Chapter 1
Thousands of years had passed since the age of bloodshed.
The world had changed.
Humans walked the same streets as elves. Dragons soared above cities where goblins traded beneath their shadows. Angels descended from the heavens, while demons emerged from the depths of the earth. Vampires no longer hunted openly, and ancient kingdoms had finally learned to live beside one another.
For the first time in history, the world knew peace.
But peace always has a price.
At the heart of the world's greatest city stood a colossal black stone statue.
It depicted a young man with long, dark hair and a sword resting against his shoulder. His expression was calm, almost emotionless, yet there was something sorrowful in his eyes.
At the base of the statue were two inscriptions.
THE STRONGEST WARRIOR IN HISTORY.
And beneath it:
THE GREATEST SINNER IN EXISTENCE.
Every day, people passed the statue.
Some bowed.
Some prayed.
Others simply stared.
But very few remembered the truth behind it.
One evening, two children stood before the statue.
One was a cheerful dragon boy with small horns and curious golden eyes.
Beside him stood an elf girl with silver hair that shimmered beneath the moonlight.
The dragon boy tilted his head.
“Grandpa... why does everyone bow to this statue?”
The old man standing behind them smiled.
“Because without him, none of us would be standing here today.”
The elf girl looked up at the enormous statue.
“Was he a king?”
The old man's smile slowly disappeared.
“No.”
“A hero?”
The old man remained silent for a moment.
Then he answered quietly.
“That depends on who you ask.”
The children exchanged confused glances.
The dragon boy pointed toward the statue.
“Then why is he called the greatest sinner?”
The old man looked toward the moon.
“Because he broke the oldest law in existence.”
The wind moved through the streets.
The lanterns flickered.
The old man's voice became quieter.
“There was a time when love itself had laws.”
The elf girl frowned.
“Love had laws?”
“Yes.”
“And what happened if someone broke them?”
The old man looked back at the statue.
“They were sentenced to death.”
The children fell silent.
The old man continued.
“Thousands of years ago, there was a vampire.”
“Not an ordinary vampire.”
“He was born with power that surpassed every vampire who had ever existed.”
The old man paused.
The moonlight fell across the statue's face.
“His name was... Kael Noctis.”
The dragon boy's eyes widened.
“The Vampire King?”
The old man nodded.
“The strongest vampire the world had ever known.”
“He possessed a legendary weapon known as the Moon Sword.”
“They say its blade could cut through mountains.”
“Some legends even claim that when Kael swung it with his full power, the heavens themselves trembled.”
The elf girl stared at the statue.
“Then why would someone that powerful become a sinner?”
The old man closed his eyes.
“Because he fell in love.”
The children looked at each other.
“With another vampire?”
“No.”
“An elf?”
“No.”
“A demon?”
The old man shook his head.
“With a human girl.”
The children stared at him in disbelief.
The old man continued.
“Her name was Elana Frose.”
“The law forbade their love.”
“The vampires rejected her.”
“The humans rejected him.”
“The elves demanded his execution.”
“The demons wanted his blood.”
“The angels declared their love an abomination.”
“Even the gods ordered Kael to surrender Elana.”
The dragon boy swallowed.
“And he... surrendered?”
The old man looked directly into his eyes.
“No.”
A cold wind swept through the city.
“He refused.”
The elf girl whispered,
“What happened then?”
The old man looked toward the distant mountains.
“Kael declared war.”
“Against whom?”
The old man gave a faint, sorrowful smile.
“Everyone.”
“Humans.”
“Elves.”
“Goblins.”
“Demons.”
“Angels.”
“Dragons.”
“And eventually...”
“Even the gods.”
The children could hardly believe what they were hearing.
“He fought an entire world... for one girl?”
The old man nodded.
“He wasn't fighting for a throne.”
“He wasn't fighting for wealth.”
“He didn't want to rule the world.”
“He simply refused to let the world decide whether Elana was worthy of his love.”
The dragon boy looked at the statue again.
“So... was Kael a hero?”The old man remained silent.
For several seconds, only the sound of the city could be heard.
Finally, he answered.
“To the gods, he was a sinner.”
“To the kingdoms, he was a monster.”
“To the armies that fought him, he was a nightmare.”
“But to Elana...”
The old man's eyes softened.
“He was simply Kael.”
The children stood silently beneath the statue.
Then the old man whispered:
“That was the beginning of the greatest war this world had ever witnessed.”
He looked toward the sky.
The moon had begun to turn crimson.
“And it all began...”
“On a night when the moon turned red.”
The city fell strangely quiet.
The old man smiled.
“Would you like to hear the story?”
The two children answered together.
“Yes.”
The old man turned away from the statue.
“Then listen carefully.”
“Because this is not the story of a hero.”
“It is the story of a vampire...”
“...who challenged the entire world...”
“...for the girl he loved.”
And somewhere beyond the mountains, beneath the crimson moon, a forgotten sword began to awaken.
The story of Kael Noctis had begun.
End of Chapter One
