1 Prologue

In a dimly lit room, the sound of paper flipping could intermittently be heard. At the source of the sound was a five-year-old boy. Munching on slices of well-cut apples, he could be considered cute with his golden hair and an oddly separated streak of white.

Within the room, the only light source came from a runic ring that dangled down a necklace. As the boy continuously flipped through the book, his unique sapphire eyes, with a burst of gold around his pupils, ceaselessly shone with excitement.

As for the source of his excitement? The book in his hand, or more accurately, the scene that was taking place within it.

…

With heavy clouds overhead, standing atop a hill, a silver armored man stood with his back towards twelve other men. He held a solemn gaze, as his piercing green eyes fixed themselves on countless soldiers in white armor marching in their direction.

"Knights, my brothers in arms, I am proud to stand and fight alongside you. We hold the title of Knights and, with it, the symbols of strength, honor, integrity, and courage. Our foes lie before us and our loved ones behind us. We do not fight out of hatred for what is in front of us but rather out of love for what is behind us. If this is our destiny, then let it be known that as free men, we have chosen it willingly. May history remember our bravery and commitment to what we hold dear. Now, let us stand united and show our enemies the full force of our valor!"

As the man with the piercing green eyes' words fell, a golden aura abruptly burst from him.

SHING-SHING-SHING-SHING-SHHIIIINNNG!

In tandem, the thirteen men atop the hill unsheathed their weapons as their gazes fixed themselves on the oncoming army.

Gripping his sword tightly, a greater burst of golden aura ripped forth from the green-eyed man, "as Sovereign, I will do whatever it takes to keep my people safe."

"Whatever it takes!" The green-eyed man affirmed as he cast his gaze to the sky.

Responding to the man's gaze, the cloudy skies suddenly rippled as a giant golden halo appeared overhead.

"Whatever it takes…."

"…. HEAVEN'S FALL!"

VOOOM!

…

THUMP!

Closing the hardcover at the back of the book firmly, an irritated sigh escaped from the young boy's lips. "Ha! What a jerk! Who ends a volume of their novel like this!? Shouldn't you feel some empathy for your readers? Ugh, if only I could-UGHH!?"

However, despite the boy's words, a look at his face, anyone could tell he was brimming with enthusiasm.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he collected his thoughts. Opening his eyes again, the boy's enthusiasm had cooled, replaced by a fierce determination. "The Sovereign's Path really is the only way," he said, his voice low and firm. "For what needs to happen, a story or a legacy isn't enough. I need change."

".....maybe something even more than change."

Clenching his fists, the boy looked across the dimly lit room to a silver egg roughly his size, surrounded by red stones that gave off warmth.

In a firm voice, "I know what I want to be when I am older, Aegon. I am going to be a Sovereign!"

VZZZT!

As though awakening from a deep slumber, the runic ring dangling from the boy's neck began to shine an intense blue light. The originally dim room now overflowing with blinding light.

HUM-HUMM-HUUMMM!

Following the sequence of vibrating hums, the intense light began to ease, and as it eased, wherever the light touched, twinkling blue particles were left in its wake.

Shocked by the sudden turn of events, the boy stood frozen as the countless blue particles of light reflected themselves in his sapphire eyes.

Turning in a slow circle, the boy couldn't help but feel as though he was standing in the embrace of stars.

Curious, the boy reached out a hand. However, before he could touch a particle, all of the particles in the room began to move and condense. Quickly, a model of a large city was formed.

Surprised, the boy's eyes widened as he peered at the model closely.

Around the city stood imposing high walls that gave off a feeling of indomitability. Within the city, recreational areas spread out like verdant oases, and buildings stretch up towards the sky, their roofs and spires adorned with intricate details and decorations. The entire city seems to radiate a grandiose and opulent atmosphere. But even among all the grandeur and splendor of the city, there is one structure that stands out above all others: the palace at the city's center. Like a behemoth, it towered over everything else, radiating a sense of corporeal might. Its walls and spires were adorned with jewels and statues, while its gates stood open, inviting all to enter and marvel at its majesty.

As the boy continued to watch on in astonishment, the particles moved again, and slowly two faces appeared. One was a handsome man with chiseled features, his eyes were firm and warm, and the other was a beautiful woman with delicate features and a radiant smile. The man gave off a feeling of fieriness and sturdiness. Whereas the woman gave off a feeling of fluidity and freeness.

After a few moments, the particles moved again. The man and woman were now standing side by side in front of a mass of people. In the woman's arms was a bundled-up baby wrapped in a sphere of light. In front of them, a massive group of people were all on a single knee with their hands cupped as they held sturdy gazes of respect and subservience.

Seeing this scene, the boy felt his curiosity piqued, wanting to take a closer look at the bundle in the woman's arms. However, before he could investigate, the blue particles moved again. This time, the scene shown was the man and woman standing around an incredibly massive map with frowns etched onto their faces.

Noting this, the boy watched as the particles moved once again as a new scene formed. Two massive armies stood before each other. On one side, the man and woman stood amongst a group of people at the forefront of their army. On the other side, similarly, a group of people stood at the forefront of their army. However, something the boy couldn't help but notice was that this other army's members all bore a bright symbol on their armor. Though a bit hazy, the boy could make out that it was a circle of some sort.

Like a play, a new scene appeared as the particles once again shifted. The new scene showed a hooded figure carrying a bundled-up baby. Tall trees towered over them, seemingly hiding them from unwanted eyes. Looking past the figure and baby and into the distance, plumes of smoke reminiscent of a city burning could be seen.

At that moment, unbeknownst to the golden-haired boy, a single stream of tears silently slid down his face.

With a light pulse of light, the blue particles shifted again. But rather than forming a picture-like scene, the scene now began to move.

At the shore of a massive river stood the hooded figure breathing heavily as they held the baby in their arms. Upon catching their breath, a swirl of energy began to encircle the figure. Holding the baby in one hand, the hooded figure fished out a necklace with a ring as the centerpiece from within their robes and placed it into the baby's bundles.

Seeming to focus for a bit, the energy around the hooded figure began to rapidly condense.

Willing it, the hooded figure's energy began to wrap around the baby. Condensing further, the energy began to form a hazy crystalline shell around the baby. Pouring out more power, the crystal shell continued to grow in thickness, and its presence hazier, nearing invisibility.

After a while, the figure withdrew its power. Walking to the river, the figure gently placed the now crystal-encased baby down into it. Letting go, the figure watched the baby bob up and down as the river carried it downstream.

Watching the baby disappear off into the distance, the figure gathered their remaining energy and dashed in the opposite direction.

Following the baby's journey down the river, for an uncountable amount of time, the river froze, unfroze, raged, calmed, and split. During this time, the golden-haired boy also observed the baby's crystal occasionally disappearing and reappearing.

Nevertheless, after a while, the scene changed once again.

Seated at the center of an immense lake was an old man peacefully enjoying the beauty of his surroundings. There was a peaceful look on his face as he contently relished his quiet afternoon. However, a frown suddenly formed on his face as he sensed something. With a slight shudder of his body, energy flowed forth from his body and seeped into the surroundings.

A moment later, a large crystal floated out of the lake and held itself a meter away from him. With a slight wave of his hand, the crystal landed in the Old Man's hands. Perplexed, the Old Man frowned as he infused his energy into the crystal, and after a moment, a crisp cracking sound appeared, followed by the sound of a crying newborn. With a surprised and confused look, realization slowly dawned on the Old Man.

Thinking for a bit, the Old Man waved his hand again as the space around him warped as he and the baby in the crystal disappeared from the lake.

...

Seemingly finished with its task, the blue particles that filled the dim room like a myriad of stars quietly dispersed. However, as they dispersed, they silently flowed into a cuboid on a desk in a room.

Seeing this, a thoughtful look appeared on the boy's face, "my dreams..."