Panas, here is Chapter 4 rewritten in detailed form (~1500+ words) and f
If someone asked a simple question—
"Why didn't the Ether Empire stop the corruption of its nobles?"
The answer would seem obvious.
After all, the empire was the most powerful nation on the continent of Preta.
It possessed massive armies.
Unimaginable wealth.
And above all…
The authority of the royal family.
Even if the dragon bloodline had weakened, the empire should still have had more than enough power to suppress rebellious nobles, control greedy merchants, eliminate bandits, and maintain order.
Yet none of that happened.
Instead, corruption spread through the empire like a disease.
Nobles became arrogant.
Officials ignored their duties.
And the authority of the crown slowly collapsed.
To understand why…
One must look back thirty years into the past.
Back to a tragedy that changed the fate of the empire forever.
A night that the history books later named—
The Blood Night.
---
Thirty years ago, the Ether Empire was ruled by a man known as Emperor Valdric von Voldigord.
At the beginning of his reign, Valdric had been considered a strong ruler.
He was intelligent.
Decisive.
And deeply devoted to the future of the empire.
But like many powerful men…
He carried a fear deep inside his heart.
A fear that slowly consumed him.
For centuries, the royal family of the Ether Empire had claimed descent from one of the Seven Ancient Dragons.
Aurathion — the Dragon of Pride.
Those who awakened the dragon bloodline possessed extraordinary power.
Their bodies were stronger than ordinary humans.
Their aura could overwhelm entire battlefields.
And their magical abilities were capable of destroying armies.
This power had been the foundation of the empire's dominance.
But as generations passed, the dragon bloodline slowly became thinner.
Weaker.
And eventually…
It stopped appearing altogether.
By the time Valdric ascended the throne, no member of the royal family had awakened the dragon bloodline for decades.
At first, the emperor simply worried about the future.
But worry slowly turned into fear.
And fear eventually turned into obsession.
Valdric became convinced of one terrifying possibility.
What if the dragon bloodline disappeared during my reign?
What if history remembers me as the emperor who destroyed the empire?
That thought haunted him day and night.
He could barely sleep.
Every council meeting, every report, every battlefield victory—
None of it eased the fear inside him.
Because he believed that without the dragon bloodline…
The empire would eventually fall.
And so he began searching for a solution.
Ancient texts were brought from distant libraries.
Forgotten scrolls were studied by royal scholars.
Court mages searched through forbidden knowledge.
But none of them could find a way to restore the dragon bloodline.
Years passed.
And with each passing year, the emperor grew more desperate.
Eventually…
He crossed a line that no ruler should ever cross.
He turned toward forbidden rituals.
---
Deep beneath the royal palace, hidden chambers were opened.
Ancient magic circles were carved into stone floors.
Dark rituals began to take place in secret.
The purpose of these rituals was simple.
To force the dragon bloodline to awaken.
The rituals required sacrifices.
At first, the victims were criminals.
Murderers.
Bandits.
Traitors condemned to death.
Few people questioned it.
After all, they were already meant to die.
But the rituals failed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The dragon bloodline refused to awaken.
With each failure, the emperor's sanity eroded.
Soon criminals were no longer enough.
Prisoners of war were sacrificed.
Then citizens accused of minor crimes.
Eventually…
Even innocent people began disappearing.
Rumors spread through the empire.
People whispered about strange rituals beneath the palace.
But no one dared confront the emperor.
Valdric still ruled with absolute authority.
And opposing the emperor was equivalent to treason.
Years passed under this growing darkness.
Then finally…
An heir was born.
The entire empire celebrated.
At last, the emperor had a son.
A future ruler.
A possible dragon heir.
But when Emperor Valdric first saw the child…
His heart sank.
The baby was weak.
Painfully fragile.
His tiny body trembled constantly.
Even breathing seemed difficult.
Royal physicians worked day and night to keep him alive.
Many believed the child had been cursed by the emperor's dark rituals.
For Valdric…
The child's weakness destroyed his final hope.
Instead of a powerful dragon heir…
Fate had given him a sickly boy.
The emperor's already unstable mind finally broke.
He blamed the child.
He blamed fate.
He blamed the gods.
The young prince was locked away inside the palace.
Hidden from public view.
Ignored by the royal court.
But something miraculous had happened.
Unknown to everyone…
The boy had awakened a dragon bloodline.
But it was not the bloodline of Aurathion.
Instead, he carried the power of Seraphyne — the Dragon of Compassion.
Unlike Aurathion's proud and overwhelming strength, Seraphyne's power was gentle.
Those who inherited her bloodline possessed extraordinary empathy.
They could feel the pain of others.
They instinctively wished to protect the weak.
As the prince grew older, his personality reflected this power.
He treated servants with kindness.
He comforted frightened workers.
He helped injured animals.
Despite living in isolation, he became known among palace staff as a gentle soul.
But to Emperor Valdric…
Compassion was weakness.
And weakness was unforgivable.
---
Years passed.
The emperor's obsession with power only grew stronger.
Finally, he decided to perform one last ritual.
A spell unlike anything the empire had ever seen.
Beneath the palace, an enormous sacrificial circle was constructed.
Its purpose was horrifying.
Valdric intended to sacrifice the entire royal family.
By offering their blood to the ritual, he believed he could awaken ultimate dragon power within himself.
Court mages tried to stop him.
Priests begged him to reconsider.
But the emperor no longer listened to reason.
The ritual began on a stormy night.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
Lightning flashed above the palace towers.
The royal family gathered inside the underground chamber.
Candles surrounded the massive magic circle.
Ancient runes glowed faintly.
Then the ritual began.
At first, nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The magic spiraled out of control.
The sacrificial circle began devouring everything around it.
Royal family members screamed as dark energy consumed them.
Even Emperor Valdric himself was dragged into the magic he had created.
The ritual devoured him completely.
When the chaos finally ended…
Almost the entire royal family was dead.
That night became known across the empire as—
The Blood Night.
---
When the sun rose the next morning, the empire awoke to shocking news.
The royal family had been wiped out.
Only one survivor remained.
The forgotten prince.
The fragile boy who had spent most of his life locked inside the palace.
No one expected him to rule.
No one believed he could rule.
Yet fate had chosen him.
The boy ascended the throne as Emperor Alric von Voldigord.
The first ruler blessed by the bloodline of Seraphyne — the Dragon of Compassion.
Unlike his father…
Alric ruled with kindness.
He helped the poor.
Protected the weak.
And believed that even his enemies deserved mercy.
But the nobles saw something different.
They saw weakness.
They mocked his compassion.
They ignored his authority.
Slowly…
The empire began to decay from within.
Corruption spread through the noble houses.
Greedy merchants gained influence.
Bandits controlled trade routes.
And the authority of the crown continued to weaken.
Yet Emperor Alric never gave up.
He tried again and again to guide the empire back to stability.
Because he believed one thing above all else.
That compassion could change the world.
But history would soon prove something tragic.
Compassion alone…
Was not enough to save an empire.