Prologue: The King's Awakening

(異世界転生:王の目覚め)

The rain fell in heavy sheets, drumming against the cracked pavement of a dimly lit alleyway. Amidst the city's chaos, a young man leaned against the cold, graffiti-stained wall, clutching a leather bag close to his chest. His name was Takumi Endo, a brilliant but unremarkable office worker by day, and a ghost in society's shadows by night. Takumi had long since mastered the art of blending in—a survival skill in a world that neither cared for his ambitions nor his failures.

Tonight, however, he'd chosen to gamble everything.

The bag he held contained his final, desperate move: the last remnants of his painstaking research into a revolutionary pharmaceutical drug—a cure that could save countless lives. Yet, the world he lived in cared little for cures or dreams. Instead, it thrived on corruption, greed, and the thirst for power. The shadowy figures chasing him were proof of that.

A sharp whistle echoed through the rain, followed by the distant sound of boots splashing in puddles. They were closing in.

"No… Not like this," Takumi muttered, clutching his side as pain shot through his ribs. Blood seeped between his fingers where a bullet had grazed him earlier. He staggered forward, eyes scanning for an escape route.

Fate, however, had other plans.

A blinding light suddenly erupted in the stormy sky above, illuminating the city in an otherworldly glow. The rain seemed to freeze midair as time itself paused. Takumi's body went numb, his senses overwhelmed by a warmth that was both terrifying and comforting.

A voice—deep, ancient, and commanding—boomed within his mind.

"Takumi Endo. Your end has come, yet your destiny begins anew. By the will of the divine, you shall be reborn. Not as a pawn of this shattered world, but as a king in another."

Before Takumi could process the words, the ground beneath him vanished. He fell, weightless, into an endless void of swirling colors. The pain in his chest faded, replaced by a strange vitality surging through his veins. Memories of his past life began to blur, unraveling like threads in a storm.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the sensation stopped.

Takumi awoke to the warmth of sunlight against his skin and the soft rustling of leaves. The air smelled of wildflowers and earth, a stark contrast to the urban decay he had known. His eyes fluttered open to find himself lying on a bed of moss beneath a towering oak tree.

But something was different.

His reflection in a nearby pond revealed not the face of a weary office worker, but the fierce, otherworldly visage of a young man with crimson eyes and jet-black hair streaked with silver. A heavy cloak embroidered with intricate patterns hung from his shoulders, and a strange insignia glowed faintly on the back of his hand.

Instinctively, he reached out, and a massive shadow stirred behind him. From the darkness emerged a pair of titanic wings, their scales shimmering like obsidian.

Takumi stared in stunned silence as the realization hit him.

"I… I've become… a Drag King?"

In the distance, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the forest. A group of armored knights emerged, their weapons drawn and eyes wide with awe and fear.

"Your Majesty," one of them stammered, kneeling. "The prophecy has come true. The Dragon King has returned."

Takumi's lips curved into a smirk. His second life had begun, and this time, he wasn't going to be anyone's pawn.

This time, he would rule. Takumi stared at the kneeling knights, his mind reeling. The weight of their words and the new reality he faced clashed with the remnants of his old self. The Dragon King. A title that felt as alien as the new world surrounding him.

The knights dared not move, their heads bowed in reverence. They were an imposing sight—towering figures clad in gleaming armor engraved with runes that faintly glowed in rhythm with the sigil on Takumi's hand. Their weapons, though lowered, radiated a latent power that spoke of battles long past.

One knight, a woman with auburn hair tied in a tight braid, raised her gaze slightly. Her eyes, filled with awe and fear, locked onto his. "My Lord," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. "We have awaited your return for centuries. The prophecy spoke of your arrival to unite the fractured kingdoms and reclaim the throne of the Eternal Flame."

Takumi's smirk faltered as confusion swept through him. Prophecy? Eternal Flame? None of these words made sense, but he held his expression firm. Whatever was happening, showing weakness wasn't an option.

"How long... have you waited?" His voice was sharper than he intended, but it carried an authority that surprised even him.

The knights exchanged glances. "For three hundred years, Your Majesty," the auburn-haired knight replied. "Since the fall of the last Dragon King."

Takumi exhaled slowly, turning his gaze to the insignia glowing faintly on his hand. It pulsated in sync with his heartbeat, radiating an energy that felt alive—powerful, ancient, and unfamiliar. Memories of the blinding light and the commanding voice replayed in his mind. This wasn't a hallucination or a dream; he had truly been reborn.

Rising to his feet, Takumi spread his wings instinctively. They unfurled with a deep, resonant hum, stretching far beyond what he thought possible. The knights gasped audibly, some clutching their chests as if overwhelmed by the sheer presence of his power.

A new sensation washed over him—a burning awareness deep within. He could feel the land itself, as though the soil, trees, and even the distant mountains pulsed with life that called to him. It was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.

"Where am I?" Takumi asked, scanning the forest with sharp crimson eyes that caught every detail, from the dewdrops on leaves to the distant glow of what looked like a castle.

The auburn-haired knight bowed her head lower. "You stand in the Kingdom of Drakos, Your Majesty, on the sacred grounds of Aegir's Grove. This is where your return was foretold. The throne awaits your claim, but..." Her voice trailed off, a shadow of unease crossing her face.

"But?" Takumi prompted, his tone icy.

"The kingdoms are in chaos," she admitted. "The warlords of the south, the cursed lands of Ashenveil, and the rise of the Black Council—your return is our last hope, but it will not be an easy road."

Takumi's smirk returned, sharper this time. Chaos and warlords? Good. He was used to fighting impossible battles. He had no interest in being a puppet king or fulfilling some ancient prophecy for the sake of others.

"Lead me to this throne," he commanded, his wings folding behind him. "If the world is as broken as you claim, then it's time someone reminded it what a king truly is."

As the knights rose and formed a protective circle around him, Takumi glanced once more at the shimmering sigil on his hand. A part of him, the part that had once been an office worker surviving in the shadows, whispered that this was all a mistake. But the fire surging through his veins silenced the doubt.

He wasn't just Takumi Endo anymore.

He was the Dragon King.

And the world would kneel.