In ancient times before the world had vanished, there was once a dragon who lived at the center of the world. All beings feared it for it was the peak of all existence and power. Everyone called it King, but the dragon did not care about such titles. It did not bother other inhabitants of the world.
It only cared about the small territory that was its own. The dragon was born there, a small islet in the middle of a river cutting across a forest. That islet was its own world. And there, it grew its flowers, the most beautiful flowers in the world.
One day, while the dragon was away to look for food, a young lady ventured deep into the forest and saw the flowers. She was so mesmerized by them that she sat by the riverbank for half a day, just gazing at the flowers, admiring their unique and vibrant beauty.
When the dragon returned, the young lady was terrified. She could not run for she knew that it was futile. She could only cower and cry. This was the dragon's first encounter with a human.
The dragon did not want to frighten the lady, so it plucked one of its precious flowers and gave it to her. The gentleness in its movements and the caution it tried to hide from her made the young lady lower her guard. From then on, the two became the best of friends.
The young lady would always visit the dragon, bringing it human food which the dragon greatly enjoyed. Together, they took great care of the flower garden. The dragon would always give the young lady her favorite begonias, casting magic to preserve its life for her to grow in her own home.
Years passed and the lady had fallen deeply in love with the dragon. When she confessed, the dragon was immensely happy and agreed to be with her forever. They made their vows that day, and with the lady's consent, the dragon cast magic on itself to transform into a human male.
In that isolated flower garden, under the blessing light of the moon and the stars, they were united. However, their happiness was short-lived.
The lady's family and friends grew worried for her safety. They lived in a town near the dragon's forest, but no one dared venture into it. Only the lady did, and whenever she returned home, she would bring flowers with her along with stories of the dragon she said she had befriended.
The townsfolk warned her over and over to stay away from the forest, but she never listened. Instead, she desperately tried to convince them that the dragon was kind and harmless, caring and generous. Alas, she did not return.
The lady's family gathered all able men, brought weapons, and rushed into the forest. They did not know whether these were enough to fight the dragon, but they had to try. Following the lady's description of the path to the flower garden, they reached their destination safely and quickly. However, what they saw was something else.
A man was embracing a woman in their sleep, both naked and still connected. The father became furious and shouted at the top of his lungs. The man and the woman awoke with a start, but it was too late.
The father had already thrown his spear across the river, aiming for the man. The lady saw this and jumped in front of him without much thought. Blood spattered and the townsfolk were stunned by what happened. The man held his lady in his arms. He cried as the lady gave him a final kiss before returning to eternal slumber.
The man stood up and jumped high into the sky. And suddenly, his body changed. It grew larger and darker, tougher and stronger. Wings sprouted from his back as his hands and feet grew claws. His skin became scales. And his once gentle eyes burned with vengeful wrath. The dragon massacred the entire town that night and proclaimed himself the god of the world.
From then on, he roamed the world, razing towns, cities and countries. His only goal was to kill humanity for killing his beloved. When the world joined forces and revolted against the Dragon King, they failed to defeat him, much less kill him. But something snapped within him, stopping him from causing genocide.
He returned to his lone forest and found that his precious flower garden was no more. Only one flower grew there now. A begonia soaked in the blood of his beloved. The Dragon God used his remaining life to cast a spell that would let his beloved live again using the red begonia as a catalyst. And with that, it finally drew its last breath.
Centuries and millennia passed as human civilisation once more spread throughout the world, claiming it for themselves. Most had already forgotten the Dragon God that nearly brought the world to its end.
And with the death of the Dragon God, it was as though some form of power was released into the world, granting its inhabitants a unique trait. They awakened physical manifestations of their souls, all coming in different shapes and forms.
Some were tools and weapons while others were beasts. These were the most common and usually had the greatest powers. But there were also some whose souls were in the form of plants.
A group of settlers found what remained of an old forest that had begun to wither and die without the care of its owner. And in a certain river, they found a small island with only a single flower, a red begonia.
Thinking it was some kind of treasure, the settlers tried to get it only to fail. They could not even step foot on the island as a powerful barrier protected it. In the end, the people created a settlement around that part of the river as they basked in the potent aura of the begonia.
Through the years, the settlement began giving birth to people whose awakened souls were in the same form as the treasure they sought. It was a begonia whose nine petals were in the shape of hearts. Thus was the beginning of the Nine-Hearted Begonia Clan who would later become integral vassals to two powerful hegemons.