For thousands of years, the dragons of the realms held their breath, waiting in silence. On this night, the silence shattered. The skies cracked open with thunder, lightning splitting the clouds and illuminating the raging sea below. The ocean roared in fury, stirring up vicious waves that crashed against one another. Beneath those turbulent waters lay a cave carved into the ocean floor, the resting place of Longwang, the ancient god of the seas and ruler of dragons, also known as the Dragon King.
A brilliant flash of golden light exploded from the tomb, piercing the depths and soaring upward. Within, the Dragon King's eyes slowly opened, gleaming like molten gold. Slit pupils narrowed against the light, and faint scales shimmered along his forearms, marks of his ancient draconic bloodline. A dragon-shaped aura burst from his body, howling across the sky with power and grief. The spirit rose high above the sea, then dove back down through the water, merging once more with its master.
The roar awakened his loyal companion, Baiying.
Outside the tomb, the Dragon King's army, a force of dragons and ancient warriors, knelt in absolute silence. Their heads bowed, their blades lowered. They had never abandoned their post, even through centuries of waiting. Above, Baiying, the White Warrior Dragon, let out a roar that split the sky, flames spiraling into the storm. The storm intensified, racing across all six realms like a long-held breath finally released.
The Dragon King rose slowly from his stone bed. His body was weary, stiff from centuries of healing sleep, but power rippled from him, ancient and unrestrained. He stepped forward, out of the shadows and into the fury of the storm.
His voice was low and unshaken. "Prepare yourselves. The time has come to return to the Tianlong Realm."
With a thunderous landing, Baiying appeared before him. The Dragon King climbed onto its back, and together they soared into the sky, his army taking flight and following in tight formation behind them.
Meanwhile, in the Forest Realm, the Fox King was welcoming his first daughter, Lin'er, into the world. His den, nestled deep within the heart of an ancient grove, trembled beneath the storm's fury. Rain poured relentlessly, battering the ground with a force that seemed to echo the tension of the skies above. The winds howled like restless spirits, and the walls of the den creaked under the weight of flooding waters.
The Fox Queen cried out in agony, her breaths shallow, her strength nearly spent. Her skin and clothes were drenched, her once gleaming eyes dimming. With one final, desperate push, a radiant light burst forth, a golden glow in the shape of a tiny dragon. The glowing wisp drifted through the rain-soaked air before sinking into the newborn's body. Behind the infant's neck, a delicate mark began to glow, an unmistakable symbol shaped like a dragon, shimmering faintly.
The Fox King and Queen stared at their daughter, awestruck and silent. Never in all the ancestral scrolls had there been mention of a child born with such a mark. A chill ran through the Fox King's spine. Whatever it was, it did not belong to their realm. Fearing the implications, they made an unspoken vow, "No one must know." The Queen, with the last of her energy, pressed her trembling hand to the mark, and formed a seal to conceal it.
The baby girl let out a small cry… and then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
And as if the world itself responded to her presence, the storm began to ease. The winds stilled. The rain softened. The floodwaters began to recede, as if retreating at her silent command. The once-violent storm dissolved into a peaceful hush, and moonlight broke gently through the canopy of clouds.
The Fox King cradled his newborn close, her warmth soft against his chest. The storm that had threatened to tear their realm apart now faded into gentle rain. Whatever force had touched her birth, it was beyond comprehension. Not a curse, but a quiet miracle.
For a full month, the Forest Realm rejoiced. Songs echoed through the trees. Lanterns floated along rivers now calm and clear. Yet beneath the celebration, an unseen thread had already begun to pull.
A fate long buried in myth had begun to stir, weaving Lin'er's life with that of the awakened Dragon King. Two powers—one reborn, the other just beginning—set on a path that would awaken ancient truths and shape the fate of all six realms.