Twelve years had passed since the night the royal castle trembled beneath the terrifying power of Infernos.
Twelve years since Monarch Kaal Grimheart sacrificed his life to protect the kingdom.
Time had continued to move forward, but the world had not remained the same.
Without Kaal's overwhelming power holding the surrounding nations together, the balance between kingdoms slowly began to weaken. Several kingdoms that once stood beside the royal kingdom began separating themselves, strengthening their own borders and alliances.
Across the continent, rumors spread.
Many believed the royal kingdom had grown weaker after losing its king.
Yet the kingdom had not fallen.
Because Queen Elina still ruled.
Her calm leadership kept the people united even during uncertain times. Whenever she appeared before the citizens, her long silver hair flowing gently in the wind, the people felt reassured.
But even the queen carried a burden.
A secret that only a few people inside the royal castle truly knew.
Her two sons.
Twins born on the same night.
Leon Grimheart.
And Ragna Grimheart.
Though they shared the same blood and the same birth, their destinies had already begun moving in completely different directions.
Leon had grown into a disciplined and talented young prince. The royal knights often praised his dedication and skill during training, believing he would one day become a powerful ruler like his father.
But Ragna lived a very different life.
Even after twelve years, the sealed power of Infernos still slept inside his body.
The ancient flame remained suppressed by powerful sealing magic placed the night he was born.
But the seal could not completely hide its presence.
Sometimes the surrounding mana would grow strangely warm.
Sometimes a faint pressure would fill the air.
Something unnatural.
And humans feared what they did not understand.
Fear slowly turned into rumors.
Rumors slowly turned into whispers.
And whispers eventually became cruel words.
"Cursed child."
That was the name many villagers used when speaking about Ragna.
Morning sunlight spread across the peaceful fields outside the capital.
Near a small village road, a boy slowly walked along the dusty path.
His dark hair moved gently with the wind, and his calm eyes quietly watched the world around him.
Ragna Grimheart.
Even though he was the son of the queen, he wore simple clothes like an ordinary village boy.
He preferred it that way.
Less attention.
Less whispers.
As he walked through the village street, several people noticed him.
The moment they sensed the strange heat within the surrounding mana, their expressions changed.
A woman quickly pulled her child closer.
Two men standing near a cart suddenly stopped talking.
Near the village well, several villagers began whispering.
"That's him…"
"The cursed child."
"You can feel that strange aura again…"
Ragna heard them.
He always did.
But he continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Because hearing those words had become normal.
Still, somewhere deep inside his chest, the words always left behind a quiet pain.
Ragna left the village and walked toward a grassy hill nearby.
From the top of the hill, the capital city could be seen far in the distance.
He sat down quietly and looked up at the sky.
The wind moved softly through the grass.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Then suddenly—
"Ragna!"
A cheerful voice called out.
Ragna turned his head.
A girl was running toward him.
Her long silver-blonde hair shimmered under the sunlight, and her bright green eyes were filled with energy.
Sylphiya.
But everyone called her Sylpy.
She finally reached him and stopped, breathing heavily.
"I finally found you!" she said.
Ragna blinked.
"You were looking for me?"
Sylpy placed her hands on her hips.
"Of course! You disappeared again!"
Ragna looked away slightly.
"I just wanted some quiet."
Sylpy sat beside him without hesitation.
She looked up at the sky and smiled.
"It's peaceful here."
Ragna nodded quietly.
After a moment, Sylpy glanced at him.
"You heard them again today, didn't you?"
Ragna didn't answer.
Sylpy sighed softly.
"They shouldn't say things like that."
Ragna shrugged slightly.
"It doesn't matter."
Sylpy frowned.
"It does matter."
She turned toward him seriously.
"You're not a cursed child."
Ragna didn't respond.
But hearing someone say that still felt strange.
Sylpy suddenly smiled and opened a small cloth bag.
"I brought food."
Inside were two pieces of bread.
Ragna looked at them suspiciously.
"You stole them?"
Sylpy puffed her cheeks.
"My mother gave them to me!"
Ragna chuckled quietly.
For a brief moment, the heavy feeling inside his chest faded.
Moments like this were rare.
Moments where he could forget the whispers.
And Sylphiya was the reason.
Meanwhile, inside the royal palace training grounds, the sound of clashing metal echoed loudly.
Leon Grimheart stood in the center of the field, holding a training sword.
A royal knight stood opposite him.
"Again!" the knight commanded.
Leon stepped forward and swung his sword.
Clang!
The knight blocked the strike but nodded with approval.
"Your mana control is improving, Prince Leon."
Leon stepped back, breathing heavily.
A faint golden light surrounded his body.
The power of Astra.
The royal energy inherited from the Grimheart bloodline.
Several knights watching nearby whispered among themselves.
"The prince is improving quickly."
"One day he might surpass many of us."
Leon wiped sweat from his face.
But instead of looking proud, he stared toward the distant horizon.
Toward the direction of the village.
Where his brother often went.
Leon tightened his grip on the sword.
"Ragna…"
Unlike the villagers, Leon never feared him.
But he knew something dangerous slept within his brother.
Something even their father had feared.
Leon raised his sword again.
"If that power ever loses control…"
The golden light around him flickered.
"…then I will stop it."
Later that afternoon, Ragna returned to the village.
But before he reached the well, several boys suddenly stepped in front of him.
They were older than him.
Their expressions were unfriendly.
One of them picked up a stone.
"Well, look who it is."
"The cursed child."
Another boy laughed.
"You shouldn't come here."
"You make the mana feel weird."
Ragna stayed calm.
"I'm not here to fight."
The boy smirked.
"Of course you aren't."
Suddenly—
He threw the stone.
It struck Ragna's shoulder.
Another boy picked up a stone.
"Go away!"
"Cursed child!"
More stones were thrown.
Ragna clenched his fists but did not move.
He remembered his mother's words.
Power exists to protect people.
Not hurt them.
Then suddenly—
"STOP!"
Sylphiya ran toward them.
She stepped directly in front of Ragna.
"Leave him alone!"
The boys laughed.
"Oh look," one of them mocked.
"The cursed child has someone protecting him."
Another boy picked up a larger stone.
"If you want to protect him so badly…"
He threw it with force.
The stone flew through the air—
And struck Sylpy hard in the shoulder.
"Ah—!"
She cried out and fell to her knees.
The impact tore the skin slightly where the stone hit.
A thin line of blood slowly began running down her arm.
Ragna's eyes widened.
"Sylpy…"
Sylpy held her shoulder, her body trembling from pain.
Her breathing became uneven.
But she still turned toward him.
"It's… okay…" she whispered weakly.
She tried to smile.
Even though tears formed in her eyes.
Even though blood slowly dripped from her arm onto the ground.
She still stood in front of him.
Protecting him.
That moment—
Something inside Ragna snapped.
His fists slowly tightened.
The mana in the air suddenly began to heat up.
The boys immediately felt it.
The surrounding aura became heavy.
Hot.
Unstable.
Ragna lowered his head.
"…You hurt her."
The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly.
Deep inside his body—
The sealed flames of Infernos began to move.
For twelve years the power had remained silent.
But now—
For the first time since his birth—
The seal began to tremble.
And the flames of Infernos slowly started to awaken.