By Jitjoshua
Chapter 1: Marked by Fate
A House Built on Lies
I was never meant to live.
Born to a slave. Cast aside by a father who dared not claim me. Hated by a sect that saw me as an impurity in their bloodline.
The house I called home was not a home at all—it was a prison disguised as mercy. A gift from the emperor, but in truth, a silent exile.
My father, the emperor, had given me this estate on the outskirts of the capital, far from the palace, where I would be forgotten.
To the world, I was worthless—the unwanted son of a ruler too powerful to be defied but too fearful to acknowledge me.
But I knew the truth.
The emperor had loved my mother. She was no mere slave to him.
And because of that love, she had died.
And because of that love, he had let me live.
But that mercy had come at a cost.
He had abandoned me.
He had condemned me to live in hiding.
And now, they had come to erase even that existence.
---
The Night of Betrayal
I awoke to the sharp scent of blood.
The crackle of fire. The distant clang of steel.
And then—footsteps.
Heavy, urgent, running toward my room.
The door burst open, and a familiar figure loomed over me, his face grim, his breath ragged.
"Get up, Hyeon. They're here."
My uncle.
Not by blood, but by bond. My mother's brother—the only family I had left. The only one who ever cared.
The flickering lantern in his hand illuminated the fear in his eyes.
But fear wasn't new to him. He was a warrior. A man who had fought and bled for the empire long before I was born.
And now, he was prepared to die for me.
---
The Last Stand of a Warrior
Before I could fully process what was happening, he grabbed me by the arm, yanked me out of bed, and shoved a thick cloak over my shoulders.
"No questions. Just listen."
Outside, the estate was in chaos.
Flames licked the sky, illuminating the silhouettes of shadowed figures moving through the courtyard.
Assassins.
I saw bodies on the ground. Our guards.
Dead.
Slaughtered like cattle.
A cold weight settled in my stomach.
This wasn't a random attack.
They had come for me.
"They won't stop until I'm dead."
My uncle shoved me toward the hidden passage behind my bed.
"Go. Run, and don't look back."
"No—" I started, but he was already gone.
I barely had time to react before the door exploded inward.
Two men in black robes and masks rushed in—silent, efficient, deadly. Their blades gleamed in the dim light, already stained with blood.
They lunged.
And then—steel flashed.
A sword severed the first assassin's arm before he could strike. The second barely had time to react before my uncle drove his blade through his chest.
He wasn't just my caretaker. He was a warrior.
And he was buying me time.
But they were too many.
More figures poured into the room. My uncle met them head-on, spinning, slashing, dodging, countering.
His movements were precise, fluid—lethal.
One assassin fell. Then another. Then another.
For a moment, I thought… maybe he could win.
But then, a blade found its mark.
And another.
And another.
I saw it—his body staggering, blood pooling at his feet.
He turned his head slightly, locking eyes with me.
"Run."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"I can't leave him—" I told myself.
But I had to.
I turned and ran into the passage.
Behind me, my uncle roared his final battle cry.
And then—silence.
---
The Poisoned Escape
The passage led me into the darkened forest.
The cold night air burned my lungs. My legs ached, but I forced myself forward, branches tearing at my skin.
"Just a little further—"
Then—
The whistle of an arrow.
Pain exploded in my chest.
I staggered. Looked down.
A black-fletched arrow was buried deep in my side.
Another.
And another.
Poison.
I could feel it—a searing fire spreading through my veins.
My legs faltered. My vision blurred.
I gasped for breath, but the world was tilting. Collapsing.
I stumbled. Fell.
The last thing I saw was the edge of the cliff.
And then—the abyss swallowed me whole.
---
The Awakening
A sharp gasp tore from my throat.
I was alive.
But I shouldn't be.
I lay on a bed of smooth stone. Above me, stalactites loomed like fangs. Dim blue light flickered along the cavern walls, casting eerie shadows.
A deep, resonant voice shattered the silence.
"You have awoken… Riftborn Heir."
I turned my head.
And I saw it.
A dragon.
It was massive, coiled upon itself like a sleeping god. Its once-golden scales had dulled to lifeless gray. Its eyes flickered—ancient, wise, dying.
"You should not be alive," it murmured. "And yet… Fate has tethered you still."
---
The Dream Beyond Reality
I was falling.
But this time—not into darkness.
Into light.
And then—they appeared.
The Outer Gods.
Silhouettes of shifting forms. Reality itself bent in their presence.
And then, among them, something smiled.
A child draped in white.
Golden eyes, filled with mischief and malice.
Fate.
"It's not time yet," the child whispered. "Sleep, little heir. Sleep… and forget."
And then, the cosmos shattered.
---
The Observer Watches
Far
beyond the mortal plane, a lone figure watched.
Seated upon an obsidian throne, the Mysterious Being gazed into the tapestry of existence.
A slow sigh escaped their lips.
"It has begun again…"
And, far away, in a place unseen, Fate smiled.