The throne room hadn't changed.
Still dressed in obsidian and gold. Still echoing with the faint sound of boots on marble. But Kael no longer walked it as a bastard boy hiding from the guards.
He walked it now as a threat.
A Son Returns
King Haron IV sat tall on the high throne, dressed in a black cloak that shimmered like wet oil. Beside him, Prince Edric, Kael's half-brother, wore a smug grin. Every noble in the hall whispered as Kael approached with Iris at his side and Ash trailing behind like a ghost.
"You've grown," the king said. "Into something fierce."
Kael bowed stiffly. "You summoned me."
"No." Edric smirked. "We lured you."
A dozen armored guards stepped forward—blades drawn.
But Kael didn't flinch.
He smiled.
"You think I came here without knowing?"
Ash was already moving. In a blur, two guards fell. Iris unsheathed her twin daggers, spinning into the fray.
Kael drew Ruinfang—his cursed blade—and the ground trembled. Its edge pulsed black-red as he parried and disarmed with supernatural precision. Sparks flew. Blood painted the steps.
By the time the last guard hit the floor, the king stood alone.
But Kael hadn't come to kill him.
Not yet.
A Truth Revealed
"You're not the king anymore," Kael said, stepping closer. "You're just the puppet of a dying order."
King Haron spat. "You're a mistake. A bastard curse wrapped in flesh. You think power makes you right?"
Kael leaned in, voice cold.
"I don't want your throne. I want your secrets."
He dropped the sigil fragment from Elarion onto the floor. "What is the Ashen Gate? What did you hide from me?"
Silence. Then… a whisper.
"The Gate… is where your mother died."
Flash of the Past
Kael's mind reeled.
He remembered now—flashes of flame, a woman screaming, chains, symbols in blood. He had been a child. A sacrifice. His mother had tried to stop it.
And she paid the price.
The Ashen Gate was more than legend.
It was where Kael's true story began.
The Escape
Edric called for reinforcements, but the city was already in chaos. Raen's illusion magic cloaked their escape. Rebels had stirred uprisings across the outer rings. Banners marked with Kael's sigil—the burning eye—rose over alleyways and towers.
As Kael fled the palace with Iris and Ash, a raven dropped another letter in his path.
No seal. No name.
Just seven words:
"He waits for you beyond the Divide."