Chapter 1
It was centuries after the ‘Great Raid’, where the world was officially split into five regions. The five separated into the Northern and Southern lands; the Drain-rain desert, Flow Jungle, and the Dark Island. There was also an empty savannah set in the middle of the lands that didn’t belong to anyone. The largest of the lands were the Northern, ruled by Emperor Velinzhag, and Southern, ruled by Queen Kumira. Northern Land, in other words, the Dynasty of Garavia. It’s the coldest and most isolated place with strict laws with clear differences between the wealthy, poor, and royals. The Southern Lands, in other words, were the chained-islands of Luana; a tropical place that has a tribe of happy-go-lucky people, where barely anyone worried about food because there were coconuts and reef fish all year round.
The Drain-Rain desert was a large territory set across the East, with advancing technology at the Ling City, ruled by a group of gangsters. The rest of the Drain-Rain desert was just camps scattered across cactus-grown land. The Flow Jungle contained the largest library and collection of the world’s famous literature masterpieces, including their own temple set in the middle of the undergrowth. The jungle was ruled by a Pope.
The Dark Island, however, was not inhabited by any humans. It had no flora and almost zero wildlife— only black rocks and mountainous volcanoes that shot smoke, smudging the sky day and night. No one dared set foot on that place, as it was the territory of a large dragon named Shelly. Rumours said that she was the dragon who participated in the ‘Great Raid’. She defeated her enemies and collected hundreds of tons of gold into her cave— so much that she never entered her cave if she didn’t have her eyes closed, or she would be blinded by the blinding light of it, glowing from the light of the underground lava rivers that flowed through her cave.
The savannah was all empty except for a large town in its centre, where people from all lands met, traded, and performed in large events. Even Shelly the Dragon visited that place sometimes— for the largest feeding area with humans of different tastes from everywhere. Only Luana islanders didn’t fear her, since Shelly the Dragon detested coconuts.
But for today, the sky was grey, and there were no smiling faces or noisy traders in Town Nile. The dried, yellowish grass of the savannah bristled quietly in the cold, sharp breeze as trials of people travelled through its pathways for the town. Even the most isolated ruler, Emperor Velinzhag sat solemnly in his carriage, guarded by hundreds of guards riding on snow leopards with the prince by his side. They waded their paths into the town along with Queen Kumira, weeping quietly on her throne decorated with coconut leaves and hibiscuses, carried by heavy men. The head of the gangsters, Jeremy Wedrag, was in a black limo surrounded by pure, velvet black horses ridden by his mobsters dressed in grey, carrying guns and knives. The Pope had arrived in Town Nile a day earlier and now sat on one of the red velvet chairs on top of a wooden stage some distance off the ground. In front of him was a man kneeling, chained to the floor.
There were thousands of people gathered beneath the stage, whispering to one another. Emperor Velinzhag and the other rulers filled up the red velvet seats beside the Pope one after another until rulers from all four lands sat ready. The crowd slowly faded down to silence.
Out of the blue, the clouds above twisted and glowed in flaming red as Shelly the Dragon roared and shot out of the sky, her black scales shone fiercely in the light of her flame as she landed on top of the roof of the town centre tower, slowly exhaling a boiling breath. But just for today, she did not come for a delicious snack.
She was there, along with everyone else, to watch the execution of Abronze Lasbender; the last person who carried the power to decide the life and death— or rather, fate— of others.
Shelly breathed, and the four rulers stood up, fixing their gaze coldly on the man’s scarred back.
But Abronze was very young. Twenty-one years old, with everyone’s fate controlled except for his own.
“For twenty-one years,” Jeremy began sternly. “There had been no rain in our land.”
“For twenty-one years, the fish in our sea died in large waves, being washed up to our shore, poisoned and inedible.” Queen Kumira went on.
“For twenty-one years, our museums and temples have been destroyed by earthquakes that happen one after another in high frequency.” The Pope carried over.
“Young and brainless. Abronze Lasbender,” Emperor Velinzhag finished coldly, his thick, Russian accent having a different effect. “Any last words, facing death so young?”
“We’re all facing death,” he laughed wildly. “Every second of our lives. We’re all dying.”
He paused. “I left my powers on this world. I hid them in a jewel. Whoever finds it may inherit this power.”
He looked up at Shelly the Dragon.
“Goodbye.”
Shelly the Dragon shook out the spikes around her neck and twisted her tail around the tower she sat on. Spreading her large black wings, she bowed.
Abronze smiled at the crowd. The four rulers gasped at Shelly’s unusual behaviour. But the executioner raised his rusty axe, and fresh, warm, cherry red blood splattered over the old, stained ones. The four rulers wiped the blood that had sprayed onto them off with disgust. The Garavia Prince walked up, who was the only participant with pity in his eyes. He collected the cloaks his father took off just as the sky started thundering and rain poured down, pattering onto the dancing crowd beneath. For the first time in twenty-one years.
