1 Introduction and Prologue

Year 2099. December 31st. Time 00:00. Later what Historians came to call "the Blue Sunset". A mysterious phenomenon that swept through the world, reducing the world population to a mere 3 billion.

The aftermath was world-changing. Survivors were afflicted with a disease called "Mana Syndrome". Those who showed minor symptoms were saved but those who couldn't fell victim to this unknown illness. But later experiments which led to the discovery of "Mana"- a mysterious energy that was leftover as a direct result of "The Blue Sunset" incident, finally led to the unexpected emergence of people that could wield this unknown energy.

They came to be known as "Mana-Artists"

Humans fear the unknown and the Gods fear innovation...

Mana Artists, though powerful, came to be despised and cornered in the normal society due to their aberrant powers. The government monitored them and their peers shunned them. Dissatisfied with the status quo, Mana Artists gathered together and led a civil war across the world.

The third world war thus began. With the destruction of the world imminent, the war suddenly came to a stop. Reason? No one knows. But from that day forward the world soon came to know of a shadow organization that consisted of ten powerful Mana-Artists, that stood toe to toe with gods-The Auditors...

~~~

"The enemies of the Union are dead!"

"Enemies? Do you mean that Akagami family that was said to be the No.1 Fire-series clan of the world?! How did they die?"

"A tragedy was what happened. I heard when the Auditors came on the scene all they found were the family corpses,"

"Even the rumored child genius?"

"Heh! What child genius?! I heard he was the one who killed all of them!"

"No way! A child killed off his own family?"

"Hard to believe it, isn't it? I guess the Akagami family never would have thought that they were raising a white eyed wolf instead of a dragon. That year, the family chief stood against all the elders of the family and proclaimed his stance in appointing the child as his heir despite him being adopted and of unknown origins. To think he would meet his end like this...*sigh* it's heaven's will...I say...Heaven's will,"

This was the city of Lamparr... a prosperous city that boasted a long history extending to an era even older than the 21st century. Of course, back then, it wasn't as prosperous or even half as famous like it was now. It was an obscure city that trudged along the road of time, hiding in shadowy crevices of history, and except for a few exhausted travelers that stumbled upon it by coincidence, the city of Lamparr would've been forever remained as a blurry smudge in history.

But that all changed during the Third world war. Upon the discovery of Mana and the emergence of Mana-Artists after the Blue sun set incident, the city of Lmaparr, being the closest to the incident, was heavily affected with Mana source. Mana-Artists cropped up like beansprouts on a rainy day, an endless stream of powerful mages that shook the world equilibrium to its core.

And with such powerful existences coming up from the same place, it was destined that the days of Lmaparr spent in flowing along the stream of time without a goal was soon coming to an end.

During the Third World war, Lamparr took up an active role as being a trading spot for both Mana-Artists and humans. Though this disgruntled a few higher-ups but business was business whether selling to humans or selling to dogs. As long as they could pay, everyone would receive an equal treatment.

Aside from this, while many places still discriminated against Mana-artists and Mana-Artists discriminated against humans, Lamparr existed as one of the few places that treated both humans and Mana-Artists as equals. There were no usual disdainful remarks or insults, nor were there any scuffles that broke out of nowhere. The streets were peaceful, business was booming, and the city was as glamorous a sight as it had always been.

Towering peaks of sky towers that rose to heavens, and the Mana-train that rose and fell over the skyline, whistling along the sky-bridge railway that meandered here and there over the city like a silver snake.

Below hover cars hailed each other, as the drivers exchanged greetings, a signal lamp post powered by mana lighted up red on either side of the street, while people crossed it busily.

The hustle-bustle of the streets was nowhere near close to the hubub of the bazaar as merchants enthusiastically called over customers, showing off their newest wares.

It was indeed a splendid sight. Kazumi Nagato sighed as he pulled up the collar of his coat more tightly around his neck. Pushing his hands into his pockets, he walked along the street, keeping to the shadows and avoiding bumping into people. As he blended into the crowd he thought again about the rumors and whispers he had heard.

Akagami family. One of the most renowned Mana-Artist families around the world. During the thirteen years of war, with the emergence of the Mana-Artists, many powerful Mana-Artists came into existence.

Mana-Artists powers manifests in different ways. No two Mana-Artists have the same power. For example, a Mana-Artists of the fire series, one can manifest his power as form of fireball. But another Mana-Artist cannot manifest a fire ball no matter how easy of a technique it is. But he may be proficient in using a Fire-sword, a sword manifested entirely out of flames.

Mana-Artists' powers can be categorized according to their elements. These are called 'series'

Fire series; base element is Fire.

Water Series: Base element- water.

Earth series: Earth based element

Wind Series; Base element- Wind

Wood series; wood based element and so on.

Apart from these five main series there are other series which consist of many varieties of elements. And though some may be a series that is entirely different from these five main series, like the Lightening series, there are some series that branch off from the five main series. For example, the ice-series of the ice element is a side branch of the Water series.

And gathering all of these Mana-Artists of the same series were the five main families. The Akagami family was the clan most renowned for gathering powerful Mana-Artists of the Fire-series.

The Third world war was a result of many years of suppression and resentment after Blue Sun Set incident, so when when the war first started off, the casualties numbered in millions. And the Akagami clan was at forefront of the rebellion, gathering many Fire series Mana-Artist and leading the rebels at the frontlines. They were known as flame gods that stalked across the battlefield spreading flames of war throughout the world.

Their fame and prestige was unquestioned and irrefutable, and even the human government had to sigh in admiration at their strength and valor, even though they were on the opposite side of the battle.

Many tired to plan and plot against them, even targeting the children of the Akagami family that hadn't even left their cribs, but the Akagami family stood firm, and emerged out stronger for it. It was during the mid years of the war, that the chief of the Akagami family, Shin Akagami, brought in an orphan. a young boy barely five years of age. But what startled the family was not his age but his aptitude towards the Fire series. It was on a level that was completely of its own with no compare.

He became known as the child prodigy, and the Akagami family spared no effort in cultivating him, making him stronger and stronger. When he first stepped foot onto the battlefield, the result left them speechless. And entire battalion of one hundred thousand men-annihilated with a wave of his hand, as flames swept across the battlefield. He was like a God of Flames as he swept through battlefield after battlefield, felling one enemy after another. Soon, people- friend and foe alike started calling him by a nickname. "Crimson Dawn" because everywhere he went in the battlefield, flames erupted as high as the sky, illuminating acres and acres of land in an angry red even beyond the battlefield, just like an emerging dawn.

Even the Union- the government supported anti- ManaArtist movement came to fear the mention of his name.

But as they say, high trees attract the wind the most. With the Akagami family's achievements piling up and more and more, they soon began to attract the envy of their allies and the resentment of their enemies.

Maybe it was a scheme of their enemy or a plot of an ally but soon after the Third World War ended, with the Auditors emerging and putting a stop to the war, the Akagami family soon faded into obscurity. That was until a few days ago, and few years after the Third world war's end, that news started to seep in through the cracks. It was rumors at first but then the government made an open declaration.

The Akagami Family...was dead.

The no.1 Fire Series Mana-Artist family was now no more. The culprit?

It was none other than Akagami Rikuou- the one hailed as the "Crimson Dawn"...