The rich aroma of freshly prepared breakfast filled the air. Anand ate with calm, deliberate movements, and for a moment, the peaceful atmosphere silenced the questions swirling in Aryan's mind.
After a few bites, Anand looked up, his gaze steady.
"So,"he said, his voice quiet but clear. "How is the outside world?"
Aryan stammered, his professional composure cracking. "Where... where should I even begin?"
Anand took a slow sip of juice, the rings on his hand gleaming. He understood the young man's panic perfectly.
"Treat me,"he replied, his tone low and even, "as if I know nothing."
"I will then ," Aryan said, his voice now a steady hum. He leaned forward, his hands on the table."Fifty-three years ago, the world changed forever. Gates began to open across the earth—rifts bleeding out a strange energy that warped reality itself. The skies turned blood-red. Animals twisted into grotesque forms, and soon, humans began to change as well."
"Animals started to mutate. They grew monstrous, and we knew what that meant. And then it happened. A monster wave poured out of those gates, and they crashed into the world like a massive tsunami. Nations were wiped off the map. In just one week, the world's population declined by more than 40 percent. The Black Dragon Society itself suffered gravely—one third of our forces wiped out, three of the Seven Dragon Families annihilated, another one brought to the brink of extinction with only a handful of people remaining. Out of thirty-six noble families, barely thirteen survived.
It was during that chaos the arisens appeared—humans blessed with powers strong enough to stand against the tide. Many fought for survival, some for selfish gain, but a few… a few held the line when no one else could. Two shone above the rest—one in California, the other in Europe. Without them, even the scraps of civilization would have been devoured."
He paused, eyes narrowing as if reliving those days.
"But the monsters were not all the same. There were five unlike any others—creatures we came to call Divine Beasts. They were intelligent, terrifying… and three of them chose to form contracts with humans. One now slumbers in Antarctica. Another still walks unseen, its location unknown."
Aryan's voice dropped lower. "And the gates… they never stopped. They spread across the globe like a plague. The old order shattered. In the West, the nations of North and South America forged the WUN—the Western United Nations—with the United States at its helm. Here in the East, an alliance was forged not by choice, but by threat. Those who refused were told plainly: join us now, or be invaded later."
He gave a bitter smile. "Governments tried to hold power, but they were too weak. In their place, guilds and private powers rose from the ashes. Many came and went… but four endured, four who became the pillars of the Eastern Alliance."
"first Russia. Viktor Sokolov—he was one of the three to bond with a Divine Beast. With that strength, he forged the Iron Vanguard Guild."
He shifted slightly before continuing.
"Then China. Li Wei, with the backing of the Shaolin, built the Azure Dragon Dojo. Not just a guild, but an entire martial order. "
"The UAE," Aryan said, his voice edged with dry amusement. "The zahakar family turned wealth into power. They bought awakened fighters like pieces on a chessboard, and gathered them into an empire of loyalty bought in gold."
"And the last," Aryan's tone lowered, carrying weight now. "India. The Patil Family. For generations, they have led the Black Dragon Society. Because there were only three functioning Dragon families left, patil family was able to gain control over the whole organization."
"Now, they're known as the Four Great Powers of the Eastern Alliance, or simply, the Four Great Families of the east."
"And in the West they united under one banner—the Western United Nations. But real power lies with the Valemont family, not the government. Around them, eight allied houses keep their grip strong. Their capital, New Avalon, is where the Western Saint resides. He runs the academy there. Even the Valemonts can't fully control him."
Aryan's eyes grew distant, as though he could still see that cursed sky.
"For six months, the heavens bled red," he began quietly. "And in that half-year, the world was remade. Trade collapsed. The seas belonged to beasts. The skies were ruled by wings sharp as blades. On land, the monsters were everywhere."
Anand listened in silence as Aryan went on.
"Those who fought back, the arisen , were given ranks—E to S, like steps on a ladder of survival. But later, the truth emerged: power could grow endlessly. Eleven realms were named. And only two ever climbed higher than the that." His voice dropped. "They were always at the front lines, never meddling in politics . Each bore a contract with a Divine Beast. Some said they were blessed by gods. Together, the world called them the Dual Saints."
He exhaled, shoulders heavy.
"Years passed, and peace was bought—on the sacrifices of many. But peace has its enemies. Old grudges festered, and those who envied us gathered under one banner to erase the Family. Even two of our Nobles betrayed us."
Anand stiffened, but Aryan continued, steady as stone.
"The leader had foreseen it. He had gathered strength in light and shadow alike. preparing for the war that was sure to come. The organization also went through a strict reform. That war only fueled the society's expansion to another level."
"Many managed to survive only because of the intervention of the Eastern Saint and the three major powers. The people leading that war were executed on the spot. The noble families who betrayed were erased to the last blood. The remaining were put to forced labor for five years."
"In this way," Aryan concluded, his voice firm.
"The organization maintained its power."
Aryan concluded his grim narrative, the last words hanging in the tense silence of the gazebo. He waited, his breath held, for a reaction. A frown of shock? A question of horror?
But neither came.
Anand simply smiled, a slow, knowing expression that crinkled the corners of his eyes. There was no pity or disgust in it, only a profound, quiet pride. He acknowledged the brutal decisions and the bloodshed, not with condemnation, but with approval, as if the society had acted exactly as he had intended it to.
Aryan's voice softened, but his words carried an edge of awe.
"Not long after, people began to notice something… strange. Children born after the Cataclysm weren't the same as before. Most of them carried a faint spark — just enough to be a little tougher, a little faster. Nothing remarkable, but enough to survive. Only a few, the rare ones, showed real power… the kind that set them apart from the rest."
Anand raised an eyebrow. "So the world itself was… changing the bloodline?"
"Exactly." Aryan nodded. "But the most gifted of all were those born during the six months when the sky ran red. They were sharper, faster, stronger. It was as if that cursed sky branded them with fate itself."
His tone lowered.
"The Dual Saints saw this. And they came to an agreement — the next generation had to be forged, not left to chance. So they founded institutions, one in each of the great powers. What began as training grounds… became the very hearts of the alliances. Capitals not just of politics, but of power."
Anand leaned back, absorbing it all. Aryan pressed on.
"In the East, balance settled around four Great Families. Countless second- and third-rate clans and guilds survived too, carving out domains of their own. But none match the grip of the Society. As of now Forty percent of the Eastern Alliance's economy flows through our hands." A faint smile touched his lips, though it held no humor.