Darkness surrounded everything.
There was no sky, no ground —
just an empty void frozen in time,
as if this place had no concept of hours or years.
And within that hollow void...
lay an ancient, cold space, hidden for centuries.
There, a man's soul was suspended mid-air — bound by heavy chains.
No breath. No movement.
His face showed no trace of emotion —
as if pain, anger, and hope had all been abandoned long ago.
Only a faint, flickering glow escaped from the chains —
like an eternal lamp that had never gone out.
Time itself had stopped in that place.
And then, the silence was broken —
by a tiny ripple of movement...
From deep within the darkness,
a small figure emerged — slowly pushing through the shadows.
A tiny creature — Slow Reviver.
With each step, black mist rose from the ground beneath it.
It moved slowly and deliberately,
yet each step carried weight —
as if burdened by an ancient oath.
Its spiral shell flickered with a dim, black flame,
and its eyes were hollow and distant —
as if even it had forgotten why it had returned.
As it approached, the air grew heavier.
The shadows deepened.
And still, it came…
This was it — Slow Reviver.
The final Fang, created for only one purpose.
The bound soul opened its eyes —
for the first time in centuries.
He looked straight at the small figure.
For a few moments, they stared at each other —
a silent understanding passed between them, needing no words.
And then, the soul whispered:
> "So... you've finally come."
Slow Reviver stopped in front of him.
A tiny black flame rose from its spiral shell —
and with a sharp crack, an ancient seal shattered.
The ground trembled.
The chains began to shake.
Old moonlight-bound mantras —
which had held this soul captive for five hundred years —
began to melt away.
> "Slow Reviver… the time has come,"
the voice echoed from within the soul —
and for the first time, there was pain in his will to live.
And in that darkness...
Another crack echoed through the air.
Rebirth... had begun
He's... alive!!"
A woman screamed —
her voice trembling with pain… and disbelief.
The agony of childbirth hadn't even faded yet,
but in that single moment —
it felt as if the entire palace had frozen in one breath.
Then...
a cold gust of wind swept through —
and right after...
...a tiny breath
shivered through the silence.
A child —
silent, absolutely still...
slowly opened his eyes.
No crying,
no screaming,
not even the slightest glimpse of life.
As if this child…
had already lived once before.
From inside, the midwife's tired voice echoed:
> "It's a prince..."
Everyone's footsteps halted.
All eyes locked onto the child.
That moment —
which should've been the happiest day in the kingdom —
was instead wrapped in a strange, eerie silence.
The midwife lifted the child...
and placed him gently in the mother's arms.
Her tears wouldn't stop —
but the child...
remained lifeless even in her embrace.
No smile on his face,
no trace of new life.
Only in his eyes...
a deep, hollow calm.
As if he were a traveler from another age.
As if an entire era was buried within him.
Then, suddenly,
everyone's gaze fell to his chest —
a small, yet deep mark.
Like the imprint of an ancient seal...
one that appears only on those
even the gods fear to touch.
It was the Seal of Moonfang Eternis.
And that seal meant only one thing —
that every memory, every ounce of his soul's power... had been locked away.
> "My soul power… it's sealed.
Not yet…
but one day, I'll have to break it."
That voice echoed inside him —
though he couldn't even understand why it existed.
Just then...
the door creaked open.
A deep, powerful aura entered the room —
a man with jet-black hair, lightning in his eyes.
Every step echoed like thunder,
and his presence... felt like he knew everything.
Everyone bowed low —
"Your Majesty!" they all said in unison.
The king approached the mother,
and looked down at the child.
There was a flicker of sorrow on his face —
but in his eyes,
a blinding, unreadable gleam.
> "I've come to see the prince…"
Those words...
hung in the air like a strange echo,
floating through the palace halls.
The king looked at the prince for a few moments —
there was no pride in his eyes, no warmth.
Just a cold, measuring stare,
as if he were looking at a memory long buried.
Then, he turned to the queen.
A heavy silence passed between them.
Her eyes were filled with tears,
but not a single line moved on the king's face.
> "Take care of him..."
he said quietly,
and without another word...
he turned away.
His footsteps echoed like a ghost through the hall.
He left — as if he had never been there.
And just then…
those newly opened eyes blinked slowly,
watching the man walk away.
And from within, a soft voice rose:
> "That... is my father?"
In my past life, I wasn't born of royal blood...
No crown blessed my head,
No legacy carried my name.
All I had...
was a sword bound by an oath,
and a Fang awakened through my blood.
I asked for nothing —
but I built everything.
I was the one who forged Loftus,
a kingdom that stood for justice.
A place where every bowed head rose again,
and every slave learned the taste of freedom.
But when Loftus touched the skies,
the world trembled in fear.
Seven kingdoms — who I had never harmed —
united in betrayal…
and struck me down in cold deceit.
My sword fell,
my people vanished,
and Loftus...
was torn from my hands.
Everything I built —
was stolen from me...
while I still breathed."
They sealed me in a place so far beyond reach…
a void where even time refused to exist,
where no soul could return from.
But before the seal was complete…
I used my most loyal Fang —
Slow Reviver —
the one born not to kill,
but to remember.
And because of that final sacrifice…
I'm here today.
Alive.
Breathing.
Returned."
----------------------------------------------------------
[Lore Note – Fang: Slow Reviver]
(Writer's Note – Not part of the story)
Slow Reviver is a Divine-class Fang. It appears like a snail — small, slow-moving, but containing unimaginable power.
✦ Ability:
> "This Fang consumes one or more of the user's memories, and in return, brings them back to life once."
But its rules are strict:
One-time use only.
After a single revival, this Fang becomes free from its soul contract.
Memory sacrifice:
The user comes back to life, but never knows what memories were lost in return.
Seal duration:
Immediately after revival, Slow Reviver is sealed for 100 years.
This Fang is not a blessing, but a tragedy.
It grants life…
----------------------------------------------------------