John stood beside Elsa’s bed, the soft glow of their incomplete sealing ritual still flickering across her pale skin. The room was warm, yet he felt cold—cold with fear, cold with helplessness. rlin gently placed his hand on John’s shoulder, sensing the storm inside him.
"John," rlin said with a tired sigh, "Your heart is trembling. What burdens your mind, child?"
John hesitated, eyes still locked on Elsa’s unmoving form.
"rlin... can you share the most powerful fight you and my father ever lived through? The one everyone whispers about? The one they call your... legendary battle?"
A faint, one of reminiscence, curved rlin’s lips.
"Oh, we had one," he replied. "And yes, we were very much in it... but not from the front line as heroes often claim. We were only seventeen — perhaps eighteen. Barely n. But destiny does not wait for age."
John looked up, curious. "What happened back then?"
Slowly, rlin inhaled, as if drawing from deep chambers of the past.
"It was a war against a magician of ancient tis. A traitor to our clan. A man whose power should never have existed in mortal hands."
Imdiately, John’s eyes narrowed.
"What kind of power?"
rlin’s face darkened.
"He possessed sorcery older than kingdoms. And hypnotism strong enough to bind dragons to his will — turning them into pets, weapons, slaves. No moral, no conscience. Only ambition. His dream was simple, John..."
He paused.
".to rule the whole world."
A shiver crawled up John’s spine.
"And did he succeed?"
rlin shook his head.
"No. But he ca close. His chaos killed hundreds. Entire valleys burned. He unleashed the Fire Weapon Technique — a forbidden art capable of reducing half a forest to embers with a single strike."
John leaned closer, listening with every part of his soul.
"And my father... he fought this monster?"
rlin gave a low, soft chuckle.
"Fought? John, your father challenged him."
John’s breath hitched slightly. His father, Lord Eric, had always been a pillar of strength, but imagining him as a reckless, fire-blooded youth was sothing entirely different.
rlin continued, voice weighted with mory.
"We entered that battlefield with our hearts pounding. The sky was red, ash falling like black snow. The traitor stood tall, wearing a dark mask, hiding his identity, hiding his humanity. And his voice—"
rlin’s eyes fell, rembering.
"—deep, cold, terrifying. It didn’t sound human. It sounded like sothing born in shadow."
John’s face slowly stiffened. A masked man... with a deep voice... manipulating dragons...
A commonplace description
The sa masked man from the old legends. The sa masked man who haunted the village’s oldest prophecies.
rlin didn’t notice John’s realization. He went on.
"That monster was nearly an S-Rank magician of his era. His visual prowess alone was powerful enough to read our movents before we made them. He could twist illusions into reality. One flick of his hand, and a dragon would bow. One word from his cursed tongue, and a warrior would lose his will to fight."
John swallowed, appalled.
"And you two fought him like that?"
rlin nodded.
"It wasn’t a choice. It was survival."
Then his tone changed, falling lower, more personal.
"During the fight, the monster used the Fire Weapon Technique at close range. Your father Eric was hit directly."
John froze.
"What happened to him?"
rlin’s jaw tensed.
"His arm broke. The flesh on his shoulder was burning. The cells were dying right before my eyes. John, the sll... the sight... no young man should witness such agony."
John felt a dull ache wash over his chest.
"I didn’t know he was hurt that badly..."
"He was," rlin whispered. "But even then... your father didn’t fall. He stood up again. Ready to keep fighting. I shouted at him—’Eric, you fool! You can’t move like this!’—but he didn’t care. He was ready to die right there."
John’s heart pounded harder. He always admired his father, but hearing this—hearing the raw courage behind his legend—hit different.
"Then what happened?" he asked quietly.
"I forced him out of the battle," rlin said. "I grabbed him, pulled him behind the shattered trees and healed him as fast as I could. But... healing him drained almost all of my strength. My hands shook. My vision blurred. I nearly collapsed beside him."
"Even then," rlin added with a small smile, "your father refused to rest. He helped stand. , the healer. , the one who should’ve been protecting him."
John couldn’t help but grin. That was what his father would have done.
"Then," rlin said, raising a finger, "your father did sothing no one expected.
John leaned forward.
"What did he do?"
Pride was written all over rlin’s face.
"He activated his Quick Flash Technique—at seventeen!—and charged straight at that ancient monster. Everyone thought he’d die. Even I thought it was over. But your father... that boy... delivered the strongest kick I’ve ever seen. Enough to crack the sorcerer’s armor."
John’s mouth parted, astounded.
"My father... seriously did that?"
"John, your father was a storm trapped inside a young body. He had courage beyond sense. Determination beyond reason. And that single hit—just one hit—changed the tide of that battle."
rlin took a deep breath and let the weight of the story settle.
"Now you understand why he is the Lord of your village today. Why warriors bow to him. Why he beca the most powerful warrior of his era."
John looked again at Elsa, softness around his eyes.
"I hope... I can beco even half the man he is."
Smiling, rlin patted John’s arm gently.
"You already carry the spark, John. Even the ancient ones would see it."
John remained silent, gripping the edge of the bed. His mind replayed the tale—fire, dragons, masked sorcerer, courage—and for a mont, he felt a strange warmth pulse inside his chest.
Then rlin whispered:
"That masked man... the traitor... he was unlike any enemy. His powers were unnatural. And his mask... no one ever saw his real face."
John had a sudden twist in his stomach.
Because he knew straightaway:
rlin was talking about the sa masked man who had appeared in the old prophecies, the sa ancient threat who shaped the world’s darkest histories.
John took a deep breath.
"rlin... I think I can guess who you are talking about.
rlin raised an eyebrow.
"You do?"
John nodded slowly.
"I’ve seen records. Ancient drawings. Stories... All describe a masked sorcerer with overwhelming power, a deep voice, and the ability to manipulate dragons. People call him—"
rlin completed the sentence.
"—the Masked Man of Calamity."
The room dimd a little, as if the air itself had reacted to the na.
John let out a sharp breath.
"That ans... he really existed."
rlin nodded.
"Oh, he was alive. And he changed history. Your father and I barely survived him.
Silence fell. Heavy, ancient, and real.
Elsa’s chest rose faintly in her weakened breath. John reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.
"rlin," John whispered, "if that masked man was so powerful... how did you stop him?"
rlin looked down, voice thick with mory.
"We didn’t stop him. The battle ended... but not because we defeated him. Sothing—or soone—intervened. Even now, I don’t fully understand it."
John froze.
"What do you an?"
rlin shook his head.
"That story... must wait for another day. For now, our task is here. Elsa. Her seal. Your power."
John nodded more slowly, refocusing on the present.
But the image wouldn’t get wiped from his mind-
the masked sorcerer, the dragons under his command, the fire storm, his father breaking his own limits.
And suddenly... John understood his path wasn’t ordinary. He stood inside a history he wasn’t born for, but chosen for.
rlin squeezed his shoulder very softly.
"You belong to a bloodline that shaped wars, John. And you yourself—like your father—will one day shape the future." John swallowed hard, his chest tight with emotion. "I’ll do everything I can... I won’t fail her." rlin nodded, his eyes on Elsa. "And we won’t let history repeat itself."
Now it’s ti to take control John. Said rlin.
John noded " Yes, we only earn pease for all the people with us".
rlin replied "hmm , we seen already many innocent died for no reason. There’s blood always shouts in my mind and I can’t let them forget. I was just 17 then but my thinking is more bigger then others."
"It’s wrong, If i said that only my mind is higher or bigger, your dad Eric is also is so high level man".
John smiled "Why? Why all this you said uncle".
"Because he always thinking about more for others then his own. He also just sa as my age but he has courage to fight with this monster magician on that ti".
John said "I understand and You are talking about Mask man of history, who destroyed many clans of magicians and break the bonding with dragons".
rlin totally shocked how John know about this. He just asked him about it but suddenly...
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