The formation of the great racial empires was not the end of the Age of Warring Kingdoms.
Rather, it was the beginning of a far more dangerous phase.
When the ancient kingdoms had been scattered, their borders were vast while their interests remained limited, and it had been easy for the great powers to avoid direct confrontation with one another.
But now...
Everything had changed.
Empires had emerged, their territories stretching across vast expanses of Iberon.
The peoples had gathered beneath unified banners.
Ancient sects had awakened.
And resources that had remained buried for millions of years had begun to resurface.
As the immortal energy continued to rise day after day, lands that had once been considered ordinary were beginning to transform into regions of immeasurable value.
A mountain containing an ancient immortal vein.
A valley where immortal energy naturally gathered.
A lake containing immortal essence.
A forest concealing rare plants that had survived from the ancient era.
The ruins of an ancient city that had yet to be explored.
Any one of these places was enough to ignite a conflict.
At first...
No one raised the banner of war.
No empire declared war upon another.
Nor were massive armies dispatched to invade the borders.
The beginning was quieter.
And far more dangerous.
They were merely skirmishes.
Merely small groups crossing borders.
Merely cultivators competing over a resource.
Merely a garrison disappearing during the night.
Merely a caravan that never reached its destination.
Then...
Blood began to fall.
In the eastern region of human territory, there was a vast mountain range stretching across enormous distances.
Those mountains had held little significance before the return of immortal energy.
But after the Awakening, veins of immortal energy began appearing deep within them.
As the Human Empire expanded its borders, one of its exploration teams discovered an enormous immortal vein beneath one of the mountains.
The dense presence of immortal energy seeped through the cracks in the rock like silver mist.
When one of the cultivators approached it, he felt his entire body tremble.
The team leader said:
"Stop advancing."
Everyone came to a halt.
He approached one of the cracks and placed his hand against it.
The moment his fingers touched the stone...
A distinct sensation of immortal energy surged through his body.
His eyes widened.
"This is no ordinary vein."
One of the elders approached.
"How large do you estimate it to be?"
The leader slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
Then he looked into the depths of the mountain.
"But what we're sensing here is merely the portion leaking outward."
Silence descended.
The elder said:
"Send a report to the empire."
But before anyone could move...
The leader's expression changed.
He raised his head.
"There's something else."
"What?"
He pointed toward the sky.
On the distant horizon...
Several black dots appeared.
They were approaching rapidly.
Then they became clearer.
Dragons.
A group of dragons was flying over the mountains, advancing in an orderly formation.
The leader fell silent.
Then he said:
"Send the message now."
But it was already too late.
The dragons descended before the mountain.
The earth trembled beneath their feet.
Dust billowed into the air.
Then a massive black dragon emerged from among them.
Its form gradually transformed into that of a human, and a tall man with black hair and small dragon horns atop his head appeared before them.
He looked at the mountain.
Then at the humans.
And said:
"This region lies within the territory of the Dragon Empire."
The human leader took a step forward.
"This mountain lies within the borders declared by the Human Empire."
The dragon raised an eyebrow.
"Declared?"
"Yes."
The dragon glanced around.
Then smiled without warmth.
"Since when do declarations grant ownership of land?"
The leader's expression changed.
"Since when do dragons impose their borders upon lands that were never under their control?"
Silence descended.
Neither side was willing to retreat.
Behind each of them stood an empire.
The dragon said:
"Leave."
"We won't."
The dragon's eyes locked onto him.
"Then what will you do?"
The leader replied:
"We will extract the resource we discovered."
The dragon laughed softly.
"Try."
In the next instant...
He vanished.
He appeared before one of the human cultivators.
He raised his hand.
But before his claws could reach him...
An immortal sword shot in from the side.
The strike collided with his claws.
White light erupted.
The dragon's force was pushed several steps backward.
The two sides stared at one another.
Then the dragon's expression changed.
"An immortal human."
The leader said:
"And not the only one."
Behind him, several other auras began to rise.
They were not the auras of Immortal Kings or Immortal Emperors.
But they were enough to demonstrate that this group had not come without protection.
The dragon said coldly:
"Very well."
Then he turned around.
"We'll see who owns this mountain."
He rose into the sky.
Before departing, he said:
"But remember..."
His eyes remained fixed upon the leader.
"Dragons do not forget."
Then he disappeared into the horizon.
One of the elders looked toward the sky.
"Should we attack?"
The leader shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"We don't want a war with the dragons yet."
Then he looked toward the mountain.
Three days later...
The news reached the Human Empire.
It did not take long for the news to reach the Dragon Empire as well.
On both sides...
The reaction was similar.
No one was afraid.
But neither side was prepared to underestimate the other.
Inside the human imperial palace, several Immortal Kings stood around a massive map.
One of them said:
"The dragons are claiming the mountain."
Another said:
"We will not retreat."
The Immortal Emperor sat upon his throne.
He remained silent.
Then he said:
"Did they send an army?"
"No."
"Then don't send one."
Everyone looked at him.
One of the kings said:
"But if we allow them to take control of it, they will consider it a victory."
The emperor replied:
"Not every tactical retreat is a defeat."
Then he pointed toward the map.
"There is only one thing I want to know."
"What?"
"How far do their true borders extend?"
Everyone fell silent.
Then the emperor continued:
"The Dragon Empire awakened after millions of years."
"And we do not know how much they have reclaimed."
"Nor how many Immortal Kings they possess."
"Nor how many ancient sects have returned."
Then he raised his eyes.
"I don't want a war over a single mountain."
"I want to know whether that mountain is merely a mountain..."
He paused.
"...or whether it is the first test."
But humans and dragons were not the only ones beginning to clash.
In the west...
The borders of the Demon Empire had reached a region rich in immortal energy.
The region had once been neutral territory between several small kingdoms.
But now...
There were no longer any small kingdoms.
And the Demon Empire had declared the region part of its territory.
The problem...
Was that the humans had reached it as well.
A group of demon cultivators arrived at the valley on the same day as a human group.
The two sides stood at opposite ends of the valley.
There was no speech.
No declaration.
Only cold stares.
One of the demons stepped forward.
His body was covered in black armor, and an imperial insignia adorned his shoulder.
He said:
"Leave."
One of the humans replied:
"This land belongs to us."
"You have lands in the east."
"And this region is closer to our borders."
The demon smiled.
"Has distance become law?"
"No."
"Then there is no reason for further discussion."
He drew his sword.
In the next instant...
The battle erupted.
It was not a battle between armies.
It was merely a confrontation between dozens of cultivators.
Yet even that was enough to turn the valley into a scene of chaos.
Spiritual energy collided with immortal energy.
Rocks shattered.
Small mountains exploded.
And the first person fell.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The confrontation lasted less than an hour.
But when it ended...
The valley was covered in blood.
Both sides withdrew.
Neither had achieved a decisive victory.
But something else happened.
The demons left behind a black banner.
They planted it in the heart of the valley.
Written upon it were the words:
Territory of the Demon Empire.
When the news reached the demonic palace, the emperor read the report calmly.
Then he asked:
"How many dead?"
"Seventeen."
"And the humans?"
"Twenty-two."
He remained silent.
One of the kings asked:
"Should we send more?"
The emperor shook his head.
"No."
Everyone was surprised.
Then he said:
"Watch them."
"But they killed our soldiers."
"I have not forgotten that."
He looked at the map.
"But I do not want to fight an entire empire over a valley."
He raised a finger.
"If they return..."
Then he placed his finger upon the valley.
"Do not allow them to come any closer."
"And if they attack?"
The emperor raised his eyes.
"Then..."
Silence descended.
"No one among them will return."
On the other side of the world...
The Elven Empire was facing a different problem.
As the forests expanded, their roots reached a mountainous region that had become home to a human tribe.
The tribe had lived there for generations.
But the Elven Empire did not consider that sufficient reason to stop.
An elven army arrived at the outskirts of the region.
Their commander approached the tribe's elder.
He said:
"This land has come under the protection of the Elven Empire."
The elder raised his head.
"This is our land."
"It was."
"We never abandoned it."
"But our borders have reached it."
The elder laughed bitterly.
"And you expect us to leave because a tree grew behind our homes?"
The commander did not answer.
For he knew that the matter was no longer merely about trees.
The land was rich in energy.
And the ancient forest extended over an immortal vein.
One of the elven kings accompanying the army said:
"Give them a chance to leave."
The commander looked at him.
"And if they refuse?"
"Then..."
The king looked toward the village.
"...there will be no other choice."
The battle did not begin that day.
But during the night...
Three elven scouts disappeared.
And by morning...
Their bodies were found at the edge of the forest.
That moment was enough to change everything.
The elven king stood before the bodies.
His eyes were calm.
But this time, the calmness was unnatural.
He said:
"Who did this?"
No one answered.
The guard commander approached.
"We don't know."
The king raised his head.
"Then do not kill anyone."
Everyone was surprised.
He said:
"Until we know who did it."
Then he looked toward the village.
"But do not allow them to leave the region."
Green barriers began to appear around the area.
It was not an officially declared siege.
But the message was clear.
The elves would allow no one to interfere.
The following day...
A human elder appeared before the elven commander.
He said:
"We did not kill them."
The commander looked at him.
"How do I know?"
The elder replied:
"Because those who killed them..."
He paused.
Then pointed toward the mountains.
"...were not humans."
The commander's expression changed.
"What do you mean?"
Before he could answer...
The earth trembled.
A deep sound emerged from the depths of the mountains.
Then...
A massive boulder fell from the summit.
There was no wind.
No earthquake.
Yet something was moving.
The elves raised their heads.
Among the trees...
A colossal shadow appeared.
It was not entirely clear.
But the aura emanating from it made everyone feel cold.
One of the elves whispered:
"A beast?"
The elder replied:
"No."
Then he looked toward the mountain.
"This mountain was once home to an ancient beast tribe before your empire arrived."
Silence descended.
And then...
Everyone realized that the land they were fighting over had not been as empty as they had believed.
Iberon had begun reclaiming its secrets.
Elsewhere...
The Dwarven Empire entered its first true conflict.
The dwarves discovered a mountain containing an enormous quantity of rare immortal ore.
The ore was ideal for forging immortal weapons.
For that reason, the dwarves considered it a strategic treasure.
They began by sending workers.
Then engineers.
Then guards.
But when they arrived...
They found marks upon the mountain.
Claw marks.
Ancient.
Deep.
One of the engineers said:
"These are not the marks of an ordinary beast."
One of the elders crouched down and examined them.
Then his expression changed.
"They are ancient."
"How ancient?"
"Very ancient."
Before he could finish...
A voice came from behind them.
"Leave."
Everyone turned.
There was a group of beast cultivators.
Their leader stood upon a rock.
He said:
"This mountain belongs to us."
The dwarf replied:
"We discovered it first."
The beast laughed.
"And does discovery grant you the right to it?"
The dwarf answered:
"If we were the first to reach it, yes."
The beast approached.
"Then you know nothing of the laws of the wild."
The dwarf raised his hammer.
"And we do not care about the laws of the wild."
Silence descended.
Then the dwarf struck the ground with his hammer.
The mountain shook.
A wave of power erupted.
But the beast did not move.
His body transformed.
Terrifying bestial features emerged.
An aura that made the rocks tremble burst from him.
Several dwarves retreated.
But the commander did not.
He said:
"An Immortal Beast Cultivator."
The beast replied:
"And you are an Immortal Dwarf."
Then he smiled.
"Looks like we're equals."
The dwarf raised his hammer.
"Then let strength decide."
And the battle erupted.
Those confrontations were not large.
Their news did not reach every corner of Iberon.
No empires fell.
No great kingdoms were destroyed.
But they were important for one reason.
They were the first signs of the transition from a phase of expansion...
Into a phase of direct competition.
Every empire had begun testing the boundaries of the others.
Every race had begun observing the strength of its neighbors.
And every Immortal King had begun asking the same question:
How much power are the others hiding?
Everyone had awakened from a long slumber.
And everyone knew that the other races were no longer what they had been in the ancient era.
Perhaps new geniuses had emerged among the humans.
Perhaps dragon bloodlines unknown to anyone had awakened.
Perhaps ancient demonic sects had returned.
Perhaps the forests had begun moving under the will of the elves.
And perhaps the beasts were hiding bloodlines that had not appeared for millions of years.
Therefore...
No one was willing to risk everything.
The skirmishes were calculated.
The strikes were limited.
And the armies still remained behind the borders.
But the blood that had been spilled would not be easy to stop.
On one mountain...
The first dragon fell.
In a distant valley...
The first demon fell.
At the edge of the forest...
The first corpses appeared.
And in the mountains...
The dwarves and beasts began carving the marks of a new battle.
All of it was small.
Very small compared to the vastness of Iberon.
But great events do not always begin with an explosion that shakes the world.
Sometimes...
They begin with an unidentified corpse.
Or a banner planted into the earth.
Or a soldier who never returns home.
Then the corpses accumulate.
The borders expand.
Vengeance becomes an obligation.
A minor resource becomes a matter of honor.
And a matter of honor becomes war.
That night...
The human emperor stood alone before the window of his palace.
He gazed at the sky.
The ancient stars shone above him.
But something about the scene was different.
One of the kings who entered the hall said:
"The skirmishes have begun."
The emperor answered without turning around:
"I know."
"Should we raise the level of readiness?"
He remained silent.
Then he said:
"Yes."
"Should we announce mobilization?"
"No."
"Why?"
The emperor slowly turned around.
"Because we have not reached that stage."
Then he added:
"Watch the dragons."
"The demons."
"The elves."
"And any other force that appears along our borders."
The king said:
"And what if they begin escalating?"
The emperor looked toward the sky.
"Then we will escalate with them."
Then he returned his gaze to the window.
"But not before we know how much this era is hiding."
Far away...
A Dragon Emperor stood upon the highest peak of his empire.
A messenger arrived.
"My lord."
He turned toward him.
"What happened?"
"The humans have not left the mountain."
Silence descended.
Then the emperor said:
"Let them."
The messenger was surprised.
"But..."
The emperor interrupted him.
"I don't want the mountain now."
Then he looked toward the horizon.
"There is something more important I want to know."
"What is it?"
He said in a deep voice:
"How many empires have begun reclaiming their territories at the same time?"
The messenger did not answer.
For he understood that the emperor was no longer looking at the mountain.
He was looking at the entire world.
Deep within the Demon Empire...
The Demon Emperor stared at a map that was constantly changing.
New marks appeared.
New borders.
Contested territories.
One of the kings said:
"There is something strange."
"What?"
"The skirmishes are not happening in a single region."
The emperor raised his eyes.
"I know."
"As if everyone began moving at the same time."
The emperor remained silent.
Then he said:
"Because everyone felt the same thing."
"What?"
He raised his gaze toward the ceiling.
"That time is beginning to run out."
The king did not understand.
But the emperor did not explain.
For he, like the other emperors, knew that the return of immortal energy was not merely a blessing.
It was a declaration.
A declaration that something was approaching.
And the more the energy increased...
The closer the Awakening drew toward its deeper stages.
That was why every race wanted to possess as much territory as possible before the laws of the world changed once again.
As the days passed...
The skirmishes continued.
They did not become a full-scale war.
Not yet.
But the borders were no longer peaceful.
In the east, the Human Empire and the Dragon Empire continued watching the mountain rich with the immortal vein.
In the west, the contested valley between the humans and demons remained covered in opposing banners.
Within the ancient forests, the elves continued watching the mountains from which that mysterious aura had emerged.
And in the mountains...
The dwarves and beasts had begun discovering that the struggle over resources might be far more complicated than they had thought.
Meanwhile...
Other empires across Iberon were watching.
Watching in silence.
And waiting.
Perhaps these conflicts were merely the beginning.
Or perhaps they were an opportunity.
Every war between two empires could weaken them.
Every contested territory could become the target of a third power.
And every resource revealed by the rising immortal energy could ignite a new battle.
Therefore...
The question was no longer:
Will war break out between the empires?
It had become:
When?
And at that very moment...
Far from all the battlefields...
In a region that appeared on no imperial map...
Something else was happening.
Beneath immense layers of earth, deep within a place no one had reached since the end of the War of the Great Ones...
Immortal energy began to gather.
Slowly.
Without sound.
And without anyone sensing it.
It gathered around an ancient seal.
The seal was so enormous that an entire city could have been built upon it.
And upon its surface...
Were inscriptions that no civilization of the present age could any longer decipher.
Everything remained still.
Until...
A tiny point of light appeared.
Then another.
Then one of the ancient inscriptions began to glow.
And deep within the seal...
Something happened.
A single pulse.
Boom.
Then silence.
After a long period of time...
A second pulse.
Boom.
This time...
The earth around the seal trembled ever so slightly.
But no one felt it.
The immortals were occupied with their borders.
The kings were occupied with their empires.
And the emperors were occupied with the future of their races.
No one knew...
That the small conflicts beginning upon the surface of Iberon were nothing more than the prelude to greater upheavals.
For while the empires competed over territory...
The past itself...
Was preparing to return.