Arc 3 - Prologue: Dragon's Chosen

There was a story told in the Mora since ancient times.

A story about two brothers called the Jade and Ruby Dragons...

Long ago, one brother fought against heaven and the other fought against his brother to protect heaven.

It was Ruby who protected heaven and Jade who fought against paradise.

The Jade Dragon had killed his brother, but the followers of the Ruby Dragon had sealed him in the Jade Lake.

The prophecy said that one day the Ruby Dragon would reincarnate and take revenge by killing his brother, the Jade Dragon, the traitor who betrayed heaven.

Yu Zao Long was watching his city from the highest tower of the Ruby Palace.

As the war was far from the capitals of both sides, the people living in the cities were better off than those in the war zones, but they still struggled to get supplies from the sea.

Because the cities of the Zodian traitors were right next to the Dragon's Bay leading to the Mora and they could control the ship traffic to and from the Capital Mora. Therefore, the ships that wanted to go to the Capital would stop at Krashe in front of the Dragon's Bay, not directly to the capital, and supplies for the capital would be taken from there, but the speed of supply was slowed down because of the geographical conditions like forests and mountains.

Yu Zao looked at the seal on his wrist. Above his right wrist, a red figure of a dragon shone brightly day and night. It was uncomfortable to sleep with the light of that figure at night.

"But whether I like it or not, I have been given this duty. We must do our duty."

He pulled the sleeve of his dress and covered his wrist. This reduced the light emitted by the figure.

He was about to turn around when a woman's hands passed under his armpits and wrapped around his chest.

"This figure has passed from one Long to another over the centuries. But only you had the courage and strength to take on the responsibility this figure carries."

The witch was caressing Yu Zao's chest. When she stood up on her tiptoes and rested her chin on Yu Zao's shoulder, her scent, which had an enchanting aroma, reached his nose.

"Don't try to seduce me, woman."

Both her scent and her body were mesmerizing, but Yu Zao was famous for his strong will. He separated her arms from his body and turned away.

The witch was trying to seduce Yu Zao as she always did. Yu Zao acknowledged her power but was unwilling to let her seduce him.

But even for Yu Zao, it was a difficult process.

"I want your foresights, not your body."

Yu Zao walked down from the tower they were in and the witch followed him. Although the witch was tall compared to the other women, she was small compared to Yu Zao's large frame. Her white hair fell down her back and her ice-blue eyes were freezing cold.

The Priests of the Dragon were wise men who were respected within the Long Clan. Passed down from father to son, the priesthood's job was to help the kings who emerged from the Long Clan and were chosen by the Ruby Dragon.

Elaine Jie Long was the current holder of this position. Her father had no other children, so the position was passed on to her.

The only thing that made her different from other priests was not that she was a woman, but that she was a witch. Her white hair would scream that she was a witch wherever she went.

Although Yu Zao was not superstitious, her presence was both a mouthpiece for his enemies and a terror to those on his own side.

"Hah... It's good that they are afraid, if they are afraid they will obey. My enemies can say what they want, the living won't hear them anyway."

Elaine's foresight had served him well so far and would serve him well from now on. He wasn't going to throw her away just because others didn't want her.

Even if he had stopped receiving foresight, Yu Zao was not ungrateful enough to ignore what she had done and throw her away because his men were afraid of her.

"Just the fear of her is enough."

As Yu Zao continued down the stairs, Elaine, walking behind him, spoke. "The future I saw from the beginning has not changed, Your Majesty."

Elaine would start telling the same story again. Yu Zao had heard it many times before, but since her other predictions had come true, he believed that this one would also come true and would not stop listening.

"One dragon kills another and takes the revenge. The Ruby dragon will erase the Church of the Exiled God from this land and rule alone over this kingdom again..." The witch's voice, if there had been any, had already seduced him. "...And you are the only true dragon. Unlike the other liars, you are the most noble member of the Long clan."

Yu Zao continued down the stairs without saying anything. He was not really interested in divination or revenge. In fact, fighting for the revenge of a beast that lived centuries ago seemed foolish to him, but he had only one thing in mind.

"Duty."

The religion of the exiled God was bringing poverty to this land and harming his people. He would take on this mission and do everything he had to do to destroy it.

Yu Zao went down to the throne room and looked at his throne. According to legend, the throne was made from the skull of the Ruby Dragon. The dragon's jaws were wide open, and where its tongue should have been, they had put a seat for king to sit.

When Yu Zao sat on the red throne, Elaine Jie stood beside him. Her presence alone was enough to freeze the throne room.

"Disturbing..."

He looked at the guards standing on each side of the throne room. They wore black armor with the figure of a red dragon on it.

Their aim was to protect Yu Zao, but he was stronger than any of the guards here. He found it humiliating to have someone around to protect him.

The door to the throne room opened and Lien Yachi Long, one of Yu Zao's five generals, entered. He walked to the throne without saying a word, and when he was in front of the throne, he knelt down and spoke.

"Your Majesty." He was waiting for permission to continue speaking.

"Speak."

Lien Yachi was on one knee, looking at Yu Zao's feet and talking.

"General Azil Zao has taken Vermia."

This was the only good news Yu Zao received today. The city of Vermia was strategically important, and the Zodianists were a threat to his kingdom.

"What about the Lioness?"

He was talking about Cornelia dri Vermilia. She had given the Crown its first and only taste of defeat on the battlefield. She had defeated General Lien Yachi Long and disposed of his army.

"She was in Aratun when Vermia fell, unfortunately we were unable to capture her, Your Majesty."

"Tch..." Yu Zao clicked his tongue.

He had known Cornelia since she was a child. He was the only one on the Zodianist side who bothered Yu Zao. Although she was young, she was the only one he saw as a threat among the Zodianists and there was no other commander who had made a name for himself.

"If she's still alive, she'll take immediate action to get her home back. Even if she has to fight alone, she will do it... Fortunately, it's winter, it's hard to win this time of year, but things will change when spring comes. By spring, gather a new army and go to support General Azil Zao. Cornelia will be there, if possible take her prisoner, do no harm. If not, kill her without touching her dignity."

Cornelia was the only one in the rotten Zodianist side who had any hope and who could understand Yu Zao. If he could get her on his side, this war would be over for good.

As Lien Yachi left the throne room after receiving the orders, Yu Zao turned to Elaine Jie.

"What do your foresight says?"

"During the winter Vermia will be in the dragon's hands, in the spring they will fight. The lion is not alone, and there is no dragon against them."

Yu Zao put his hand to his chin.

"They say one lion is equal to ten hyenas..." Yu Zao stood up. "Is that all you've seen?"

"One more thing..."

Yu Zao listened intently to Elaine Jie.