Prologue: THE PROPHECY OF THE PROMISED KINGDOM

Long before the rise of kings and the fall of empires, a prophecy was recorded.

No one knew who had created it, where it had first appeared, or how many generations had passed since its discovery. Its origins had vanished into the depths of history, leaving behind only fragments that scholars struggled to understand.

Yet one passage endured.

When the world stands divided by hatred, and the strong forget the suffering of the weak, one soul shall cross the boundary between worlds.

Fourteen shall walk beside him.

Seven shall embody the sins that corrupt the heart.

Seven shall embody the virtues that raise it beyond its limits.

They shall not be mere weapons, nor servants bound to a master's will. Each shall possess a soul, a purpose, and a truth the world has long refused to face.

Through their union, the divided world shall be brought beneath one banner.

And from the ashes of the old order, a kingdom shall rise, a place where no soul is denied the right to be loved.

No name accompanied the prophecy.

No date.

No explanation of how fourteen beings representing opposing ideals could ever stand together, let alone unite a divided world.

Some believed it foretold the coming of a saviour. Others feared it described a conqueror who would bring every nation beneath his rule. Many dismissed it as nothing more than an old myth.

But the prophecy offered no answers.

Only questions.

Who was the soul destined to cross the boundary between worlds?

Why fourteen?

And what could possibly unite the seven sins of the heart with the seven virtues that stood against them?

Perhaps it was a promise.

Perhaps a warning.

Or perhaps its words had been misunderstood for centuries.

Whatever the truth, one thing remained certain.

The Fourteen had not gathered.

The promised kingdom had not risen.

And the world remained divided.

For now, the prophecy was nothing more than an unanswered mystery, buried beneath the weight of forgotten history.

Yet somewhere beyond the reach of those who studied its words, the first step towards its fulfilment was approaching.

An ordinary life was about to end.

And another was about to begin.