In the heart of the continent of Ultren, where the land was divided between seven kingdoms and one mighty nation, stood the Kingdom of Valdera—proud and towering like a crown above all others.
Its soil was the richest, its army the fiercest, and its king, Raegor III, was feared in every tongue. His words were carved into the stone walls of neighboring realms, as if they were prophecies.
But in the far western wing of Olthar Palace, where sunlight barely crept through ancient stone pillars, lived Vann—the son of Raegor, born to a concubine whose name was never recorded in the palace archives.
He had no title, no seat at the feasts, no mention in the royal bloodline.
Yet his eyes—those deep silver eyes—held the same piercing gleam that made men tremble before the king.
> "He's just a shadow," whispered one guard, thinking the boy couldn't hear.
"A shadow unworthy of light."
But Vann never sought the light.
He watched.
He learned.
He listened more than he spoke.
And each night, he would stand on the highest balcony of the palace, gaze into the distance, and murmur to himself:
> "If I am a shadow… then one day, I will swallow their light."
Years passed, and unrest began to stir across the lands.
Letters were exchanged. Silent embassies came and went. Armies moved under the guise of military drills.
His father paid no mind.
Raegor believed that Valdera would never fall.
Valdera does not fall. It makes others fall.
Until the destined day arrived.
A night in mid-autumn.
The moon full.
The sky, as if holding its breath.
By dawn, seven banners rose from seven directions.
The armies of the seven nations—longtime enemies—had united for one purpose:
To bring down Valdera.
And betrayal did not come from outside the walls…
Screams. Flames. Crumbling towers.
Vann raced through secret corridors, his body bleeding, his eyes ablaze.
He heard his father's death cry.
He saw the enemy banners raised upon the city gates.
And in that final moment, when all believed the only heir had perished in the fire…
Vann vanished.
The shadow was gone. But shadows… always return.