Chapter 1: Ember of Origins

*KABOOM*

A cacophony of explosions reverberated through the air, each blast punctuating the atmosphere with its thunderous roar. Soldiers' battle cries, fierce and unyielding, emanated from every direction. Amid this chaos, in the expansive confines of a grand hall, an elegant woman cradled her newborn child. She whispered soothing words, attempting to shield her infant from the terror outside.

"Quickly, set the formation!" she called out, her voice a blend of urgency and maternal tenderness.

"Are we really going to go through with this, can't we just protect him here Wilton?" The woman implored, her voice laden with anguish as she approached an elderly man stationed by a glowing teleportation array.

The man, his face etched with lines of wisdom and sorrow, met her gaze. "I regret the burden of this decision, my Lady, but as the Lord's advisor, I agree with his Lordship. Sending the young master away is imperative. Here, he remains the prime target for the Golden Hand."

*BOOOOM* 

As if punctuating his point, another explosion tore through the air. Debris showered the surroundings, clattering against the spiritual force field that enveloped the palace grounds, a stark reminder of the peril that loomed ever closer.

"HURRY UP AND CHARGE THE BLOODY ARRAY!"

A hoarse yet commanding voice bellowed from the doorway of the grand hall, resonating with a palpable force as its owner advanced toward the mother cradling her child.

In response, countless soldiers clad in majestic armor sprang into action. They gathered around a massive runic array, channeling their spiritual energy into its intricate designs. The array absorbed their power, its glyphs starting to emit an intense, glowing light.

"My Lord, where do we set the coordinates of the array?" The leader of the tasked group urgently asked.

"Set it beyond the bounds of this domain, and make it untraceable," the lord commanded, his voice resolute.

"I want no trace of where it leads. The heart seal is activated, ensuring that not even I can discover its destination, this is my command!"

"Yes! Your Lordship!" Was cried out in unison, with deep hints of respect and reverence in their thundering voices.

The well-built figure of the man cleared a path to his wife and son, holding them in his arms. This embrace was tinged with the sorrow of imminent separation, a momentary solace before the divide.

"No matter where you end up, remember that your blood is my blood," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Your journey will be broader and fraught with more peril than I could ever wish upon you. Yet, no matter where you go, you are our son—a titan among titans, a warrior among warriors."

The man gently placed his hand on the little boy's forehead and released some spiritual force into his mind to let him fall asleep. He then traced a symbol on the child's skin, which glowed with an ethereal light for the duration of a full breath before it faded.

"Everything will become clear in time, as you grow," he murmured, sealing his words with a promise veiled in the mysteries to come.

The poignant family moment was shattered when a colossal spiritual force crashed down upon the battlefield outside the palace grounds.

Soldiers on both sides felt a bone-chilling terror sweep over them.

"Stop resisting, Garion. Just surrender the scripture and I promise the order will spare your family. With your Daoseed crippled, this is the greatest mercy you can hope for," sneered a voice, both mocking and menacing.

A young man with flowing black hair and piercing yellow eyes materialized above the fray, floating serenely with his hands clasped behind his back. Adorned in a golden robe emblazoned with the emblem of a golden lion, he radiated the majestic aura of a celestial deity. 

His voice, carried by spirit speech, echoed ominously through the palace and its environs, his sinister laughter reverberating across the battlefield.

"You wouldn't want your precious little boy to suffer, now would you? Or your beautiful wife," he taunted, his voice dripping with venom.

An oppressive silence fell over the battlefield as the surrounding soldiers quaked in fear, rooted to the spot by the overwhelming power of the intruder.

Unmoved by the palpable fear his presence instilled, the young man scoffed lightly at the absence of a response. "Well, if no one is going to entertain me with an introduction, I might as well proceed to the main event myself."

Raising his hand in the air, a formidable spear composed of solar energy condensed above him, poised like a colossal guillotine ready to obliterate all beneath it.

The spectacle ignited panic among the surrounding soldiers who attempted to intervene. However, the sheer spiritual pressure emanating from Alteris repelled their efforts, vaporizing the less formidable among them into mere wisps of smoke.

Garion responded by appearing above the palace with his hand raised in a similar manner. A torrent of crimson lightning coalesced into a massive greatsword, crackling with ominous energy.

"You want to lay your foul hands on my wife and son?! Over… my… dead… body! I will mount your rotten head on that old bastard's throne before you even have the chance to touch them, Alteris. " Garion declared, his voice thick with contempt yet eerily calm.

"Ah well, do watch what you wish for Garion." Alteris said, immediately losing his playful tone.

With a swift motion, he thrust his hand forward, sending the flaming spear slicing through the air at a staggering speed, distorting space itself in its wake.

"You attack me with that? One slash is all it takes!" Garion scoffed. 

Harnessing his spiritual force, his skin ignited with a tapestry of menacing crimson patterns, emanating an aura of invincibility.

With a burst of speed, Garion spun, wielding the greatsword with masterful precision. He unleashed a wave of crimson swordlight that surged toward the solar spear.

The two forces collided with a deafening implosion, tearing at the very fabric of space around them, echoing a cataclysmic clash of laws and power.

Alteris's smirk widened as he observed the effects of Garion's formidable technique. "Hehe-, how amusing. Your mastery of the Crimson Dawn Overlord Technique certainly does justice to your reputation. Now, don't mind if I, too, take this up a notch. I truly hope you can keep up the entertainment," he taunted, his voice dripping with anticipation.

As he spoke, the air around him crackled ominously, responding to his rising power. Violent solar flares erupted from his body, painting a terrifying spectacle. "Let's see what the praise around this ability is all about," he mused aloud.

Chanting in a deep, resonant tone, Alteris invoked, "Golden fire of time immemorial, cleanse these lands and turn all thy belongings back to… Ash."

Around him, seven miniature suns began to form, orbiting his figure like celestial bodies. The ancient symbol for 'Solar' materialized on his forehead, marking him as a conduit of unfathomable solar energy.

A searing aura emanated from him, the intense heat causing the surrounding rocks to melt into magma, sand underfoot transforming into glass shards, and all moisture in the air evaporating instantly.

Garion's expression turned to one of utter shock as he grasped the magnitude of Alteris's power. "Absolute elemental command… You—you've already reached half-step Heavenly Samsara?!" he exclaimed.

"Just barely, but barely enough." Alteris chuckled, with a terrifying grin plastered on his face as he hovered in the air with 7 suns orbiting behind his back.

As the gravity of the situation intensified, Garion mentally communicated with his wife. "Start the array! Send him away now! He's already on par with me so I'll need your help as well!" His thoughts raced through their spiritual link, urgent and commanding.

Without hesitation, Garion positioned his hands together, tapping into a deep state of meditation.

He channeled his formidable spiritual energy to conjure a massive crimson shield, vast enough to eclipse the heavens, enveloping the palace grounds in its protective embrace.

"Primordial semblance of causality, strengthen this shield into a towering wall to protect thy subjects," Garion intoned solemnly. As he spoke, the intricate crimson patterns that adorned his body migrated to the shield, forming the ancient symbol for 'Protect'. The shield pulsed with a newfound fortitude.

Above, the dynamics of the battle shifted dramatically as the seven miniature suns surrounding Alteris ascended, casting a blinding light over the battlefield.

These celestial orbs began their ominous expansion, swelling in size until each matched the vast expanse of the palace grounds themselves. 

"I hope that crippled shield of yours will be able to hold out Garion because, this ones going to hurt…" Alteris maintained a menacing grin across his face as he waved both of his arms through the air causing the seven miniature suns to slowly descend upon to the shield.

"KABOOOM" 

The massive suns collided into the spiritual shield causing massive cracks to appear around it's surface, shaking the palace grounds to their very foundations.

The soldiers and people protected by the shield were currently shivering away in fear as they saw a small amount of solar energy leak into the cracks of the damaged shield and vaporize anyone who came too close to the rampant solar energy.

Garion, undeterred by the scale of the attack, shot back coldly, "Save your mockery, Alteris. This 'crippled shield' has more backbone than you'll ever have."

Back within the walls of the palace, amidst the tremors and chaos outside, a poignant scene unfolded.

"My baby…" the woman sobbed as she gently placed her son onto the quivering altar. Though tears blurred her vision, a fierce determination sharpened her gaze—a resolve that declared she would reunite with her son, no matter the obstacles. Quickly, she began to channel her spiritual essence into the activation of the array, while simultaneously bolstering her own spiritual force field to fend off the perilous solar energy seeping in.

"Mom and dad will find you, okay? We will find you… one day we will surely come for you… and we will bring you ho—" Her voice was a mixture of promise and sorrow, cut short as the mechanism of the array took hold.

In an instant, all sound was swallowed by a profound silence, and the vulnerable baby boy was enveloped in a spiral of light. As he disappeared, few could grasp the significance of this moment—that this ethereal pillar of light, carrying away a small and helpless child, was destined to herald a new era, one that would reshape the power dynamics of countless worlds.