Editor : Amethyst00



Fairies are born from a flower called the Fairy Flower.

Fairies who wish to have children bring a Fairy Flower from the center of Fairyland and take great care of it.

When the flower blooms fully, a fairy is born from it.

And on the day Kiran was born, every fairy in Fairyland offered their blessings without holding back.

Because Kiran was the Fairy Prince born after a staggering 5,000 years.

Although Kiya was born after that, the attention of the fairies remained focused on Kiran.

And from the very moment of his birth, Kiran knew.

He knew he was destined to become the next Fairy King after Sylord.

He knew he was different from other fairies.

He also vaguely sensed that his father, Sylord, was suppressing something.

It was only recently that he came to know what Sylord was suppressing was a fragment of Erebos.

And that it was the reason he had been trapped in Fairyland.

'Father, Father! I saw elves today!'

When Kiran, curious about the world as he started to learn about it, spoke with excitement, Sylord would gently smile.

'Father! I want to travel the world!'

'There must be so many delicious things out there, right?'

'You pig!'

'What did you say?!'

When he fought with his younger sibling Kiya, Sylord would intervene with a troubled smile.

'Father, you must have traveled all over the world since you've lived for so long, right? I bet you know everything there is to know about delicious food!'

Kiya would ask with sparkling eyes.

Kiran wanted to retort, 'Is food all you ever think about?'

'I've never left Fairyland.'

But when Sylord answered with a gentle smile, Kiran was shocked.

'I hope that unlike me, you two will be able to travel the world freely.'

'Why didn't you, Father?'

'…Because I have something I must do.'

It didn't take long to understand that this "something" was an extension of what had happened 5,000 years ago.

And that he would have to inherit that task as well.

That's why he hated it.

He hated that Sylord had been bound by events from 5,000 years ago, trapped in Fairyland for all that time.

And he felt pity.

Sylord genuinely seemed happy and envious whenever he heard stories of the outside world.

'Soon, you will become the Fairy King.'

'Then will you be able to see the world too, Father?'

'…It's already too late for that.'

Kiran sensed it instinctively.

When he became the Fairy King, Sylord would disappear.

'I just want to rest now.'

Upon hearing those words, Kiran refused the succession.

And he plunged the entire Fairyland into chaos.

He thought that if Fairyland became uninhabitable, Sylord would be forced to build a new home elsewhere.

Sylord, who usually responded to Kiran's mischief and pranks with nothing more than mild scolding, was truly furious that day.

And eventually, Sylord banished Kiran.

Kiran accepted the exile without resistance.

Just the fact that Sylord's disappearance had been delayed was enough for him.

["Come to think of it… Father's been fighting alone for the last 5,000 years."]

Kiran chuckled bitterly.

["Just like Leo."]

Kiran sighed deeply as he looked at Leo.

["For Father, the Age of Calamity never truly ended."]

Sylord, who lived through that era, and Leo, who was born into the current one—both knew better than anyone else.

As long as the fragments of Erebos remained, the battle was not over.

That the Age of Calamity could begin again at any moment.

While the rest of the world moved forward, looking to the future—

The two of them stood still, facing the past.

For 5,000 years.

["I just wish Father could've been a little happier."]

Tears welled up in Fiora's eyes at Kiran's words.

"So that's why you desire the present…"

It was unexpected for Fiora to realize that Kiran, whom she had assumed only thought about pranks, held such thoughts.

Seeing Fiora look at him with sorrowful eyes, Kiran turned to Leo.

Then he pointed dramatically at Fiora and said:

["No! This future makes no sense! I refuse to accept it! I absolutely deny it! This pig-nix who normally gobbles food like a hog is now this skinny…?!"]

["Chomp!"]

["#$$@#$%@#$!!!"]

Fiora bit Kiran without hesitation.

Only his legs stuck out of her mouth as he thrashed.

Each time Fiora chewed, screams echoed through the air.

Leo sighed and pulled Kiran from Fiora's mouth.

["She tried to eat me! That pig-nix tried to eat me!"]

["Come here! I'll chew you up properly!"]

["Whoa, whoa, Miss Fiora. Please calm down. If you need to bite something, bite me instead."]

Alty held back Fiora from lunging at Kiran, who was now hiding behind Leo's fingers.

"……"

Chen Xia, watching the scene, crossed her arms and commented:

"You won't have to worry about parenting, Leo."

"Why's that?"

"You're already practicing."

Leo sighed at Chen Xia's cheerful smile.

bl

The ruins of the old Fairyland were desolate.

Even though this was set in a future time, Sylord's homeland remained the same.

Leo quietly surveyed the scenery, unchanged since his school trip during his first year.

Fiora, Kiran, and Alty were also spread out, searching for the key where Sylord's power might be felt.

Leo focused his mind, trying to sense Sylord's magic.

But he felt nothing.

"Let's move on."

As Leo spoke, he noticed Chen Xia staring silently at her palm.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Chen Xia looked away from her palm and smiled faintly.

"It just doesn't feel like my own power."

She clenched and unclenched her fist, gauging her strengthened aura and spiritual power.

"I've become frighteningly strong."

Leo chuckled at her words.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Glad to hear it, but that's a lot of pressure too."

Chen Xia smiled.

"If it's hard to walk, should I carry you?"

"I'm fine."

As Leo walked, Chen Xia followed close behind.

"By the way, isn't this El-Salvekia?"

"Yeah."

One of the elven nations—El-Salvekia.

"This is the territory of the Velkia family. Do you think Lady Eiran is here?"

"Probably, unless something came up."

"Hmm. I wonder how Lady Eiran turned out. Aren't you curious, Leo?"

"She probably turned out fine."

Just then, Leo stopped walking.

Chen Xia also stopped and looked ahead.

"An uninvited guest."

Clink—clink—

"To call a guest who came all this way uninvited… that's harsh, King of the World."

In response to Leo's words, a figure appeared in midair.

It was a tall man in a hood and face mask.

He seemed over 2 meters tall, his frame so thin he looked almost skeletal.

In his gloved right hand, he held four gems, which he kept clinking together.

From under the deep hood, red glowing eyes shone.

"It is an honor to meet you, King of the World, Leo Plov. My name is Ziguas. I sit upon the throne of the King of Desire."

The King of Desire.

A legion commander with a name Leo had never heard before.

"You're one of the newly appointed legion commanders?"

"Yes."

Leo smirked.

"Better than that lunatic Fear Legion commander at least…"

Clink—clink—

"…I suppose."

Clink—clink—

Leo grew irritated at the sound.

"That clinking is really annoying."

If his goal was to be irritating, it was very effective.

"My apologies if it's bothersome. Truly."

Ziguas bowed sincerely.

"But clinking these helps me concentrate."

Clink—clink—

Holding the gems to his ear, Ziguas seemed perfectly at ease.

Leo sighed deeply.

"Demons these days…"

"Interesting. Our old man—the Lich King—said the exact same thing."

Chen Xia chuckled behind her hand at their exchange.

When Leo glanced back at her, she immediately straightened her expression and focused on Ziguas.

Leo crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

Ziguas spoke again.

"If you're worried I brought a legion, don't be. I didn't."

"And you're just telling us that up front?"

"I was planning to lie about having a legion and pressure you with it, but…"

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"A rare type of commander, aren't you?"

"A rare type?"

Chen Xia looked surprised.

"Yeah. Most of them are brute-force idiots—like Silatna. Typical."

Leo clicked his tongue.

"But occasionally, you get the scheming, clever ones."

"The Giant King and Lich King…"

"Exactly. Those are the troublesome types."

Ziguas was that kind of commander.

"Amazing, King of the Beginning. You know so much about us."

'He must be the Lich King's strategist.'

He gave off the vibe of someone who liked thinking.

In truth, even his claim about not bringing a legion couldn't be trusted.

Clink—clink—

Ziguas then picked one of the gems and held it up.

"To be honest, I haven't gained any authority from the Legion World."

He studied the transparent gem.

"So I'm one of the weaker new commanders. That's why I had to use my head. The Lich King seems to have valued that."

Ziguas suddenly reflected Leo through the gem.

"But… now I have authority."

'A fragment of Erebos.'

Leo's eyes twitched.

"At first, I thought it was useless. My authority simply amplifies what others desire."

His glowing red eyes softened.

"But now… I find it quite useful."

Leo looked down at his palm.

"Well, this is interesting."

Leo let out a soft laugh.

"Leo? Is something wrong?"

Chen Xia asked anxiously.

"I've gotten a little younger."

Her eyes widened.

She hadn't noticed as she was focused on Ziguas, but Leo had indeed become a bit smaller.

"You're calm."

"Well, I've been through worse. Besides, I'm not really a threat to you right now, so I wouldn't worry about me."

"Then who should I be worried about?"

"That little one right here."

The moment Leo finished speaking, Chen Xia vanished.

Whoosh—!

She appeared right in front of Ziguas, eyes sharp as she threw a punch.

BOOOOM—!

With immense water pressure behind it, Ziguas was blown away.

Water surged around Chen Xia.

Ziguas's face twisted in horror.

"What kind of monster…?"

Chen Xia smiled sweetly.

But her eyes were filled with cold killing intent.

"Who gave you permission to lay a hand on our king?"