"Grrr… Gr…" 

The black-haired man snarled, glowering at the injured old man before him. He stood among the hundreds of dead disfigured bodies laid piling against each other, resembling a mountain. 

"How dare you…" 

The old man before him had killed his beloved and hung her head on the wall, as if the old geezer was taunting him. But that wasn't all. She had been violated before dying a miserable death. 

Black miasma oozed out of his body as he growled. Pale-white skin was now covered in growing dark sludge. Eyes of black tourmaline now carried in darkness and anger in it's pits. Hard, lizard-like scales covered his right arm and the right side of his handsome features. 

The wind hissed over, carrying the pungent smell of blood and rotten flesh. With a ripple and a snarl, the black-haired man shed off his weak human body, letting his real form uncoil. His spine lengthened, stretching out with pops and cracks, as if trying to tear open the cage made of skin after being confined for a long time. 

His face tightened as the human skin melted away, replaced by narrow muzzle and razor-sharp fangs. A pair of inky blue antlers grew and twisted back from his skull. Scales covered his entire body, overlapping each other to create miniature shields, the color of the abyss and as hard as steel. 

Rearing onto his hind legs, he gave a defiant roar as he slowly rose into the air, his body coiling in the dark sky like a serpent's. The wind had picked up its pace, snarling. The thunder gave its own roar as rain started to fall heavily, pouring big droplets of water, hitting hard onto the ground loudly like metal clashing. 

The scent of the rain was dark, and intoxicating. It was almost like a poison had been contaminated into the air. 

The old man, however, was unfazed by the whole transformation. With a chilling cold voice, he said, "For a bastard born out of a dog mother, you did well coming this far."

This old geezer was in no better condition. One of his arms had been lying useless after being electrocuted until it was nothing left but burned rotten flesh. Yet, he still dared to mock him. 

Perhaps he did what he did to acquire a quick death. 

Before this battle and underneath the bloody and tattered clothes, he was once the King of the Wang Kingdom, a King known for his genius mind, a King that always brought victory towards his empire. However, he was never the chosen one. He was just a replacement, a substitute, something that was discarded easily. Just the thought of it was enough to drive The King to the brink of insanity. 

Once the Deity pointed out the chosen one, The King would have to hand the Kingdom he had built with his blood, sweat, and tears over to the chosen one. The King had deceived his people with the promise of searching for the chosen one, but deep down in his heart, The King swore he would kill him once he found the chosen one. 

Clenching his teeth, The King struggled to pick the long sword with all his might. 

The dragon gave another loud roar and glared murderously at the old man. There was no way he would grant death easily. This old goat stole everything from him! He would never forgive him! Never! 

Both of them leaped and rushed at each other, but the King knew he could never win against one of the Audacious Beasts. A mere sword could never conquer the steel-like armor surrounding the dragon. 

Screams of pain echoed, overlapping with the thunder resounding in the air while the sword clattered onto the ground as a torn limb followed suit. 

The dragon had hacked the King off, limb by limb until there was nothing left. 

On that day, the land of Wang Kingdom bathed in a rain of blood. 

***

An exquisite wingless creature glided elegantly in the air. One of his front talons was crooked, bent out of shape, yet he still pushed forward.  The dragon rotated his talons, trying to pop it back into its place. He roared in pain as the bones inside shifted, however he managed to do it. 

He bounded forward, leaping into the sky. Wind brushed his scales and he shot skyward, leaving the bloodied battlefield. He climbed quickly, rising high through the stormy rain, flying higher than any birds could do. 

He flew and flew. 

With only one destination in mind. 

The Red-Mist Mountain. 

A place hidden away, surrounded by red mist and sealed away as it held a forbidden stone. 

The philosopher's stone. 

A ruby-red stone. 

No mortal really understood what kind of power the stone possessed. There had been rumors spread worldwide that the power of the stone was unlimited, it was said to be able to bring someone back to life. 

But at what cost? 

No one knew. No one had ever gone as far as to even see the real thing as the stone had always remained hidden, by a strong seal. Hidden for so long that mortals began to think it was just a mere myth to spite those who hold divine power. 

To give them an impression that there was a greater power that could rule the universe. 

The seal placed over the Red-Mist Mountain was drawn by the ancestors of the Four Kingdom to keep it hidden from plain sight. However, if one of the Four Kingdom fell apart, the seal would be broken. 

With the fall of Wang Kingdom, the dragon had the chance to seize the stone and take over the world. Who cared about causing imbalance in the world, as long as he got his beloved back, he would do anything. He would do as far as destroying the whole continent for her. 

He would rewrite this world and create a paradise for her, and only for her.