If there is only one man in this world who has attained power, magic, fame, and wealth conquering all it is none other than Zephyros Nox Imperius, the Emperor of Sorcerers.
As he faced execution, devoid of any fear of death, he instead laughed aloud; his final words inspired every sorcerer in the world to embark on a quest for something that had, until then, been dismissed as mere myth and fantasy.
That object was the Ancient Relic.
"Do you desire my Ancient Relic? If you want it, then take it—find it and claim it for yourselves. I dedicate it to this world," were the Emperor of Sorcerers' final words.
His words held the power to reshape the very fabric of the world.
Fueled by absolute faith in those words, sorcerers from across the globe surged forth in waves, venturing toward the world's most perilous and forbidden paths.
Thus began the Golden Age of Sorcerers.
Years later…
The search for that ancient artifact remained unfinished; as the years passed, its mystery only deepened.
Those who dared to venture down the forbidden paths never returned no traces, no answers, only silence… and a growing unease.
Yet, the world did not stand still.
Now, within a mystical forest untouched by the passage of time, a new journey was about to begin.
The forest was dense, teeming with magical creatures. Trees stretched endlessly toward the sky; their forms were bizarre, appearing to belong to another world entirely. The foliage shimmered faintly, and the fruits hanging from twisted branches seemed almost alive as if whispering secrets to the wind.
Then, a melody rang out.
It was soft, pure, and enchanting.
The sound of a flute echoed throughout the forest; it felt so beautiful almost divine as if the very wind itself had begun to sing.
High above the ground, perched upon the branch of a towering tree, sat a solitary figure.
A young man of sixteen.
He sat playing his flute in quiet serenity, appearing as if he belonged to the forest itself.
He was no ordinary human.
He was a Wind Sorcerer a being whose very existence transcended the boundaries of humanity.
With him… the next great saga was about to unfold.
His name was Merlin Veydris Malvernis,a young man of serenity, cheerful, fearless, and a genius in disguise.
Perched high above the forest, Merlin appeared less like a mere mortal and more like the living embodiment of a legend a youth touched by wild, untamed magic.
His skin did not possess a flat, matte finish; instead, it shimmered with a luminous blue hue, as if the very air and sky had fused with his flesh. The light did not merely fall upon him; it seemed to curve around him, lending his form a divine radiance. His face was exquisitely sculpted, featuring smooth, flawless features that held a unique blend of youthful innocence and the serene, all-knowing wisdom of the ancients. His eyes were large and deep; they gleamed like the twilight sky just before a storm—dark at their centers, yet encircled by a subtle, swirling silvery luminescence, as if currents of wind were shifting within their depths.
As dark as a moonless night, his long hair flowed freely; it rippled gently, yet it was never truly still. Even in moments of apparent repose, its strands would softly sway and dance, as if responding to an invisible breeze that only he could command. Tucked within his hair was a vibrant peacock feather; its rainbow-hued "eye" shimmered with shifting shades of green and blue a symbol that simultaneously bespoke beauty and latent power.
Upon his head rested an ancient-looking hat woven from fresh wild blossoms; it sat tilted at a slight angle. Its worn fabric, as if having held that form for centuries, fell in natural folds a deep midnight blue, bordering on black. It seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it; yet, nestled within it were wildflowers of brilliant red, yellow, and soft white each petal flawless and pristine. Although the surrounding branches remained motionless, the flowers within the hat stirred gently, as if to suggest that the wind obeyed him alone.
Faint runes were etched along its brim invisible to the casual eye, yet impossible to ignore once perceived.
And those two small golden stars did not merely shine; they watched. The hat did not appear to belong to him; rather, it seemed as though he belonged to the hat.
His robes were at once simple and divine: a loose garment woven in earthy saffron and gold. As he moved, slender threads simmered as if the fabric had been woven not by human hands, but by the very wind itself clinging lightly to his form. Golden ornaments adorned him—delicate earrings, bracelets, and layered necklaces—yet none appeared heavy; they seemed to float gently, barely grazing his skin, as if gravity held but a tenuous grip upon him.
In his hands, he held a slender flute carved from pale wood. At first glance, it appeared ordinary; yet, along its length, faint runic patterns swirled glowing softly whenever his fingers moved. As he played, the music did not merely echo it flowed. Falling leaves hung suspended in mid-air, petals swirled in rhythm, and even the wind seemed to murmur in response.
All around him, the forest reacted like a living audience. The wind swirled around him in gentle currents,tossing his hair, caressing his skin, and carrying his music far beyond the trees. It was not merely that he controlled the wind,the wind adored him.
Even in his youth, there was something awe-inspiring about his presence. It was neither menacing nor oppressive yet it felt vast and expansive, like standing before an endless sky.
He was no mere youth.
He was the calm before the storm... and, indeed, the storm that had yet to awaken.
High above the world—in a place where even the wind seemed to whisper softly—Merlin sat upon the topmost branch of a towering tree.
The branch did not bend beneath his weight.
It welcomed him.
He rested there, one leg dangling loosely while the other remained folded beneath him, his flute lying idly across his lap. His long, dark hair swayed gently in a breeze that seemed to exist solely for him. Below, the forest stretched out endlessly—a sea of green shimmering with life, mystery, and a quiet magic.
Golden light filtered through the leaves, painting the world in a soft, tender embrace. Petals drifted through the air like wandering spirits, and the distant murmurs of nature blended into a tranquil melody.
Merlin gazed upon it all... his eyes serene, yet filled with a profound vision.
"...Beauty," he murmured softly to himself.
His voice was gentle, yet the wind seemed eager to hear it, carrying it away upon its breath.
"For something so teeming with life... it offers a strange tranquility," Merlin continued, speaking to himself in quiet appreciation.
He leaned back slightly against the trunk of the tree, gazing upward through the gaps in the foliage at the sky stretching out beyond.
A brief moment of silence passed.
Then, a faint smile touched his lips gentle , yet imbued with something deep and profound.
"...The Emperor of Sorcerers," Merlin whispered into his dream.
He held those words in his mind, as if testing their weight.
"Not a golden throne... not the power of fear... but a sky beholden to no one," Merlin thought, filled with a sense of freedom.
His fingers traced the contours of the flute gently , almost absentmindedly.
The wind stirred a little more strongly, swirling around him as if in understanding.
His eyes grew sharp not with arrogance, but with a quiet determination.
"I will attain it," Merlin resolved.
He spoke to himself silently without theatrics, without drama,it was simply absolute certainty.
Beneath him, the forest stirred; it seemed to bow not to a ruler, but rather to a dream that had already begun to take shape.
Merlin closed his eyes and raised the flute once more.
As its first note resonated, the forest listened.
A sudden scream shattered the calm.
Merlin's flute fell silent.
His silver eyes lifted.
Not far away near a still, glass-like pond a boy lay curled on the ground, his arms shielding his head as blows rained down on him.
Two sorcerers stood over him.
They were kicking, striking and laughing at him.
Cruelty without reason.
The boy Myles Wood was nothing more than a slave to them. A living target for their boredom. And today… he was their entertainment.
Merlin watched.
For a moment, the forest held its breath.
Then—
"Hey, stop" came the voice.
His voice cut through the air, cold, sharp and commanding.
It didn't echo.
It pressed.
The two sorcerers froze mid-motion.
They turned.
Myles, trembling, lowered his arms slightly and looked.
And then...He forgot how to breathe.
The boy standing on the branch above did not look human.
Luminous blue skin that shimmered faintly in the light.
Eyes like polished silver.
Long black hair drifting with the wind, as if it obeyed him.
He looked… unreal, dangerous and beautiful.
"Who are you?, What are you doing in our hideout?!" one of the sorcerers snapped, masking fear with anger.
This forest once untouched had recently become their territory.
And now...Someone had walked in uninvited.
Merlin tilted his head slightly.
His expression did not change.
"I was just passing by, but it got noisy." he said calmly.
The words landed like an insult.
Rage flared up instantly.
"Kill him!" they roared
Both sorcerers lunged forward, wooden blades forming in their hands jagged, sharpened from the forest itself.
Myles shut his eyes tight.
This is it…
"You're going to die!" they roared.
They struck.
A scream tore through the air—
"Agh—!"
Then—
CRACK!
A sharp, violent sound split the silence.
And then...Nothing.
No wind no movement and just stillness.
Slowly...Myles lowered his hands.
His vision blurred for a second.
Then cleared.
And his eyes widened.
The sorcerers' blades once raised to kill—were shattered.
Broken.
Their splintered tips were buried deep in the ground… far behind Merlin.
The two sorcerers stood frozen, shaking.
Their eyes filled with something new.
That is fear.
Because Merlin hadn't moved.
Not even a step.
Not even a breath.
He simply stood there… untouched and hurt.
"…What's the deal?" Merlin asked casually, as if mildly disappointed.
Their voices cracked.
"W-Who… are you…?" they whispered, no longer shouting only begging for understanding.
Merlin smiled faintly.
"Me?" said Merlin
After a pause he smiled.
"Merlin Veydris Malvernis, Pleased to meet you" he introduced himself softly.
The moment his name left his lips something changed.
The air grew heavier.
The two sorcerers' faces drained of color.
Recognition.
Terror.
Without another word, they turned and ran.
Screaming.
Not fighting.
Not resisting.
Just fleeing.
Within seconds...they were gone.
Silence returned to the forest.
Myles remained where he was frozen.
"…What just happened…?" he whispered.
Because what stood before him…
Wasn't just a boy.
It was something far beyond that.
Far from the pond the two fleeing sorcerers crashed into the ground, skidding across dry earth.
Dust rose swirled.
Gathered unnaturally… as if drawn by an unseen force.
From within that shifting cloud a figure emerged.
Alvira.
Her form was hunched and frail, yet her presence carried a suffocating weight. Wrinkled skin clung to her bones, her eyes sharp and venomous. In her hand rested a crooked wooden staff, pulsing faintly with dark magic.
The moment the two sorcerers saw her they dropped to their knees trembling.
"Who,is the most beautiful lady in this world?"Alvira croaked, her voice dry as dead leaves.
"Y-You! Of course,it is you!" they answered instantly, voices shaking in perfect unison.
A slow, twisted smile spread across her face.
"Good," Alvira said.
Her expression shifted.
"Now… where is that slave?" she asked sharply.
The two glanced at each other, panic rising again.
"We-we had him with us, as usual! But then someone appeared!" one stammered.
"He came out of nowhere! He didn't look human his presence was… wrong!" the other added.
"He defeated us instantly! We couldn't even react! And his name..his name sounded powerful! We think… he might be that bounty hunter!" That one report in fear.
Alvira's eyes narrowed.
Shirogane Reiji…?, why would he come here?, did he hear about the bounty on my head… and come to kill me? Alvira thought with questions.
A low chuckle escaped her lips.
"...How interesting" she said with a smile
Meanwhile near the quiet pond, the forest seemed calm once more.
Myles stood awkwardly, still trying to process everything.
"Th-Thank you… for saving me, My name is Myles Wood… You're Merlin, right?" he said, bowing slightly.
Merlin barely reacted.
Instead, he glanced around, eyes scanning the unfamiliar forest.
"Forget that, where exactly am I?" he said casually.
Myles blinked.
"This forest... it's the hideout of the sorceress Alvira" Myles replied.
"I see" Merlin simply said.
Pause for a few seconds.
Merlin shrugged lightly.
"…Doesn't really matter" Merlin said nonchalantly.
Myles fell silent.
"…Oh," Myles whispered.
"By the way, as if discussing something trivial, "you wouldn't happen to have a dinghy or anything? Mine got swallowed by a giant vortex" Merlin continued.
Myles stared at him.
"…A vortex?" Myles wondered.
"Yeah, caught me off guard" Merlin replied casually.
He said it was like it was nothing.
Myles couldn't believe it.
"You survived that…?" Myles asked in surprise
Merlin didn't answer.
Instead—
"More importantly, is there an airship or flying boat around here?" he added
Myles hesitated… then nodded.
"There is follow me" to call Myles.
A short while later they arrived at a hidden clearing.
There, resting beneath layers of dust and neglect, was a small flying boat.
Its design was crude, imperfect but functional.
Merlin studied it.
"…That's a flying boat?, unimpressed" he asked.
"I built it, it took me two years…" Myles said quietly.
Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"Two years?" Merlin asked doubtfully.
He looked back at Myles.
"And you're just... leaving it here?" He asked another question.
Myles lowered his gaze.
"I... don't need it anymore, I built it to escape this place. But... I don't have the courage." Myles said with a weak laugh.
His voice trembled.
"I think... this is just my fate. To stay here... as a slave" he continued hopelessly.
Silence lingered.
Then—
"You're pathetic" Merlin said coldly.
The words hit like a blade.
Myles flinched.
"You're weak. No guts. No will," Merlin continued bluntly.
"T-That's too harsh…Please… don't say it like that…" Myles said, his voice breaking.
Merlin didn't soften.
"Then why are you still here?, why haven't you left?" he asked coldly.
"I can't!, just thinking about her—about Alvira—I…" Myles snapped, panic rising.
His body began to shake.
"I can't… I can't do it…" he continued shakily.
His legs trembled beneath him.
Fear had rooted itself deep inside.
Merlin watched him quietly.
And in that moment he understood.
This wasn't just fear.
Myles had already surrendered.
Not to Alvira.
But to his own despair.
"Merlin… why are you traveling the world?" Myles asked quietly.
Merlin didn't hesitate.
"See ya, I'm going to become the Emperor of Sorcerers" Merlin revealed the reason for his dream trip.
Silence for a few seconds
Then shock prevailed.
"WHAAT?!, The Emperor of Sorcerers?! You want the whole world to kneel before you?!" Myles nearly fell over.
Merlin shrugged.
"Not exactly… but I will attain everything" Merlin said with a smile.
Myles froze.
"Wealth… fame… power… magic… You'd need all of it!, don't tell me—you're after the Ancient Relic… the legacy of Zephyros Nox Imperius?!" he stammered.
Merlin smiled.
"Yes" Merlin said with the same proud smile
Myles' face drained of color.
"Are you insane?! Every sorcerer in the world is chasing that thing!" Myles shouted.
Merlin's answer was simple"And so am I."
"It's impossible!,this is the Golden Age of Sorcerers! The odds are—"Myles shouted again.
SMACK!
Myles dropped to the ground, clutching his head.
"W-Why did you hit me?!" Myles hurriedly asked
"…You were being hysterical," Merlin replied calmly.
Myles forced a weak, broken smile.
"…I'm used to that"Myles said sadly with that weak smile
Merlin looked at him.
Then his presence changed.
"I'm not chasing this dream because I can,I'm doing it because I want to"Merlin said, voice steady and unwavering.
He paused.
"Even if I die trying… I'm fine with that" Merlin continued.
Silence fell.
Myles stared at him.
"What kind of person… says that so easily what… guts…" he whispered under his breath.
Merlin glanced at him.
"What was that?" Merlin asked, realizing something
Myles hesitated.
Then, Myles softly asked "…Do you think… I could be like that too?"
Merlin didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked away slightly.
"…Or maybe, you're just lying to yourself" he murmured, almost to himself.
Myles didn't understand.
But something inside him...shifted.
"No…I can do it" he said, clenching his fists.
His voice grew stronger.
"If I risk everything... if I stake my life on it... then maybe.... I can join the Royal Knights!" Myles is determined and emotional to convey.
Tears welled in his eyes.
Merlin smirked faintly.
"We'd end up as enemies, you know," Merlin asked tentatively.
"I don't care!, I'll fight for my dream!" Myles shouted.
Merlin's eyes flickered.
"The Royal Knights…" Merlin whispered softly smiling.
"I'll join them!, I'll capture Alvira myself! I'm done being a slave!" Myles continued.
Merlin studied him.
The fear was gone.
Replaced by something new.
Resolve.
Then CRASH!!!
The sky split with a violent impact.
The flying boat behind them exploded into splinters.
A dark presence descended.
Alvira.
"Who,do you think you're capturing,you pathetic runt?!"she roared.
Myles froze.
His body trembled instinctively.
"My… my boat…" he whispered in horror.
Alvira's eyes locked onto him.
"…So, you thought you could escape?" she asked with a smile that delighted in Myles' fear.
Then her gaze shifted to Merlin.
"…You're not Shirogane Reiji," she said, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"…Reiji?" Merlin echoed softly.
"Myles!" answer me!, who is the fairest in the whole world?!"she screeched.
Her voice warped the air itself.
Myles shook violently.
"O-of course… it's—" Myles stuttered.
Merlin casually raised a finger.
"…Who's this ugly old lady?" Merlin asked casually.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the watching sorcerers froze.
"…He's dead," one whispered.
Veins bulged across Alvira's face.
"Take that back!!!, Merlin, please—!" Myles panicked begging.
But then he remembered even if I die trying… it doesn't matter…
Myles stepped forward.
Myles stepped forward past Merlin.
And he faced Alvira directly, his legs trembled but he didn't stop.
"Lady Alvira…is the most hideous old hag in the world!!!" Myles shouted directly with a deep breath
Time froze.
Then merlin burst into laughter "HAHAHAHA!!"
Alvira snapped "you little worms!!!"
She swung her staff.
A massive thorn-covered boulder materialized, tearing through the air towards them.
"YOU'RE BOTH GOING TO DIE!!!" She roared in rage.
"M-MERLIN!!" Myles screamed.
"Good for you, Myles,I'll handle this" Merlin said, smiling.
The massive boulder crashed down and stopped.
Merlin held it in one hand and stood motionless.
"Impossible…!No one survives that!" Alvira gasped in surprise
Merlin grinned in said"I'm a Wind Sorcerer…And that didn't hurt."
The air shifted pressure built, invisible force tightened—
SHATTER!!!
The boulder exploded into fragments.
The wind surged forward a violent, unstoppable blast.
Alvira's scream was swallowed as she was hurled into the sky,vanishing beyond the forest.
She's gone.
Silence returned.
The two remaining sorcerers trembled uncontrollably.
"He… controlled the wind itself…" one whispered in fear.
"He's a monster…" another said in trembling.
Merlin pointed at them.
"Hey" he called out to them.
They snapped upright.
"Y-YES, SIR!!" they both said in fear.
"Let Myles go,he's joining the Royal Knights"Merlin said casually.
He paused for a moment.
"And get us a flying boat" Merlin asked.
"Y-yes, sir!!!" they agreed.
Moments later a sleek flying boat soared through the sky.
Myles stood beside Merlin, eyes shining.
"You… really ate a magical fruit, didn't you? The Arashi Fruit…" Myles asked as if it were something he had heard before.
Merlin smirked.
" Yeah, you know about it? Not bad," Merlin replied with a smile.
Myles hesitated.
"But… if you're going after the Ancient Relic… that means entering the Forbidden Paths…" Myles asked another question.
"Yeah" Merlin answered in one word.
"They call it… the Sorcerers' Graveyard…" Myles explained as he listened.
Merlin's eyes gleamed.
"That's why I'm building a squad," Merlin said bluntly.
He glanced ahead.
"That guy imprisoned at the Royal Knight Fortress… what's his name?" Merlin asked curiously.
"Shirogane Reiji," Myles replied.
Merlin smiled.
"If he's interesting… I'll recruit him" Merlin said with a calmly smile.
Myles panicked.
"Are you crazy ?! He's a demonic beast!" Myles shouted.
Merlin looked at the horizon.
"I don't judge based on rumours," Merlin said calmly.
Wind rushed past them, clouds parted.
"And besides…I've got a feeling about him" Merlin continued with a faint grin
The flying boat surged forward towards a distant city.
Toward destiny.
Towards the beginning of something far greater.
And so the journey of two young dreamers begins.
One who seeks to rule the whole world…And one who has finally learned to stand.