Jiyan

Drago Sentinel

Overview

The Drago Sentinel of the Crimson Kingdom, ranked first among the Twelve Sentinels. Orphaned at eleven, she became the youngest Sentinel by passing the Drago Trials. Each year, she is forced to awaken and fight the Nian Beast with the other Sentinels. She has paid an irreversible price for this.

Chapter One

(716–Present, Taeuno Calendar) In the 53rd year of Cinna, the wife of the Drago Sentinel of the Eastern Kingdom, Blazing Shoal, gave birth to a daughter. The Imperial Observatory spotted the Battle Star entering the Palace of Wealth and Virtue—an auspicious sign. The emperor was delighted and named her Yan, granting her the title of Fengyang Princess. The Sentinel was usually in a dormant state. Thus, the responsibility for teaching Yan fell to Yarra. Fortunately, due to the Drago Sentinel's peculiar nature, Blazing Shoal would awaken every year. When Yan was old enough to pull a bow and hold the reins, Blazing Shoal always made time to take her hunting outside the city. In the cold, her father sipped wine, stirring a skewer over the fire while roasted meat sizzled—one of the few warm moments Yan remembered with him. Since Yan could remember, she had been showered with endless praise. When she entered the Imperial Military Academy, the praise flooded in—future Drago Sentinel, Battle Star, Fengyang Princess, the blessed one… she lost count of her titles. "She's great with a sword, and she shoots arrows accurately too! Is there anything she can't do?" "She's also pretty... she might really become the youngest Drago Sentinel...""I envy her... the late emperor named her, and whoever marries her will be blessed!" "Are you daydreaming? Only someone as great as her would be worthy of her..."She gradually began to grow accustomed to, and even chase, this praise. She wanted to be better than everyone at everything. Her talent in martial arts helped her achieve that. In the year-end exams at the Military Academy, she took first place in every weapon drill. Effort and achievement—this joy filled her, to the point where she ignored her mother's advice. Helpless, Yarra told everything to the now-awakened Blazing Shoal. Blazing Shoal thought carefully, gathered a variety of weapons, and went out with Yan. Every year, during the hunts outside the city, Blazing Shoal would drive the game toward Yan. At first, it was wild deer, snow hares, and as Yan grew older, they hunted lone wolves. But that year, Blazing Shoal brought back a giant grey bear nearly ten feet tall. Blazing Shoal's aim was perfect. The bear had a back wound that didn't hinder its movement but left it aggressive and ferocious. The grey bear stood up, roaring at Yan, who had just turned ten...Yan's blunt sword hit the grey bear's thick fur like a cleaver on a chopping board or a hoe in the dirt. It didn't hurt the bear at all—only enraged it further. She instantly understood that this was an enemy almost impossible to defeat. "Father..."She glanced at Blazing Shoal, and he tossed her a long spear. She gripped the spear as practiced and charged at the bear. The bear roared and charged at her, nearly knocking both her and the spear aside. Yan bit her lip and looked at Blazing Shoal again. Blazing Shoal said nothing, simply unstrapping a bundle of weapons and tossing one to her. All the martial skills she had learned now seemed meaningless. In the face of such overwhelming strength, most weapons were just a joke. She could only throw the nunchaku or meteor hammer at the bear's head, hoping to slow it. Meanwhile, she let go of all the effort she'd put into mastering these weapons. She remembered that while others spent a year practicing the whip, she had mastered it in a month. And now, the bear ripped the whip from her hand, and she stumbled backward. She seemed to understand her father's intention. But she gritted her teeth and, apart from the initial cry, never called out to him again. She climbed up a tree and shot arrows from her quiver until the arrows pierced through the bear's eyes and into its skull.

Chapter Two

On her way back, no one spoke. Her father dragged the corpse of the bear, leaving long, wide tracks in the snow. She followed behind, reflecting on the earlier embarrassment. The next day, her "latest feat" was spread throughout Multilitchi. The praises continued to surround her, but for the first time, she found them harsh. She left the Military Academy, leaving the weapons and praises behind. Her father had long carried a long spear, a Relic of the Drago Sentinel. So she took a spear from those weapons. Her life had narrowed from the vast world to a small courtyard with her mother. The fine steel spear was still too heavy, but she'd wield it until her arms gave out. Then she'd switch to a lighter spear, and eventually to a sharpened wooden stick. During breaks, she'd take up archery for relaxation. From the haystack to the gate, from the poplar tree in the courtyard to the leaves on the branches. Day after day, spring thunder and autumn rains came and went. She shot through every leaf on that tree, and soon, snow began to fall on its branches. By the end of the year, Blazing Shoal had not returned home. She packed her belongings, bought some wine, and waited for her father to come back— but by the third day of the new year, there was still no word from him. She left the city alone, bringing the head of the bear, and returned home. But at home, what awaited her was the terrible news. Her father lay on the bed in Drago Palace. Her mother clutching his hand, tears flowing. She stood in front of his bed, just like a year ago, unable to say a single word. Her father kept his eyes on her. The silence between father and daughter seemed to stretch on for an entire year. He pointed to the long spear placed in the room. She brought the spear to him. Her father tried to grasp the spear, but his strength failed him, and it slipped from his hand. She caught the spear steadily. He nodded. "Take it back to the clan, then bring it back." At the end of 727 in the Crimson Calendar, the Nian Beast's seal failed. Blazing Shoal, the Drago Sentinel, was badly wounded, and Ryugen, the Bunnic Sentinel, died in battle. The Kirin Spirit descended and resealed the Nian Beast. In early 728 of the Crimson Calendar, Blazing Shoal passed away in Drago Palace.

Chapter Three

When Blazing Shoal died, the Drago Sentinel position remained vacant. By the end of the year, the Drago clan must choose a worthy successor to carry the soul of Drago. As Yan stepped onto the ancestral land, his father's spear rang out before plunging into the sacred ground. With a resounding echo like a great bell, the land became a trial ground. "Yan, we need to go." "Go? Where? ""The trial has already begun. It's dangerous for you to stay." "I'm here to take the trial." "Don't be foolish... You're too young. Trials aren't something to take lightly!" Another powerful echo reverberated. The sky darkened to a blood-red hue, as though the very clouds were about to ignite. The air grew heavy and suffocating, as if something had caught fire. "I'm not being reckless. I know what I must do." The earth itself began to burn. A wall of flames rose between her and the elders, threatening to incinerate them. The elders paid no heed to her and retreated from the ancestral land. All that remained with Yan was his iron spear and a world slowly succumbing to the flames. It felt like a world consumed entirely by fire. Breathing in was fire, exhaling was fire. Opening his eyes, it was fire; closing them, it was still fire. She could scarcely breathe. She endured the flames, struggling to adapt to the searing heat. She didn't die in the fire, but the agony of being burned never faded. It felt like needles, acid, electricity, bullets, and blades. She lost track of time and eventually grew numb, her body adapting to the pain. She rose to her feet and noticed the fire still clung to her. It felt like something was seeping through her pores into her skin and bones. "Let it burn." And so, she ignited herself. In that moment, all the flames merged with her body. The world around her emptied, leaving only a single point of light. She moved toward the light, where those like her had gathered—those who had absorbed the flames and awakened their bloodlines. "Are you Yan? I've heard of you—the daughter of Blazing Shoal." "What are you waiting for?" "We're waiting for Drago's soul to awaken." She turned to face the light—it was her father's spear. It was spewing fire in all directions, and the people surrounding it were consuming the flames. "Is this... the soul of Drago?" "This is the soul of Drago, drowned in sin. Once it expels all the karmic fire it devoured in the last life, it will awaken." "And then?" "Then, we devour all the blaze and fight for supremacy—to determine who will inherit it." A flicker of flame floated toward Yan. She tasted it—pain, hatred, jealousy, greed. And countless unnamed emotions—feelings too raw and foreign to describe. The flames within her had the same origin. As the new flame merged into her, they roared to life, fighting to resist, to break free, to dominate her body. But the flames also ignited something deep within her. She gathered the raging power, forging it into a blazing spear, and gripped it firmly. Stepping forward, she surveyed the people gathered before her. "Isn't this where we decide the victor?" Come on. She was just eleven years old. To defeat her, to consume her flames, would bring anyone closer to claiming the legacy. Soon, someone stepped forward, unable to resist. With a single swing of her flaming spear, they were forced to retreat. But it was just a casual swing, like the first strike she practiced every morning. A sweep, a thrust, a sharp slash. None of them lasted more than three moves. They were older, stronger, more experienced—yet they fell with shocking ease. At last, the soul of Drago unleashed its final burst of flame. Now, all the flame gathered in her hands. She reached out, cautious, and touched the soul of Drago. Sensing the fire raging within her, the soul accepted her. A bond of power formed between them. Through this connection, the flames of sin within her surged and coiled, condensing into a single spark on her brow. She had become the new Drago Sentinel. Like her father, she woke each year to guard the peace of Crimson Kingdom. Year after year, this cycle repeated, unbroken, until the end of time.

Historical Notes

Cinna: In 656 of the Crimson Calendar, Emperor Namon took the throne and renamed the era Cinna. In 724, Emperor Namon passed away, and Minku took his place, renaming the kingdom to Ginfall. Long Halberd of Blazing Shoal: A physical manifestation of the Soul of Drago, a sacred relic passed down through the Drago Sentinel. The Soul of Drago consumes the flames of sin, burning away the evil that taints the world. Ryugen: Autumn Glory's predecessor, the final Bunnic Sentinel before Taeuno. In 727of the Crimson Calendar, the Nian Beast disguised itself as a merchant and attacked Ryugen. That year, the Nian Beast was more powerful than ever before, and Ryugen was killed in the battle. The beast then made its way into the imperial city, aiming to slay the young Emperor Minku. The chaos nearly destroyed the imperial palace, resulting in Ryugen's death, Blazing Shoal's wounds, and the Kirin awakening to seal the Nian Beast.