed a hand on her head gently.
"Let's play next time. Your brother has something he needs to figure out."
Kalista's expression softened, though her disappointment lingered.
She understood that if her brother wasn't playing, something was truly wrong.
He usually never refused her.
She left the room quietly.
Asheron sat back on his bed, his mind circling the dream.
What had it meant?
What was Morrow doing there?
Morrow was the commander of the knights, but in that dream, his attire…
It suggested a far greater rank.
Asheron sighed again.
"Was it just a dream? Why can't I stop thinking about it?"
Maybe… it was just because he had never liked Morrow.
---
[The Darkness That Will Shatter the World's Future]
"Huh? What's that…?"
Leave this place!
You are the curse that will befall this kingdom! Perish!!
"What… what was that?! Am I dreaming again?!
…No, I'm not."
Asheron's heart raced as he pinched himself — hard — to make sure he was awake.
"I must really be exhausted," he thought, trying to calm his breath.
But deep down…
he knew this wasn't just fatigue.
It was a warning.
A warning of a coming catastrophe —
one that the world would not survive.