In a land as green as the eye could see, there was a kingdom ruled by King Leonard Lionheart.
He lived there with his wife, Queen Marry, and their two sons: Prince Jhon and Prince Eyrix.
The king was noble in the eyes of his people. He never enslaved them, treated his children kindly, and ruled with a fair heart.
But when a great sickness swept through the kingdom, many of his people died and so did Queen Marry.
After her passing, the king was devastated. With his people gone, his lands in ruin, and profits lost, the king fell into sorrow.
His heart darkened, and he began to favor his eldest son, Prince Jhon. Years passed, and as Prince Jhon prepared to take the throne, the king grew cold toward Prince Eyrix.
He began to see Eyrix as a stain on his bloodline a worthless child.
So when Jhon turned 17, and Eyrix was 14, the king did the unthinkable: he hired an assassin to kill Eyrix, offering one hundred gold coins for his head.
But if the assassin failed, the king warned, he would take the assassin's head instead.
The assassin lured young Prince Eyrix to the outer fields, far from the castle and watchful eyes.
As he drew his dagger, Eyrix noticed the danger and fled into the nearby woods a place whispered to be cursed and crawling with vile monsters.
The assassin, believing the forest would kill the boy, returned to the king and reported his escape.
The king, satisfied, paid him the gold and told the people that the young prince had been slain by monsters.
Prince Jhon, upon hearing this, was furious and swore revenge on the creatures of the forest.
But Prince Eyrix was not dead. The stories were lies. The forest was not cursed.
The monsters were not evil they were kind.
As Eyrix journeyed deeper, he saw something incredible:
a dragon, mighty and ancient, roaring to the sky and summoning lightning with a single cry.
The prince was awestruck. For days, he watched the dragon in silence.
Then one day, the dragon spoke.
"Human, why are you here?"
Eyrix froze. He hadn't believed dragons could talk.
The dragon roared again:
"Come here. I will not eat you. If you are so interested in my power, learn it."
Eyrix, now more excited than afraid, stepped forward and asked,
"Can you please teach me how you do it?"
The dragon looked at him and replied:
"First, you must prove yourself through five challenges."
Eyrix nodded.
"I will do it. No matter what it is."
The dragon rumbled with approval.
"Then get some rest. Tomorrow, we begin."
And with that, the dragon vanished into the trees.