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Prologue: The Man Who Defied the End
In the dying twilight of a fractured world—where crumbling skies bled ash and steel, and hope was rationed like air—one man defied oblivion.
Saelric Velis.
A name lost to time. A phantom of war. In the wastelands of Aetheris, where humanity had bartered away magic for machinery and carved its own ruin, he stood as the final strategist in a war already lost. He wielded no legendary blade, cast no grand spells—yet kings, tyrants, and demigods alike feared his name. Because Saelric did not lose.
He fought with ruthless precision. Every decision he made was laced with sacrifice. Every victory left scars across the soul of what remained of mankind.
And in the end, he gave everything.
Not for glory. Not for vengeance.
But to buy one last breath of peace.
As the world crumbled around him and the void welcomed him like an old friend, Saelric believed it was over.
But fate wasn't done with him.
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He awoke in a cradle of light. Not beneath the smog-choked sky of Aetheris, but beneath stars untainted—crisp, foreign, and ancient. His soul, fractured but unyielding, had crossed into another world.
Ethralune.
A land shaped by mana, ruled by the bloodlines of power. Here, dragons soar like gods, dungeons whisper in tongues long lost, and kingdoms rise and fall by the will of fate-bound souls.
He was no longer Saelric Velis.
Reborn as the first prince of the Seria Dynasty, Ashar opened his eyes to a world soaked in mana and ruled by power. His father, King Alric Celestra, was revered as a warlord and high-magic knight who once fought a dragon and lived. His mother, Queen Lira Celestra, was a master enchantress and political genius. His little sister, Arin, would be born with a rare magic affinity and a bond only Ashar would understand.
From birth, Ashar did not smile—not because he lacked joy, but because he remembered too much. In this new life, he would not waste his second chance.
He would not falter in this world of gods and monsters.
If Aetheris forged him in flame, Ethralune would bear the weight of what rose from its ashes.
He was no longer merely a tactician.
He would become a sovereign.
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