*** Year 2025 - Current Timeline***
Naz Rael Zelias woke up in an unfamiliar room, his tiny body barely half a year old.
Outside the narrow window, the sky was shrouded in ominous black clouds, which pulsed with a foreboding purple glow.
The strange weather cast an eerie twilight hue into the room, giving the entire space a surreal, otherworldly feel.
His infant mind was overwhelmed as a flood of foreign memories and knowledge surged through him.
He absorbed complex details about swordsmanship and mana, along with harsh lessons about life. The onslaught of information was both fascinating and disorienting.
A cold, slow voice then echoed in his thoughts.
"Hoho! So you finally woke up, '####'."
The voice was distant and cryptic, leaving Naz confused and alarmed. He tried to respond, but there was no further communication.
Suddenly, Naz felt his soul detach from his tiny body, drifting through an endless void of darkness. In this empty space, a colossal being with gleaming red eyes loomed before him.
The sheer power emanating from its gaze paralyzed him with an intense, palpable fear.
The being's eyes were not merely a physical feature but seemed to radiate an ancient, inscrutable authority.
The pressure from its gaze was almost unbearable, leaving Naz feeling insignificant in the vast, dark expanse.
The oppressive sensation eventually faded, and Naz's vision returned to the dim room where he had started.
Exhausted and overwhelmed, he drifted back to sleep, his small frame curled up and his mind still reeling from the strange experience.
---
***Year 2052 - Past Timeline***
The scene shifted abruptly to a different time and place.
[ Andrian Rael Zelias the 2nd son of Zelias family ]
Captain Adrian Rael Zelias woke up groggily in a dimly lit tent. The sounds of distant fighting and the clamor of metal filled the air.
His body ached from a brutal battle, his uniform tattered and bloodied.
"Captain Adrian, wake up!"
A voice called urgently from outside the tent.
"Captain!" another soldier added, his tone filled with concern.
Adrian struggled to open his eyes, disoriented and in pain. He saw the worried faces of his soldiers, their expressions a mix of relief and fatigue.
"I'm fine,"
Adrian croaked, trying to sit up despite the intense discomfort.
"Just give me a moment."
As he lay back down, his thoughts were consumed by the aftermath of the battle. The fight had been grueling, and the weight of command and the future of his forces rested heavily on him.
Just as Adrian began to settle back, the tent flap was pushed aside. A stern-faced commander entered, his expression serious.
"Captain," he said, "the King has requested your presence immediately. We need to move."
Adrian's heart skipped a beat. The unexpected summons by the King could mean a significant development—or even trouble.
He forced himself to stand, the pain in his body sharp and unrelenting.
The implications of this sudden order were unclear, but one thing was certain: the path ahead was fraught with uncertainty.
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### End of chapter 1 ###