Zylir was the youngest of three siblings, but his world was radically different from that of his sister and brother. He was separated from his family as a child without understanding why - a victim of political circumstances far beyond his control. While his sister lived a privileged life in the palaces of Zarna, Zylir was sent to a desperately poor village in the borderlands. There he was nothing more than an additional burden.
He was treated like a slave, beaten and disrespected. His body was small, his clothes were always torn, and hunger accompanied him like a shadow. He knew neither affection nor friendship. The villagers humiliated him at every opportunity - he was the stranger, the "unwelcome boy". Zylir learned early on that he couldn't trust anyone.
But beneath all the pain, an irrepressible will grew within him. Despite all the humiliation, he refused to break. He carefully observed his surroundings, learned the smallest things - how to steal bread, how to hide, how to communicate without words. He was clever, and his intelligence became his only ally.
Zylir began to hate his family and longed for revenge.
One day he met another outcast - a boy named Kael. Kael was older, but just as rejected as Zylir. The two became friends, and for the first time Zylir felt what it meant to not be alone. Kael taught him many things: how to fight, how to build trust - and how dangerous that trust can become. Together they dreamed of escaping the world that had despised them.
Years passed, and Zylir and Kael embarked on a journey through various kingdoms. They wandered from city to city, always looking for opportunities to become stronger. Zylir wrote down everything he saw and learned in a small book that he always carried with him. Every injustice, every betrayal and every lie from those in power found its way onto his pages.
„This world is sick," Zylir said one night around the campfire. "There is no order – just people who are stronger than others and take advantage of that."
Kael nodded. "But what do you want to do? The world is what it is."
But Zylir refused to accept this. He vowed that one day he would have the power to change this world - the way he wanted. He no longer wanted to be a victim of circumstances. He wanted to dominate her.
During their journey they encountered countless obstacles. Zylir learned to fight, survive and, above all, manipulate. Where others used brute force, he understood how to influence people - how to use their desires and fears against them. For him, conflicts did not become obstacles, but opportunities.
Eventually his journey took him to Zarna, the empire ruled by his sister. He had hoped to find an ally in her, but their reunion turned out differently than expected. His sister had become a strange woman - elegant, powerful and cold. She had grown up in the splendor of the royal court and could not understand Zylir's suffering. To her, he was just the "little brother" she had lost a long time ago.
"You traveled so far just to see me?" she asked with a smile that Zylir found like mockery.
"I didn't come to be seen," Zylir replied calmly. "I have come to show you what I have become."
But his sister had no interest in his advancement. To her, he was a relic of the past - someone who had no place in her perfect world. She offered him riches and a place in the court, but Zylir refused. He knew he wanted more.
„I will not live in your shadow," he finally said. "I will take my own power. And if I have to, I will dethrone you and everyone else."
„Then what do you want?" Her voice was amused, almost pitiful.
„I'll take everything. And if I have to, I will destroy you and your kingdom."
The smile on her face froze, but Zylir didn't wait for an answer. He left the throne room with one last look that pierced her cool superiority.
From that day on, the bond between them was finally broken. Zylir vowed that he would no longer trust anyone - not even his own family.
The following night, as Zylir and Kael camped in the shadows of the palace, Kael finally ventured a question that had long bothered him:
"If you truly have the power you seek… what will you do with it?"
Zylir leaned back, the firelight casting deep shadows on his face. His answer came slowly but with an unshakable certainty:
"I will have to do immoral things to make this world better."
Kael raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So you would do evil to do good?"
Zylir nodded. "This is the only way. This world is rotten to the core. To create something new, you have to tear down the old to its foundations."
He paused, as if he had already mentally traveled to the future where his plans would become reality. "Zarna will fall. Just like any other kingdom. This world no longer needs borders. Just order. And I will create it – no matter what it takes."
Kael was silent for a while, studying his friend. He realized that Zylir was no longer the same as when they had stolen their first bread together as outcast boys.
"You're willing to destroy everything to create something new?"
Zylir smiled darkly. "Yes. Because only I have the strength to do this."