Prologue — The Blood Pact

One hundred years ago.

The sky was on fire.

Not a metaphor. Literally, the sky burned. Clouds of fire spread across the battlefields, consuming everything they touched. The earth was split by deep crevasses. The rivers had evaporated. The cities were reduced to ash.

Fifteen nations had clashed for control of sixteen objects.

Sixteen rings.

Created by the Gods themselves.

The war was documented. Everyone knew it. History books called it "The Great War." Monuments remembered it. Veterans told their grandchildren about it.

But no one knew the true reason.

No one knew what the fifteen nations were searching for.

No one knew what had stopped the war.

Because the truth had been erased.

And only fifteen royal families possessed the answer.

I. The War of the Rings

The final battle took place on a desolate plain, at the border between three nations.

On one side, the army of the United States, led by King Alexander Washington. A ring gleamed on his finger.

On the other side, the army of China, led by King Yong Li. A ring gleamed on his finger.

Further back, the army of Russia, led by King Vsevolod Romanov. A ring gleamed on his finger.

And so on, for all fifteen nations.

Every King possessed a ring.

Every ring held divine power.

And all of them wanted the sixteenth.

Because whoever obtained all sixteen rings would become a God.

II. The Destruction

The battle lasted three days.

On the first day, one million soldiers died.

On the second day, two million died.

On the third day, everyone died.

No one remained.

Only the fifteen Kings were still standing.

They were exhausted. Wounded. Their armies had been annihilated. Their nations lay in ruins. But none of them wanted to surrender.

"The ring is mine!" shouted Alexander, King of the United States.

"You're a fool," replied Yong, King of China.

"None of you can win," interjected Vsevolod, King of Russia.

But none of the three held the sixteenth ring.

Because the sixteenth ring had not yet been found.

It was hidden.

And everyone was searching for it.

III. The Intervention of the Gods

Then, it happened.

The sky opened.

Sixteen figures descended from the heavens.

They were enormous. Their bodies shone with divine light.

And at the center, the greatest of all.

Azrealion.

The Supreme God.

The creator of the sixteen rings.

Azrealion landed in the center of the battlefield. His eyes were two suns. His voice was an earthquake.

"Enough," he said.

And time stopped.

The fifteen Kings froze in place.

Only Azrealion could move.

The Supreme God looked at them one by one.

"You have destroyed the world," he said. "For what? For power?"

The Kings could not answer.

"I gave you the rings," Azrealion continued. "And you used them to destroy."

The God made a gesture.

And the fifteen rings flew from the King's fingers.

"These rings do not belong to you," the God said. "They belong to the world. And the world is not ready."

IV. The Secret Books

Azrealion turned to the other fifteen Gods.

"What do we do?" one of them asked.

Azrealion thought.

"We cannot destroy the rings. But we cannot leave them in human hands either."

"Then what do you propose?"

"A pact," Azrealion replied. "A blood pact."

The other Gods looked at him.

"Fifteen nations will receive fifteen rings," Azrealion explained. "But their memories will be erased. Only the royal families will remember."

"And how will they remember?"

Azrealion made a gesture.

And fifteen books appeared.

They were ancient. Bound in black leather. With golden symbols on their covers.

"These books," Azrealion said, "will contain the truth."

"Each royal family will receive one book."

"A book about the war. A book about the rings."

"And only they will be able to read them."

The Gods nodded.

And so, they created the Blood Pact.

A binding magical agreement.

Fifteen nations received fifteen rings.

And fifteen books.

But the people's memories were erased.

The world forgot the war.

Forgot the rings.

Forgot the power.

Only the royal families remembered.

Because they had the books.

V. The Curse

Then, Azrealion turned to the fifteen Kings.

And he freed them.

Time began to flow again.

The Kings looked around.

"What... what happened?" asked Alexander.

"I... I don't remember," said Yong.

"Where is the war?" asked Vsevolod.

They remembered nothing.

But then, they saw the books.

And as they touched them, their memories returned.

They remembered the war.

They remembered the rings.

They remembered the power.

But a voice whispered in their minds:

Whoever reveals the existence of the rings shall die.

Whoever tries to unite the sixteen rings shall destroy the world.

And whoever becomes the Bearer of the Sixteen must choose.

The Kings understood.

They must not speak of the rings.

They must not show the books.

They must not...

VI. The Silence

One hundred years passed.

The world recovered.

The cities were rebuilt. The rivers flowed again. The trees grew back.

The war was documented in history books.

But the reason had been erased.

The monuments remembered it.

But the truth was hidden.

The veterans told their stories.

But the details had been removed.

Only the fifteen royal families knew.

The Washingtons in the United States. The Lis in China. The Romanovs in Russia. The Yamatos in Japan.

And eleven others.

Each family guarded a ring.

And two books.

The Book of War.

The Book of Rings.

And only they could read them.

Because the curse was still active.

Whoever reveals the existence of the rings shall die.

And so, the world forgot.

Or at least, that's what it believed.

VII. The Prophecy

But Azrealion had not told everything.

Because while the other Gods returned to the heavens, Azrealion remained.

He looked down at the world from above.

And he saw something.

He saw a child about to be born.

A child without citizenship.

A child with a black bracelet on his wrist.

A child destined to become the Bearer of the Sixteen.

Azrealion smiled.

"One day," he murmured. "Everything will come to light."

"And when that day arrives, the world will tremble."

"Because the Bearer must choose."

"Between power and freedom."

"Between truth and lies."

"Between becoming a God... or remaining human."

Then, Azrealion disappeared.

And the world kept turning.

Unaware.

Innocent.

But not for long.