by Liam Otero (7th)
Edited by Dillon Fisher
Chapter 1: In the Beginning...
In the beginning, when this kingdom was founded, it wasn’t exactly a kingdom. We were nothing but a village—no, not even that—more like a group of starving, cold, and scared refugees, survivors from the fallen Crossbone Empire. That empire was built on sorcery, where sorcerers reanimated past armies to serve as soldiers. The king was ruthless. So ruthless. He was merciless to his own people, forcing them to give up their homes so he could expand his castle. He even made them surrender their souls to become masters of dark magic.
His head sorcerer, Master Ahkmenrah, had once been a poor commoner, barely surviving with little food. One day, the king came to Ahkmenrah’s house in his pink gemstone-encrusted, tattered chariot. The people carrying him looked as if they were dying themselves. The king threw a single credit coin at one of the servants' heads before stepping into Ahkmenrah’s ripped, dirty shack. He tossed his black and pink coat to a servant, who miserably carried it back to the tent. It was clear the king wasn't feeding his people.
The king greeted Ahkmenrah with an odd tone. Ahkmenrah listened cautiously. "How would you like to..." The king grinned. "Move up in class? Tell you what, I'll make you a deal. I have numerous sorcerers, but they're all too weak." Ahkmenrah eyed the king suspiciously as he continued. "I've seen your power, your potential. How would you like to become... my head sorcerer?" The king's grin widened.
Long story short, Ahkmenrah fell for the king's trick. The king promised him food, wealth, and power in exchange for his service, but Ahkmenrah’s life changed for the worse. The king gave him nothing. Instead, he assigned him endless, backbreaking tasks with no reward. But that wasn’t even the worst part. The king was involved in something so vile that even the devil would reject him: he was smuggling dragons.
The king’s soldiers were sent to capture dragons from their homes. The dragons were bound in chains that nullified their powers and kept in a secret underground dungeon where they were tortured. Though fed large meals, they were still treated like circus animals. Eventually, they were sold to nearby kingdoms, often used for war. It was horrifying. Some soldiers tried to free the dragons, others attempted to flee or revolt, and some even tried to turn the sorcerers against the king.
All of those soldiers failed. All of them died. This continued until someone caught on. The Dago Empire, a larger and more powerful nation, was the one force the king feared. When the Dago Empire raided the Crossbone Empire, the sorcerers used their magic to lift the castle into the skies, stranding the dragons below. However, the Dago Empire managed to wipe out the sorcerers, breaking the spell. Ahkmenrah was the only sorcerer to survive. He watched as the castle crumbled to debris and ash. Many people died that day, and the dragons were presumed killed.
From the few survivors—Ahkmenrah, some soldiers, and 15 commoners—a promise was made to build a new world. They worked tirelessly, gathering wood and constructing shelters, and eventually, they created what is now the Kingdom of Dragonoda. With a new king came a new kingdom, one that did everything the Crossbone Empire had failed to do.
A couple of wars followed, the commoners grew wealthier, and the Dago Empire fused with our kingdom—blah, blah, blah. And at last, we arrive in the present. At least, that's the story we've been told. Who knows what really happened? The only evidence we have are the ruins of the old castle, a few miles from here. Yeah, this kingdom is massive, and our castle sits atop a mountain!
Now, you're probably wondering who I am. I get it—I just narrated this whole story about the past. And you're probably thinking, "Why should I care?" Well, after all that, let me introduce myself. My name is Jake.