The Unrivaled Holder: Rise of the Dragon Monarch

The air was thick with tension as Fafnir's breathing grew uneven. His fingers twitched, barely suppressing his emotions. He had just learned that the woman I encountered—the one who healed me—was his mother. But there was still too much left unsaid.

I looked at them, the weight of Ingi's revelation still settling in their mind. Djinn. His mother. The woman who sealed the calamity.

Fafnir finally broke the silence. "Explain. Everything. Now."

Ingi closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. His massive frame, so often unshaken, seemed burdened by something beyond time itself.

"Then listen well," he said, his voice carrying the weight of ages. "For this is the true history of Norkiya—a history long buried beneath war and deception."

Long ago, before the world was as it is now, there existed four primordial beings. They were called the Four Pillars of Creation:

Orivax, the Titan of Earth and Stability.

Myrthiel, the Ethereal Weaver of Wind and Life.

Nyxara, the Abyssal Keeper of Water and Secrets.

And finally… Pyrion, the Infernal Warden of Flame and Chaos.

Together, they shaped Norkiya, creating the lands, the seas, the air, and the forces that governed existence. In harmony, they crafted the races of the world, from the smallest beings to the mightiest creatures.

But balance never lasts forever.

Pyrion, the most ambitious of the Four, sought power above all. He viewed mortals as weak, believing that only strength should dictate who ruled. While the others nurtured and guided, Pyrion sought to dominate.

"At first," Ingi continued, "the other Pillars tried to reason with him. But Pyrion's desire for supremacy blinded him. He saw the other three as obstacles—so he betrayed them."

Fafnir clenched his jaw. "He killed them?"

"No," Ingi shook his head. "He trapped them. Pyrion struck when they least expected it, sealing them away, claiming the world for himself."

With his newfound rule, Pyrion scattered magic across the land, creating new creatures, twisting existing ones into monsters, and forging demons to serve him. He shaped the world in his image, believing himself the sole ruler of creation.

But then, something happened that even he did not foresee.

A girl was born.

A human, no more than an infant, yet blessed with something that rivaled even the gods. Her name was Djinn.

"Her magic was unlike anything the world had ever seen," Ingi said. "A soul burning with near-infinite Magicore. She was a miracle. A threat to Pyrion's rule."

Zarathorak barely breathed, his claws digging into the stone beneath him.

"Pyrion knew he had to eliminate her before she could grow into her power," Ingi continued. "But he couldn't intervene directly. The other Pillars may have been sealed, but they were still watching. If Pyrion acted too openly, they might find a way to undo their imprisonment.

"So he sent a soldier. His greatest warrior. Me."

Both Fafnir and Zarathorak's breath hitched and my eyes widened.

"Pyrion bestowed upon me an incredible power," Ingi said, his golden eyes burning. "The ability to transform, to wield the might of a dragon—the first of my kind. He granted me the title of Dragon King and sent me to Asnor with one mission: Kill the girl."

Fafnir looked as though he was about to erupt, but he forced himself to listen.

"When I arrived in Asnor, I expected her to be powerful," Ingi said. "But I did not expect… her."

Djinn was not a warrior.

She was kind. Gentle. And yet, she possessed an unmatched ability—the power to see one's aura.

"If I harbored any intention to attack her, she would know," Ingi admitted. "And yet… she did nothing. She welcomed me. She spoke to me, laughed with me… trusted me."

Fafnir's fists trembled.

"I should have killed her. That was my purpose. But every day, I hesitated. And before I knew it… I could no longer bring myself to do it."

Pyrion, sensing Ingi's failure, summoned him.

"He nearly killed me for my disobedience," Ingi said, his voice heavy. "But he was bound by his own mistakes. By trapping the other Three Pillars, he had lost his ability to act freely. He could only rely on us—his creations—to carry out his will."

When Ingi returned to Asnor, he told Djinn everything.

And she? She already knew.

"She had seen it in my aura from the very beginning. And yet, she chose to do nothing. She chose to trust me."

That day, Ingi made his decision. He betrayed Pyrion.

Fafnir's breath was ragged. His entire body trembled. "You… you abandoned your master for her?"

"I did," Ingi said, unashamed. "And Pyrion never forgave me."

His fury shook the heavens. He unleashed demons, countless legions, but none succeeded in killing Djinn.

But Pyrion was nothing if not patient.

So he set a plan in motion.

"He established a law in Norkiya," Ingi explained. "A new fundamental rule—the Magicore Limiter."

The very essence of magic in all beings was restricted, their power contained. Those who once wielded limitless might were suddenly bound.

"With this, he ensured that Djinn and I would never reach our full strength," Ingi said. "And for years, we fought against his forces—until the day Pyrion found a way to strike at us himself."

Fafnir's breathing grew sharp. "How?"

"He possessed a Primordial Demon." Ingi responded

And with it, Pyrion descended upon them.

"The battle was unlike anything the world had ever seen," Ingi said, his voice laced with sorrow. "We fought him… and for the first time, we struggled. Even together, Djinn and I could barely hold our own."

Pyrion knocked me down and when Djinn saw me fall… "She snapped," Ingi whispered.

I swallowed. "Snapped…?"

"Her power erupted," Ingi said. "A light that shook all of Norkiya. She entered a state beyond mortal comprehension—Unison: Combat Mode."

My eyes widened.

"Her magicore limiter shattered. She transformed—a warrior clad in dragon's might. just like you, Craig"

Together, we sealed Pyrion.

"Not destroyed?" I asked.

Ingi shook his head. "A being like him cannot be slain so easily. If we had our original strenght, we migt be able to do it, but it was sealed therefore, we locked his soul away, deep within the Soul Corridor, where he could never return."

But peace did not last.

A curse.

A stigmata appeared on Djinn, infecting her magicore, making her weak.

"There was no way to remove it," Ingi said. "Not even for us, so I made a choice. I sealed her away."

To preserve her. To protect her.

And I… I was left to protect what remained.

"I raised our children. Ten dragons, born from the blood of the Dragon King and the woman who defied a god. And it was them" Ingi's stare switching between Fafnir and Zarathorak.

And so, Norkiya fell into the age you now know. Pyrion may be sealed, but his will lingers. His influence still festers in the darkest corners of this world.

And the stigmata that curses you now…It is the remnant of his touch.

"The stigmata you have, Fafnir, is the mark of a war that never truly ended. It started long ago til now." Ingi said with darkened expression