In the enchanted land of Elaï, a dazzling world unfolds, deconstructing prejudices. Crystal-clear blue rivers gracefully wind through vibrant forests, creating a living tapestry of captivating beauty. Trees with glowing red, black, and green leaves rise majestically, offering a harmonious visual symphony. Buildings, fashioned into pure marble quarters, form an elegant royal court, evoking refinement in every architectural detail.
But at the heart of this splendor, a deathly silence hangs over the market and the central square of the kingdom. Dressed in white, creatures of all races, origins, and appearances mourn their sovereign. When the bells of the royal palace began to toll, immense screens appeared in the sky across the entire kingdom. A magnificent horned woman with blue skin appeared on them; dressed in her beautiful white armor, she remained silent until the roar of a dragon descending behind the palace loosened her lips. She finally began her speech.
"Our ancestors built this kingdom to protect us, so that we could live in peace, away from others because we were different from other races. Elaï was supposed to be our paradise, but humans want to make it our tomb. Calling us demons, they launched this so-called holy war. I lost my father, your king, my twin brother, your prince, and you, my dear people, to it. Many times over the centuries, we tolerated their foolishness, but this was the last straw. Today we mourn our families, but tomorrow we will march on the world and erase humanity."
Under the powerful cheers of the crowd ready to wage battle alongside their future sovereign, the princess withdrew, making her way among her escort to the majestic doors of the castle. They opened in unison, emitting a slight creak due to their weight, leading to a narrow, dark underground corridor that stretched to a crypt behind the palace.
In this crypt, dimly lit by the feeble rays of daylight seeping through stone shutters, the dawning light dispersed the morning mist, revealing an aged beauty: hollow and incomplete slabs, walls adorned with frescoes of unknown creatures. Thirteen tombs stood before a blonde woman with eyes hidden by a white band adorned with golden engravings, the guardian of the place. Her back turned to a display case containing thirteen glasses, each dedicated to a tomb. Like kings buried with their most precious possessions, these glasses, symbols of nobility, contained the greatest treasures of this world, trivialities to some but invaluable to this woman who watched over them.
"What brings you here... child?" the woman asked.
"Only you would address royalty in such a manner... elder!"
retorted the princess, stepping out of the shadow where she had concealed herself. Her mood was bleak and sullen; she had just lost everything, yet instead of a mourning face, the princess bore immense hatred and anger, advancing toward the elder with gritted teeth.
She screamed at her, "Why weren't you there?"
"Where?" replied the elder, resting her fist against her cheek before adding, "In the battle I expressly ordered you not to fight?"
Weak, the princess fell to her knees, her voice trembling, and replied, "Even so! If you had been there, my father and brother would still be alive." But the elder, fearless and almost devoid of emotion, coldly raised her head:
"They died because they were weak. We are demons, and in our kind, weakness is a crime. You risk joining them soon if you do not become stronger."
Upon hearing these words, the future Demon King's blood boiled. Leaping from her position in a wild jump, she lunged, stirring up all the dust in the crypt, with only her hand as a weapon. Clearly, she intended to take the elder's life. "Clang" resounded in a cloud of sand. The princess's hand had struck something incredibly solid, a luminous barrier, an energy shield as strong as adamantine, if not more
"Cana... daughter of Dall! Have you forgotten who I am?"
the guardian challenged before repelling Princess Cana with a nod. She found herself sprawled on the floor, spitting blood, questioning in her mind the identity of the person she faced.
"Holy magic? How can a demon use it? So, this is the power of the 'saint of darkness'?" Without giving her time to retreat, the elder crushed her throat with her foot, demanding,
"Do you want to take my treasure?"
before adding in a softer tone,
"I am sorry for your family. To be honest, I know what it's like to be 'the survivor.' Look at these tombs; they were my family, and all that's left of them are these artifacts in the display case. I could never entrust them to you. Never, do you understand?"
With her throat obstructed by the elder's foot, Cana struggled in vain to free herself.
"If you truly cared about me... you would have saved my family."
Lifting her foot from the princess's neck, the elder asked her a question: "What is the first rule of the Guardians' code?"
Irritated, Cana rose, dusting off her long white suit. "Don't change the subject; what does that have to do with their death?"
"I'm not changing the subject, just answer," the elder demanded, resuming her seat on her stone throne.
The young princess couldn't help but think the worst. She knew the Guardians' rules by heart, but before she had time to answer the question posed to her, her interlocutor spoke again.
"I only did my duty. Your father and brother also did theirs because protecting the true king, even at the cost of one's life, is the duty of every guardian."
Stunned by this statement, Cana stammered,
"This title I bear has been cursed since the dawn of time. So... if they died... it's my fault?"
"It's not your fault. The arrival of a true king certainly heralds great suffering and destruction, but not only that... he is actually the only being capable of preventing such a cataclysm."
"But how can I do it? You said it yourself, I am weak."
The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, when after a few seconds of silence, the elder began to laugh wildly:
"Not strong, you say? You just have to become strong because, you see, even among the legends resting in this crypt, only the one called 'the son of the sky' was naturally strong."
The young Cana shed a small tear, recalling in her mind childhood memories with her brother when they accompanied their father to visit the elder. In a millennium, she hadn't aged a day. Following this thought, she gave a small smile and spoke:
"You used to tell us that legend when we were little, the story of the weakest of the children of promise. A failure who would become the very first demon king of this world."
"It's much more than a legend," replied the elder.
With a bright grin, the woman grasped the armrest of the throne, cracking it. It released a golden light that illuminated and traversed every inch of the crypt, transforming it, restoring its former glory. The walls were so beautiful they seemed to come from another world, their unprecedented elegance resembling almost divine materials.
The princess was in awe, contemplating the walls, when suddenly she heard the elder's voice resonate in her head, asking if she was ready. When she opened her mouth to respond, "Ready for what?" and looked at the woman's face on the throne, her strength began to abandon her. "Crazy old woman, did she do it again?" thought Cana as she lost consciousness. The elder had lowered her band, revealing golden eyes with concentric circle rings, her orange-red irises glowing and pupil-less, her white rings like a summer cloud resembling a painting, a masterpiece. She gracefully rose from her throne, the train of her beautiful dress now touching the ground, revealing the pants of her majestically bohemian outfit. She approached Cana gradually, leaning towards her, and touched her, plunging her into a trance akin to deep memories.
"This time, do your best to learn from the strongest, 'true king,' for the battle that awaits you concerns the very existence of existence."
With these words, the elder resumed her seat, contemplating the inert body of the princess.
For Cana, what began with blurry visions gave way to striking clarity, transporting the young lady to a fantastical world, where it all began, to the isekai, the original world.