At no more than six or seven, Jihoon first heard the prophecy that haunted the people of Alyssum. Every child in the kingdom grew up with it, whispered in hushed voices or shared during long winter nights by candlelight. The story always began the same way, with a voice low and ominous: "The king seated on the throne, a bloodstained sword in his hand. No one could tell how many children, women, and elders were slain by that blade. Lifeless bodies scattered everywhere, and not a single breath remained among them. And yet, the king's eyes... they were empty, emotionless. The only thing you could hear from him was a single, terrifying word: revenge."
That word struck Jihoon cold every time. Revenge. It wasn't a promise of justice or righteousness; it was cold, empty vengeance, weighing heavily on the hearts of those who heard it. Jihoon would shiver by the fire, though the warmth in their hearth was strong, unable to explain why it unsettled him so.
As he grew, Jihoon learned that this prophecy wasn't unique to Alyssum. Other lands passed it down, too, the image of the king with his bloodstained sword as infamous there as it was here. Twenty known Alphas—monstrous and powerful beings—were said to have lived and died, each one leaving behind a trail of destruction. Their final moments were always marked by that same word, spoken with chilling certainty. "Revenge."
It never made sense to Jihoon. He was young, innocent, yet even then, something felt wrong. Why would Alphas, with all their power, cause such pain? They weren't mere kings or warriors—they were said to be blessed, chosen, wielding abilities beyond normal human comprehension. Yet, they seemed to choose destruction as their goal, and their last words echoed resentment against people, as though they were the ones who had been wronged.
Jihoon kept these thoughts to himself, wondering if he was the only one who found it strange, the only one who thought there might be more to the story. The world feared the Alphas, calling them demons and monsters, and in Alyssum, it was no different. But every time Jihoon heard the story, a gnawing sensation grew in his chest—a doubt.
At fifteen, he finally decided to ask his mother. It was a warm afternoon, and they were in the royal gardens, sunlight dappling the grass beneath them as they strolled together. Jihoon had been quiet for some time, lost in thought, and his mother noticed.
"Jihoon," she said gently, her voice carrying warmth, "what troubles you today?"
Jihoon hesitated, unsure how to voice the thoughts swirling in his mind. But he couldn't hold them in any longer. "Mother... the prophecy of the Demon Alphas, it's strange, isn't it?"
She raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Strange?"
"Yes," he replied. "I mean, they were powerful. More powerful than anyone. They did everything—brought destruction and misery. And yet… those were their last words? 'Revenge'? Why would people like them only speak of resentment in their final moments, when they were the ones who brought pain to others?"
His mother's expression shifted, almost imperceptibly, as if she were seeing the world differently for a moment. She turned her gaze to the garden, her lips pressing together in a thin line.
"It's not just you, Jihoon," she said softly. "Many in our kingdom have asked the same question."
Jihoon was taken aback. He'd thought his doubts made him strange, had been afraid to voice them, worried that others might think he sympathized with the Alphas or saw himself as a traitor. "They do?" he asked.
She nodded, still looking out at the flowers. "In Alyssum, we've always known there is more to the story. The Alphas, as the world sees them, are demons—beasts who brought nothing but ruin. But here, we believe they were not born evil."
"Then why did they…?"
His mother sighed, her fingers brushing the petals of a nearby rose. "It's not something I can explain fully, not yet. There are things kept from you, from all the people of Alyssum, until the time is right. But know this: you are not wrong to question. The Alphas were feared by the outside world for their power, yes. But they were also betrayed by this world… by us."
"Betrayed?" Jihoon's voice was barely above a whisper. The idea that these vilified beings might have been wronged—it turned his stomach at the mere thought.
"Yes," she said, turning to face him, her eyes holding a gravity he had never seen before. "The prophecy that everyone knows, the one about the king on the throne with the bloodstained sword… it's only part of the story. The rest of it... the rest is known only to us. And it will be revealed when the time comes."
"When will that be?" he asked, desperate for answers.
She shook her head gently, her expression softening. "Soon enough. But until then, you must be patient. And remember, Jihoon… just because the world calls them demons doesn't mean they were without reason. You are right to question, but the answers will come only when you're ready to hear them."
Jihoon wanted to press her further, to demand she tell him everything. But something in her tone, firm yet kind, told him to wait. And so he did.
Over the next few years, he tried to piece together what he could. The kingdom's libraries were full of stories about the Alphas, but none of them went beyond the known tales. The same tales of destruction, the same terrifying last words, repeated in different languages and variations.
It wasn't until he began speaking to others—friends, nobles, even common folk—that Jihoon realized his mother had been right. In Alyssum, people did think differently. They questioned the narrative. They wondered why the Alphas ended up the way they had, whether some larger force was at work. Outside Alyssum's borders, the Alphas were spoken of with fear and hatred: demons, monsters, bringers of ruin.
But within Alyssum, a silent doubt persisted, though few dared speak of it openly.
One evening, Jihoon brought it up again with his mother. They were alone in the royal chambers, the flickering light of the hearth casting shadows on the walls. "Do you think the world will ever understand the truth?" he asked her.
She smiled, though sadness crept into her gaze. "Perhaps one day, when the time is right. But truth is not something easily accepted. People need their villains, Jihoon. They need someone to blame."
"But the Alphas… they weren't all evil, were they?"
She shook her head. "No. They weren't. But history is written by the victors, and those who survive do not always tell the whole story."
Jihoon sat in silence, digesting her words. The prophecy, the Alphas, the destruction—it all felt distant yet close, like a storm on the horizon slowly approaching. He couldn't shake the feeling that one day, he would be caught in the middle of it.
And as much as he tried to push the thought aside, he couldn't shake the sense that he was somehow connected to it all—that the truth, whatever it was, would change everything he knew about Alyssum, the Alphas, and the world itself.
To be continued...