WHISPERS OF THE NEW DAWN (Council of Shadows)

The news of Queen Kaen’s disappearance had spread beyond the valleys, the forests, and the shattered mountains of the Southern lands. It was no longer a whisper—it was a roar that thundered into even the furthest shadows. The cold winds that howled through the obsidian towers of the North carried it, as though the world itself could feel a shift in power.

Within the great palace of the North Kingdom, a dark figure walked through the silent halls. Cloaked in robes of midnight and bound with runes of forgotten magic, Kagutsume no Yurei, the infamous dark magician, approached the throne room.

The tall black doors opened by themselves.

Inside, upon his throne of jagged bone and dark crystal, sat King Zorak, Lord of the North and self-proclaimed ruler of the world-to-be. His cold gaze lifted the moment Kagutsume entered. He knew why the magician had come. The air grew heavy.

“Speak, Kagutsume,” the King said. “What news rides the wind into my halls?”

The magician bowed slightly. “The Queen of the South has vanished. The kingdom is wounded. The people are broken.”

Zorak leaned forward, a glint in his crimson eyes. “Shall we crush them, then? Raid the South while they are too weak to stand?”

Kagutsume’s voice was calm. Too calm. “No, my King. Not yet. Victory is not found in reckless destruction.”

Zorak frowned, but said nothing.

“The Queen is gone… but she did not run. She moved to protect something.” Kagutsume’s gaze darkened. “Someone.”

Zorak's expression shifted. “The Prince.”

“Exactly,” Kagutsume nodded. “If we strike now, we risk scattering the last thread of our true target. The boy is the key. With the Queen gone, his death would finalize our triumph. When he falls, your crown will not be questioned. You will become what you’ve longed for—the World Lord.”

Zorak grinned, savage and cold. “Then we hunt him.”

“I’ve already selected five of our finest elite spies,” Kagutsume said. “They will track the Queen, the Prince… and the Princess. If found, they are to bring them back—or kill them.”

The King stood slowly, pleased. “Send them.”

In a breath, five figures in cloaks and masks appeared behind Kagutsume. They said nothing, only bowed. A moment later, they vanished into the shadows like ghosts, their mission sealed.

But Kagutsume remained.

“There is more to speak of, my King… The Dragon.”

Zorak’s smile faded.

“Yes,” he murmured. “The one that burst from Raiku. That power… it was like a god.”

Kagutsume nodded grimly. “Indeed. That Dragon was not an ordinary beast. It was a mythical one. Raiku… was its vessel.”

Zorak’s face tightened. “A vessel? But he didn’t use its power.”

“That’s what saved us,” Kagutsume said. “If he had fully awakened it… we would not be here now.”

A long silence followed. Zorak’s hands clenched on his throne.

“So he chose to die,” Zorak muttered. “He let the Dragon go…”

“Yes,” Kagutsume confirmed. “He released it before death. That’s why it emerged in spirit form. The Dragon still lives.”

“Then it has found another host?” Zorak asked.

“Possibly,” Kagutsume replied. “But not all beasts can do that. Many vanish once released. However,… there are seven who can survive vessel to vessel.”

Zorak’s eyes narrowed. “Seven?”

Kagutsume’s voice dropped low.

“Seven mythical beasts. In their true awakened form, they are capable of destroying galaxies. They are born of ancient realms… beings of fire, wind, shadow, lightning, metal, earth, and sky. The Dragon is only one. The others remain hidden—untouched, unawakened.”

The chamber grew darker. The torches dimmed as if listening.

One council member spoke, voice shaking, “Why have these beasts never revealed themselves?”

“Because,” Kagutsume said, “until the vessel becomes aware of what lives within them… the beast remains asleep. If a vessel dies never knowing, the beast dies too.”

“But Raiku died,” Zorak interrupted, “and yet the Dragon still lives?”

“Because Raiku released the Dragon. It emerged of his will.”

Zorak frowned. “And now it seeks a new vessel.”

“Yes… and I believe it has found one.”

Zorak stared. “Who?”

Kagutsume lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper.

“The Prince.”

The chamber fell into absolute silence. The only sound was the slow thud of the King’s heart as it filled his ears.

“No…” Zorak muttered.

“Yes,” Kagutsume said firmly. “And it doesn’t end there.”

He raised his eyes slowly, filled with dread. “The other four mythical beasts… will awaken too. And their vessels will be drawn to the Prince. They will rise with him. They will stand against us.”

The chamber trembled with those words.

Zorak’s voice cracked like thunder. “You mean… five mythical beasts… five vessels…”

“Yes,” Kagutsume replied. “A force we cannot take lightly.”

Zorak stood. “This cannot be. This must be prevented.”

The magician’s eyes narrowed. “Then you must kill the Prince before the others awaken. That is the only path to survival. And to your throne.”

Zorak paced in silence, his heavy steps echoing like war drums.

Suddenly—outside the palace—there came a long, deep howl.

It was not the wind.

It was the cry of a wolf.

A sound that sent a shiver through even Zorak’s heart.

Kagutsume turned toward the window slowly.

“It has begun,” he whispered. “The first is stirring.”

The howl faded into silence.

But war… had just been reborn.