CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING
In the heart of Kyoto lived twenty-one-year-old Kauro Korimya. He worked as a lowly cleaner at the local police station, serving under Chief Kobe—a man whose cruelty was matched only by his disdain for Kauro, whom he viewed as nothing more than a burden to the force.
One fateful day, while making his way to work, Kauro was caught in a devastating traffic accident. Despite the efforts of the medical staff, he succumbed to his severe injuries on the operating table.
Death, however, was not the end.
Suddenly, his vision was consumed by a blinding white light. The first thing he heard was the frantic breath of a woman running with him in her arms. Bandits pursued them, their spells tearing through the air until a stray bolt of magic struck her down. With her final breath, she cast her child—the reborn Kauro—into the rushing river. Assuming the infant would drown, the bandits abandoned the chase.
Fate had other plans. A young woman found him downstream and took him in, raising him as her own.
AEDIS — A land divided by borders, yet bounded by fate.
In a village shrouded by mountain mists, where the scent of pine filled the air and the rhythm of life revolved around timber, Kauro grew up. He was a child of the wild, spending his days in the surrounding forests, hunting squirrels, climbing ancient trees, and indulging in youthful mischief. He shared quiet moments with his mother, gathering mushrooms or drinking the ice-cold water of the mountain streams. Under the warmth of the sun and the chorus of songbirds, it felt like paradise.
But as the years passed, the peace of the forest could not mask the rot within his home.
His new father was a monster who beat him daily for the slightest stain on his expensive clothes. His mother, once his protector, grew to resent him; her husband’s brutal assaults and violations often occurred before Kauro’s very eyes as a twisted form of punishment. Hunger became his constant companion. To survive, Kauro resorted to eating insects, rats, snakes—whatever he could scavenge from the dirt.
The cruelty peaked when Kauro turned nine. His father, driven by his vices, sold him to slave traders to fund his addiction to alcohol and debauchery. Heartbroken and broken-bodied, his mother took her own life, unable to endure the horror any longer. When Kauro managed to escape his captors and return home, he found only her lifeless body on the floor.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He fled into the deep woods to hide from his father, but the world was about to end. On the "Day of Judgment," May 3rd, 1330, a dragon of dark crimson fire descended, razed the entire mountain, and leveled the village to ash.
In a world defined by bloodshed, survival is impossible without strength or a powerful patron. Kauro, the sole survivor of the massacre, crawled back to the ruins of his village in search of food. Near collapse, he was spotted by a nobleman passing through on horseback.
As Kauro succumbed to exhaustion, the nobleman noticed something shimmering on the boy’s left shoulder: the Symbol of Hope.
When Kauro finally opened his eyes, he was lying in a luxury suite, surrounded by guards and the man who had saved him.
"Where am I? What happened to my village?" the nine-year-old asked, his voice trembling.
The nobleman, a man in his fifties with a weathered but kind gaze, looked at him solemnly. "Your home was destroyed by one of the Seven Ancient Dragons of Death. They, and the darkness they bring, are your true enemies."
Revealing that his own time was drawing short, the nobleman made an unexpected proposal. He offered to make Kauro his heir. By accepting, Kauro would inherit two estates, a castle, a church, and the hand of the nobleman’s daughter. Thus, Kauro Korimya became the successor of the House of Bairon.
Later, while traveling to the family hunting grounds, the nobleman began Kauro’s education in the fundamental force of their world: Aura.
"Aura is not infinite," the nobleman explained. "Every individual possesses an Aura Well. Its capacity is determined at birth, though it can be expanded through rigorous training or ancient artifacts. Furthermore, Aura is unique; some possess a 'Sharp' aura that cuts, while others have a 'Heavy' aura that crushes the surroundings."
He began to outline the foundational techniques:
? Flow: Channeling Aura into specific body parts to enhance strikes or harden the skin
? Silence: Retracting Aura deep within the body to become invisible to the senses of other users.
? Pulse: A brief outward burst of Aura that acts as a radar to detect nearby enemies.
"Once you master the basics," he continued, "you can develop a Supreme Art, a unique technique categorized into three types:"
? Materialization: Transforming Aura into physical objects (chains, swords, masks).
? Transmutation: Changing the properties of the Aura (acidic touch, electrical conduction).
? Projection: Expelling Aura as beams, explosions, or clones.
"But power has a price," he warned. "The Aura Stain. If a user maintains their 'Aura Art' for too long, their own energy begins to 'pollute' their internal organs or their psyche. A fire-user, for instance, will suffer internal burns if a battle drags on."
He spoke of the legends—the Aura Resonance or Peak Arts. In these rare moments, a warrior’s aura synchronizes with the atoms in the air, granting absolute control over a radius of 10 to 300 meters. For those seeking a shortcut, there are Aura Pacts—contracts made with humans, dragons, vampires, or spirits to gain immense power, often at the cost of one's own life.
The nobleman remained silent about one detail. He knew the Symbol of Hope on Kauro’s shoulder signaled the rarest and purest technique of all: the Supreme Art of Element Creation, the ability to manipulate every element.
Suddenly, the carriage halted. A massive boulder blocked the path.
The nobleman smiled. "Within and Without," he whispered.
With a single movement, the boulder was obliterated into dust. Watching in awe, the young Kauro clapped his hands, a new fire in his eyes. He had found his path. He would become just like the man who saved him.
