Dragons were no longer feared, no longer worshipped. They were legends confined to dusty scrolls and songs sung by old men in taverns. To most, they were myths. To others, ancient warnings best left forgotten. What had once been a world of wonder had become one of reason, steel, and soil.
In the heart of the Kingdom of Sapphire, a land blessed with rolling hills, glistening rivers, and a sky that burned blue with promise, lived a man named Marcus Daemon. A humble farmer, Marcus lived far from the towering walls of Sapphire's capital, choosing a simple life away from the crown and courtly affairs. His hands were calloused from tilling the land, his eyes steady from years of watching the skies for storms. Yet, despite his grounded life, destiny had marked him for something far greater.
Marcus bore a name he never truly understood. "Daemon." The same name held by the ruling family of Sapphire. Villagers whispered sometimes, their glances uncertain. His mother, Alira, never spoke much of her past, but the truth clung to Marcus like a shadow. Long ago, before the crown prince became king, she had been one of the palace concubines—a favored one, at that. It was said King Levi, then just a young noble destined for the throne, had shared more than just fleeting affection with her.
Marcus was born months before the king's marriage and the birth of his legitimate heirs—Princess Alina and Prince Cael. Whether King Levi knew of Marcus's existence remained a mystery. Alira had vanished from court soon after, retreating to the countryside where no one asked too many questions. There, she raised her son in peace, never revealing the full truth.
Now, she was gone. The past was buried. And Marcus had only his farm, his name, and the strange ache in his chest that he was meant for something more.
On a mist-wrapped morning, with hunger tightening his belly and the granaries half-empty from a failed harvest, Marcus ventured deeper into the woodlands that bordered his land. Few dared to explore that far, for the trees grew dense, their branches like ancient fingers clutching secrets. The wildlife grew bolder, too, and the silence between bird calls often felt... watched.
Marcus was no coward. Slinging his leather satchel over his shoulder, he pressed on, chasing a stag he had spotted drinking at a brook. It led him far—too far—into a part of the forest where the air hung heavier and the earth pulsed with something old.
And then he saw it.
Half-hidden behind a curtain of vines and moss was a cave. Not just a hollow in stone, but a wound in the earth itself—its mouth wide and black as though the forest was trying to swallow it whole. Marcus hesitated. Something in his bones warned him. But the pull was stronger.
Torch in hand, he stepped inside.
The deeper he went, the colder it became. The walls were etched with symbols he didn't understand—ancient, curling runes that glowed faintly when touched. The air smelled of ash and memory. And at the center of the cavern, resting on a bed of scorched rock, was an egg. Larger than a man's torso, its surface shimmered with scales of gold and ember. It pulsed with heat, as if the flame of life still stirred within.
It was a dragon's egg. Untouched by time. Undisturbed for thousands of years.
Marcus stood frozen. The old tales rushed back—the fire-breathers, the sky kings, the final war that drove dragons into extinction. And yet, here it was. Proof that the legends were not lies.
He reached out, heart pounding. The moment his fingers brushed the shell, the ground trembled. A low, guttural hum rose from deep within the cave, as if the very earth acknowledged the awakening.
Far to the east, beyond the city walls of Sapphire's capital, King Levi Daemon sat in his marble hall. He was a just ruler, known for his wisdom and strength, with a gaze sharp enough to see truth in shadows. Beside him sat his two children—Alina, his firstborn, a fierce and intelligent warrior-princess, and Cael, her younger brother, known for his curious mind and gentle heart.
None of them knew that the blood of the king ran through Marcus's veins. None of them knew a long-lost son had just awakened something that could change the fate of the world.
And it all began with a farmer… and an egg.