Reincarnated in the Astral World

Eleven years ago.

"Father! Father!!" A young boy's voice echoes along the riverbank.

Draven drops his fishing rod and rushes down the riverbank with a concerned expression. "Arthur? Where are you?"

"Here!" Young Arthur's voice rings out again, and Draven follows it, finding an unusual scene.

Arthur, just over a meter tall and looking like a four-year-old, despite being three yet, is still a little, innocent child with chubby cheeks and cute tiny fingers.

Despite this, the same child is now standing in front of a snake over two meters long. The creature has half of its body upright, its mouth open wide to show sharp fangs to Arthur.

But he doesn't move; there's no fear on his face, only curiosity. "Look," he points to a small bush beside him, and as Draven glances in that direction, he sees the grass rustling and a tiny tail poking out.

"A mouse?" Draven thinks aloud, then shakes his head and quickly reaches Arthur, pulling him away from the snake.

"Are you okay, Arthur?" Draven checks his son's body and finds no scratches, which leaves him puzzled.

He looks back at the snake and notices something in its eyes. "It's not hostility… it's fear?"

*Shhhhhh* The snake hisses at Arthur, completely ignoring Draven. The creature sees something in the innocent blue eyes of the little boy.

But Draven doesn't notice this and starts laughing proudly. "Hahaha! Look at you, Arthur. You've already got the aura of a warrior, scaring this poor snake, hahaha!"

"Warrior?" Arthur puts his finger to his lip with a thoughtful expression as he looks at his father.

As soon as Arthur breaks eye contact with the snake, the creature quickly slithers away without hesitation, making Draven laugh even more.

"Yeah, my son, you'll be a great warrior one day!" Draven pats Arthur's head affectionately.

Arthur looks confused but doesn't seem curious about that; instead, he's intrigued by the rustling leaves in the nearby bush. He crouches and starts to sift through them.

"What are you looking for?" Draven asks, curious.

Despite his clumsy movements due to his age, Arthur quickly grabs his target and lifts the small mouse, proudly showing it to his father.

"Oh? The little mouse?" Draven smiles. "Did you want to save him from the mean snake?"

"Save him?" Arthur looks at his father with confusion, his blue eyes shining like pearls.

"Yeah, save him," Draven repeats. "The little one was going to be the snake's prey, his predator. But you saved him by scaring off the snake."

The gleam in Arthur's eyes becomes even more pronounced, and he smiles. "Prey!" He raises the mouse and then looks in the direction where the snake fled. "Predator?"

"Exactly," Draven nods. "You're very smart, my son. And you also have a good hea—"

Draven falls silent as he sees the mouse struggling to break free from Arthur's grip, and watches in shock as Arthur snaps the creature's neck with a swift motion of his little fingers.

*Crack*

Due to the power of Draven and Aria's lineage, young Arthur already possesses incredible strength for his age, and drops of the mouse's blood splash on his face.

"Arthur?!?" Draven is shocked.

But Arthur looks even happier and prouder, raising the dead mouse to show his father. "Prey!!" he exclaims, then pulls the mouse's body against his chest. "Predator!!"

"No, Arthur!" Draven exclaims, quickly taking the dead mouse out of his son's hands before wiping the drops of blood off his face. "You misunderstood it, my son! Ahh… it's okay; your father will teach you the right way."

"Right?" Arthur asks, confused again. "Not predator?"

"…" Draven doesn't know what to say. He cleans Arthur up and quickly returns home. "It's better if we don't tell your mother about this…"

_

Now.

The memories of that day return to Draven's mind, leaving him nostalgic. 'Arthur was innocent… or… was it already in him back then?'

"Draven? Brother??" Alicia's voice sounds impatient, snapping him back to the present.

"What??" he asks, exasperated.

"What about Syntria?" she asks, pointing to a horseman piece on the map. "How are we going to handle them? They could be our greatest allies now or our worst enemies."

Draven wears a thoughtful expression. "Do you think Luca and Matheo have already talked to them?"

"I suppose so," she responds quickly.

"Hmm…" Draven paces back and forth before reaching a conclusion. "Alright, I will meet the King of Syntria and his daughter, but don't expect me to take orders from some foolish old man."

Alicia shakes her head in disappointment. "Who would expect you to act reasonably? Just give them a chance, a chance for peace."

"For peace." Draven nods, knowing that as a hero of the light, he should protect life and peace—when it's convenient, of course.

Alicia feels like rolling her eyes but keeps calm. "Good; we can't waste time, so you should head to Syntria before Matheo or Luca secure their loyalty. I'll stay here and finish mobilizing our troops in the west."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going!" Draven grabs his sword from the wall and approaches Alicia with a loving smile. "Give your big brother a farewell hug."

"…" She gives him a cold and hostile look, making Draven step back.

"Got it! Got it!!" He laughs awkwardly as he heads toward the door.

Alicia turns to the two black knights still in the room. "You will accompany him."

"Yes, General!" Both knights nod respectfully.

Draven shakes his head. "I don't need a babysitter, Alicia."

"You absolutely do! Beau and Silas are trusted assistants, so listen to them," she quickly responds and orders the knights, "Don't let him make a mess too big."

"Yes, General!"

"Ahhh, come on!" Draven grumbles, but leaves the room with the knights following closely behind.

They mount their black horses and leave the stronghold, galloping away. Everywhere they pass, everyone's attention is drawn to Draven, who looks like a Hero King in his gold and red armor.

The New Lion King. That's what everyone calls Draven, his fame spreading through the north like wildfire. The northern people admire him, and even his siblings' supporters respect him.

But that alone isn't enough to secure control of the entire northern part of Eldoria, which is why Draven heads to Syntria, one of the largest kingdoms in the north.

After several hours of travel and hundreds of miles covered, even the powerful black horses need rest.

"Let's take a break," Draven orders, and the trio stops near a river. The moon shines high in the sky, offering some light to the cold night. On the horizon, there are only mountains and open plains with sparse trees.

Beau and Silas quickly set up tents and build a fire. They also pull out dried meats and war rations from their storage treasures, but Draven frowns when offered these provisions.

"Isn't there any animal around here?" He glances around and only sees dust.

Beau immediately grabs his bow and bows to Draven, "My King, I will find a wild boar or something similar."

"I'll go with you," Draven stands up.

"No need, My King," Beau responds respectfully, leaving after Draven nods.

Silas, a seasoned master mage, starts inscribing protective runes around the campsite. After several minutes, Beau returns with a dead boar, which they roast over the fire.

*Whoooosh*

Cold winds blow against the tent, and both knights look around with concerned expressions.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"I smelled something on the wind…"

"What kind of smell?"

"I'm not sure… it smelled like… death."

Draven furrows his brow as he scans the area. "What could be lurking in the shadows?"

"I don't know, but we should stay alert, My King." Silas begins using his magic to analyze the surroundings while Beau gazes out at the horizon with sharp eyes and his bow in hand.

Draven continues eating the boar meat without concern. "Whoever it is, attacking me wouldn't be a wise decision…"

"Hmm…" Beau smiles confidently. "Attacking the Lion King himself? They'd be digging their own graves, hehehe…"

"Hahaha!" Draven laughs, too, but his expression changes as he feels something stir inside him. "This…"

At the same time, Silas looks around anxiously, his eyes glowing a light gray. "I can't see anything!"

"Does that mean there's no danger?" Beau asks.

"No! I literally can't see anything!!" Silas cries in panic, his eyes turning as black as cemetery soil.

*Whoooooooooosh*

More waves of cold wind appear out of nowhere, sweeping everything in their path.

"Damn this wind!!" Draven raises an arm to shield his face, noticing the piece of boar meat in his hand rotting at an incredibly fast pace. "What the hell?!"

"I can't see anything!!!" Silas shouts, collapsing to his knees. "SHADOWS! SHADOWS EVERYWHERE!!!"

"SILAS?!?" Beau rushes to help his friend, but shadows rise around them like living tornadoes.

*WHOOOUUUUUUUU!!*

"FUCK!!" Draven draws his sword, which begins to glow golden like the lion tattoo on his back. "Who's there?!"

*WHOOOUUUUUUUU!!*

The shadows howl like a tornado's winds, and then Draven begins to hear whispers emanating from them.

"Shhh… ashhhh… shaaahh…"

"Show yourself!!" Draven raises his sword, and the blade's glow intensifies like the sun.

"Lion King!" A feminine voice emerges from the shadows, and a strong, icy wind dims the light on his sword. "Hahahaha… who would've thought to find a descendant of the Golden Lions here?"

"Who are you?!" Draven shouts at the shadows swirling wildly in the air. The lion on his back begins to take shape, leaping from his Nexus to fight at his side.

"Us? Hahaha…" The woman's chilling voice echoes again, like thousands of whispers laughing.

A second voice, this time masculine, emerges from the shadows. "You're far from home, little Golden Lion…"

Draven feels two powerful auras coming from the shadows, but he is not afraid. His heart beats excitedly, and the lion on his back shines more brightly.

"This is my home, and I'm going to show you what happens to trespassers!"