The mountains of Ryūzan echoed with the clash of blades and the whisper of ancient winds. Snow clung to the peaks like memories left untouched for centuries, and deep in the valley where fire once scorched the earth, a boy stood with a wooden sword in hand—bruised, breathless, but unyielding.
Kaien Ryugami.
The name was spoken with a sneer in the mouths of the villagers. Half human, half dragon—spawn of disgrace. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father, a full-blooded dragonkin from the ancient Ryugami Clan, had vanished into legend.
"Monster!""Why don't you spit fire already, freak?""You'll never be a real cultivator!"
Their taunts followed him like shadows, but Kaien no longer flinched. His amber eyes—slitted like a dragon's—glowed faintly in the dim light as he picked himself up again and again, practicing in the forgotten courtyard behind the crumbling dojo of his ancestors.
His breath turned into mist. The wind had changed.
And that's when she arrived.
A procession of silver carriages passed through the snowy mountain trail, guarded by knights in robes of sky blue and steel. At their center sat a girl, calm and regal, her silvery-white hair cascading down her back like snowfall in moonlight.
Lady Yuki Himetsuru.
The Frostborn Heir of the Himetsuru Clan—the Ice Elemental Mages descended from the Snow Queen of the Northern Reign. Revered. Admired. Feared.
And as cold as the glaciers of her homeland.
Her carriage stopped before the Ryugami ruins. She stepped down silently, her blue eyes scanning the neglected courtyard—and met the gaze of Kaien, who had paused mid-swing, panting.
"You're bleeding," she said flatly, looking at his bruised hand.
Kaien wiped his knuckles. "I know."
"You're weak."
"I know."
"You won't survive the entrance trials with technique that sloppy," she said, turning to leave.
Something stirred in Kaien's chest. He didn't know why, but he shouted, "Then teach me."
She stopped.
The knights looked at him as though he had committed treason. One drew his blade, but Yuki raised her hand.
"Why should I?" she asked without turning around.
Kaien stepped forward, eyes blazing with something even he didn't understand yet. "Because I'll defeat you one day. And I want you to see what a 'half-blood disgrace' is really capable of."
For a moment, the wind fell silent.
Then she looked over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. "You have ten days until the entrance trials. I'll watch once. If you bore me, I'll freeze your tongue and leave."
And just like that, she vanished into the snow mist, leaving Kaien standing alone—heart pounding—not from fear… but from something else.
The fire in his blood had finally met the cold that could shape it.
And so began a story written in flame and frost—of forbidden bloodlines, ancient secrets, martial duels, magical beasts, and a destiny that would defy the ages.