"Darkness has fallen upon the land.
The blood of the dragons will revive once again,
and the ancient pact will be kept.
When the four dragons are gathered,
the sword and shield which will protect the king shall awaken,
and the Red Dragon shall restore the dawn at last."
The prophecy foretells the future of the Kouka Kingdom and its princess, Yona. This is conveyed by Ik-Soo when Yona visits him after she and Hak are chased out from the Hiryuu Castle.
Dissecting the Prophecy
Dragons' Blood and the Ancient Pact
- The blood of the dragons will revive once again, and the ancient pact will be kept.
Kija when he meets Yona for the first time.
This tells Yona's search for the four legendary dragon warriors that are the avatars of their respective dragon gods. As she gets to see each one of them, the warriors goes through an initiation where they feel the part of their body possessing the dragon's power hurting while their blood is boiling.[1][2][3] In their minds, they hear the dragon's voice telling them the pact that they must keep:
- "Warriors of the four dragons! From now on, you are our other halves. With Hiryuu as your master, protect, cherish, and never betray him for as long as you live!"
The ancient pact is about protecting King Hiryuu, and this was received and done by the first dragon warriors. Their successors however, have no one to protect as Hiryuu died even before the original dragon warriors died and since then, they have been waiting for the king’s reincarnation.
Out of the four current warriors, Zeno did not have an initiation.[4] Although this is because he is one of the original dragon warriors that protected King Hiryuu, which was confirmed in the Manga.
The Sword and Shield
- "When the four dragons are gathered, the sword and shield which will protect the king shall awaken"
After Yona gathers all the dragon warriors, they go back to Ik-Soo to ask about the sword and shield. However, the priest tells them that the sword and shield needs time before appearing.[5]