The void that permeated Yuria's life transformed into a dark despair, and this despair soon gave way to fury. The nights she spent next to King Oberon and her sons had become unbearable torture. During one of those nights, while dining in the great hall, something inside Yuria finally broke. When a servant came to serve her plate, she grabbed a knife and, in a sudden attack, plunged the blade into the man's throat. Blood gushed, bathing the table, as the servant tried in vain to stem the flow of life escaping his body. The hall froze in horror, and King Oberon, once the proud and imposing warrior, merely watched in silence, his eyes empty and emotionless.
From that day on, Oberon began distancing Yuria, isolating her in her chambers and leaving her to drown in her own insanity. To him, she had become a burden. The servants almost never approached her, fearing the madness that seemed to infect them with just her presence. Yuria was relegated to a shadowy corner of the castle, where her mind deteriorated more and more. The pain and emptiness she felt became constant companions, and memories of the children she never knew tormented her day and night.
Yuria even thought she might have more children and, with them, fight more fiercely to keep them alive. "I can fight again, I can be stronger next time," she would say to herself, trying to nurture a faint hope. But she soon remembered that everything that had happened to her was orchestrated by King Oberon's own orders. "Who can I turn to if my strength is not enough?" This thought echoed in her mind, resonating with the despair of someone who knew they had no way out.
One night, drowned in dark thoughts, Yuria made a decision. She grabbed a knife and shoved it into her own belly, aiming to cut out her uterus. In her disturbed mind, she believed that by eliminating the source of her ability to bear life, she would also be cutting the cycle of pain and death that had consumed her existence. Blood began dripping from her fingers, but there was no one to help her. King Oberon now avoided her, and the servants, afraid of her madness, kept their distance from her chambers. Thus Yuria bled in silence until death, her mind filled with images of the children she never got to know and protect.
Meanwhile, in another tower of the castle, Set, the son Yuria so wanted to protect, grew up under Felix Saladon's strict tutelage. Saladon not only trained Set in fencing but also instructed him in science, magic and the arts of rule. Set was an impressive child: beautiful, proud and with a spirit that resembled the ancient Arkon kings. Despite his youth, he demonstrated uncommon intelligence and shrewdness. At six years of age, Set received permission to train outside the room where he spent his whole life. However, Saladon completely shaved the boy's silver hair to prevent him from being identified as an Arkon bastard.
With his hair shaved, Set began training with Captain Gregori of the White Palace Guard, one of the most feared warriors in all the realm. The boy exhibited an elegant posture and a natural swordsmanship ability that enchanted all who watched him. By age eight, he was considered one of the best swordsmen in the capital, surpassing even experienced warriors. His serenity and calmness in combat were notable; Set never lost his head, remaining cool even in the most tense situations. Saladon took pride in what his "son" was becoming, and in his mind he already saw himself as Set's true father, someone who shaped the kingdom's future through this prodigy.
However, in that same year, King Oberon's reign was shaken by an attempted coup. A group of mercenaries, led by a man named Lark, rebelled against the crown. Lark, a skilled and cunning strategist, managed to amass enough soldiers and dissidents to threaten Oberon's control. Facing this threat, the Dawn Soldiers were called up to crush the rebellion.
The White Palace prepared for war, and as King Oberon's forces organized themselves, Set observed everything with an insatiable curiosity. To him, this was more than a simple rebellion; it was an opportunity. Saladon, ever perceptive, noticed the gleam in the boy's eyes and knew this was the moment Set would cease to be just a talented child and become a true force to be feared in the future.
The shadow of war loomed, and all eyes were on the Dawn Soldiers. But in the White Palace corridors, Saladon smiled. After all, he knew that regardless of the outcome of this battle, his plan had only just begun. Set was the key to something much greater, and Oberon's fall would only be the first step.
The battle in the forest southwest of Tenai was a relentless bloodbath. Though initially outnumbered, the mercenaries employed guerrilla tactics that left the Dawn soldiers in a constant state of tension. The dense vegetation hampered the king's troops' movements, and skirmishes in the trees' shadows ended up leveling the confrontation. The mercenaries, hidden in carefully planned ambushes, struck by surprise and then vanished into the forest's darkness. The king's army, which began with 1,500 men, saw its numbers reduced to 800, equalizing both sides' forces.
Respected Captain Alfer Greylaugh, fell victim to a poisoned dart. His death days later left the troops disoriented and on the brink of collapse. Without leadership, many soldiers began considering retreating to return with a larger contingent. At this moment of uncertainty, young Set, still with his shaved hair and hiding his crimson eyes, tried taking command. But the idea of following a child into battle provoked laughter and mockery among more experienced soldiers.
"Who will follow a child into battle? Perhaps you should return to Saladon's warm, effeminate embrace!" some taunted, unaware of what Set was about to demonstrate.
With frightening calmness, Set raised his sword and challenged three of the soldiers ridiculing him to a simultaneous duel. Confident in their numerical and experiential advantage, the men immediately accepted, thinking they would dispatch the boy quickly. What followed was a cold, brutal display of skill. Within seconds, Set dealt precise, lethal blows, beheading the three soldiers before everyone. The ensuing silence was heavy, filled only by the sound of falling swords and splattering blood.
The atmosphere changed instantly. Disdain gave way to a mixture of respect and fear. Set, with the same calm as before, cleaned his sword and ordered the remaining military leaders to gather in the command tent. There, he discussed strategies and, in two days under the young man's leadership, the Dawn Soldiers crushed the mercenaries, conducting a meticulous and ruthless counterattack. However, Lark, the mercenaries' leader, managed to escape, disappearing into the forest's depths. The victory was uncontested, but a sense of a lurking enemy remained.
After the triumph, Set was summoned to appear before King Oberon. Aware of the need to conceal his eyes, which could raise suspicion, he asked the blacksmith to forge him a visor. The artifact covered his crimson eyes without hampering his vision. When he stood before the old king's throne, the two men gazed at each other, unaware they shared the same blood. Oberon, impressed by the young man's presence and ability, appointed Set as the new Dawn Soldiers' leader.
Along with the title came a new burden: Felix Saladon's constant surveillance. Set began living in the counselor's tower, and as the years passed, he noticed Saladon's subtle but disquieting change in behavior. The once shrewd, erudite and calculating man began succumbing to fanatical delusions. The counselor, previously focused on studies and political maneuvering, lost himself in enigmatic prophecies and obscure conspiracies. The tower walls were filled with undecipherable symbols and writings, and Saladon's obsession with ancient rituals and the pursuit of mystical power took over his mind.
Set watched everything with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Saladon, once a respectable mentor, had become a buffoon, unable to separate reality from fantasy. The counselor still had a wife, but Set never saw her in the tower. Over time, he discovered that the woman had fled from her husband's madness, abandoning him and finding refuge in the city. This, to Set, explained Saladon's mental decline. "Maybe that's why the teacher is like this," the boy would think while seeing Saladon sink further into his own insanity.
The days in the tower became oppressive for Set. He saw Saladon lost more and more in his obsessions, seeking something that always seemed beyond his reach. Set, on the other hand, grew in ability and leadership, gaining respect both within and outside the capital. Even without knowing the truth about his origin, Set understood he was destined for something greater, something Saladon, in his madness, was blindly trying to shape. But for how long would he follow the steps of a man on the verge of collapse?
At age ten, Set was already an impressive figure. His proud bearing and striking features made him hard to ignore. However, Saladon, ever attentive to possible complications, saw growing beauty in Set as a potential problem. Fearing the young man's attractiveness could turn into something beyond his control, Saladon made a cruel, calculating decision: he ordered the boy castrated. That brutal, insensitive decision was the first devastating blow Saladon inflicted on his ward. However, the psychological poison the counselor had planted in Set's mind over the years was already deeply rooted. Set, with a cold, unwavering obedience, accepted the procedure, convinced it was for his own good and his future role in the kingdom.
Over time, Set continued serving as a loyal soldier to King Oberon, maintaining his reputation as a skilled swordsman and promising strategist. But there was more behind his facade of a loyal soldier. Secretly, he helped Saladon in various conspiracies, learning about the court's intrigues and the shadowy plans unfolding behind the scenes. The counselor's trust in Set seemed unshakeable, but there was always a latent suspicion in Saladon, something that led him to want more control over the young man.
One year after the castration, Saladon dealt Set another blow. He took the boy to one of the kingdom's most sinister men: the head priest and scientist known as Dr. Arty. This man, a master of magic and science, conducted prohibited experiments that horrifyingly blended both disciplines. With Saladon's permission, Arty implanted a kind of mystical beacon in Set that reacted to Saladon's mana. Whenever Saladon would infuse mana into the device, Set would feel an alert in his mind, like an involuntary summoning. The process was painful and left an invisible mark on Set's spirit, further sealing the oppressive bond between master and ward. This was Saladon's second major blow, one that transformed Set into a puppet, even if the boy did not fully realize it.
When Set turned twelve, the kingdom of Tenai was shaken by a sad event: King Oberon's death. The old king, already weary and worn down by life, finally succumbed to old age. Though the people of Tenai's lives were not lavish, they lived relatively well without oppressive taxes or unnecessary wars. The people mourned the loss of their monarch, but the court was more concerned with what was to come.
It was on that day that Set met Hadon, an encounter that would change the course of his life. Hadon, a shrewd and cunning man, approached Set with words that would change his perception. He revealed to Set the truth about his origins, who he really was and how Saladon had been manipulating him all along. Hadon didn't take long to make it clear that Saladon was on the verge of madness and this could plunge the entire kingdom into irreversible chaos.
Hadon explained that the next in line to the throne was Merion Arkon, Oberon and the late Queen Estella's firstborn. Unlike his father, Merion lacked the virtues a true king should have. Since childhood, Saladon had poisoned Merion's mind, shaping him to be a tool for his own desires and ambitions. Merion was vain, impulsive and arrogant, and these traits combined with Saladon's toxic influence made him a danger to the kingdom.
"Oberon, though a great king for the people, terribly failed as a father," Hadon said, his voice heavy with bitterness. "After Queen Estella's death, he lost himself in drinking, women and self-indulgence. Yuria, your mother, was one of the victims of that decadence. She was just a disposable piece for the old king. Saladon saw an opportunity to manipulate the young Merion, knowing that with him on the throne, he could control the entire kingdom according to his own shadowy desires."
Hadon's words echoed in Set's mind. For the first time, he began questioning the loyalty he had for Saladon. If what Hadon said was true, then he was being prepared to be just a tool, nothing more than a weapon in the hands of a mad man.
Perceiving Set's inner conflict, Hadon insisted: "If you do not free yourself from Saladon's clutches, he will end up destroying you just as he is destroying Merion. You have the potential to be more than a puppet in the hands of a fanatic. This kingdom needs true leaders, not manipulated tyrants."
His conversation with Hadon planted a seed of doubt in Set's heart. He knew Saladon had shaped his life, but now began to realize that mold was loaded with obscure intentions. From that moment on, Set started looking at his mentor with a mixture of loyalty and suspicion. He was torn between the duty he felt toward Saladon and the desire to discover more about his roots.
Set's world was on the brink of radical change, but he still didn't know how far that change would take him. The Kingdom of Tenai was about to enter an era of chaos, and Set would be one of the protagonists, whether as a hero or something much darker.