Morning broke upon Kishorio with a golden glow that touched the skies and the waterfalls alike. The air shimmered with gentle waves of mana, and the city below stirred like a living dream. From the market streets to the sky docks, people woke to another day beneath the rule of the Frossmen Empire, their hearts light with pride, for they lived in the age of the greatest king the world had ever known.
The bells of the World Student Academy rang first.
Thousands of students — young and old, noble and peasant, of every race and nation — crossed its shining bridges. There were no walls of class or color here, for all who wished to learn could enter. Inside, one could see a dwarf teaching human children the crafting of runic engines, while an elf explained the flow of mana to a group of beastkin scholars. Knowledge was not hoarded in Kishorio; it was shared as freely as the air.
High above them all, in the castle that crowned the floating island, the King of Frossmen, Kayden Fross, stood upon the grand balcony. His long coat, woven with threads of silver mana, moved softly with the morning breeze. His eyes — clear as azure gems — looked upon the empire not as a ruler surveying his land, but as a creator admiring his own masterpiece.
He was young, yet his gaze carried the calm of centuries.
He had spent more nights in study than most men spent in sleep, learning every branch of magic, every law of science, until both obeyed his command. It was said that when he closed his eyes, he could feel the pulse of the planet itself — and when he opened them, he could see the lines of power that bound creation together.
Behind him, the grand hall echoed with voices. His siblings, the royal heirs of Fross, had gathered for the morning council.
The first to speak was Prince Aurel Fross, the eldest of the younger brothers — a warrior whose strength was said to match ten men. His hair was dark and his eyes sharp, ever alert for signs of danger. "Brother," Aurel said, kneeling slightly, "the outer provinces report clear skies and calm seas. The new mana reactors are functioning beyond expectation."
Next came Prince Lionel Fross, the scholar and inventor. Unlike Aurel, he preferred books to battle. "The lab has confirmed success with the fusion crystals," he said with quiet excitement. "They burn cleaner and last longer than the old models. The people's machines will run for decades."
Finally, from the far end of the hall walked Princess Aria Fross, youngest of them all. Her presence carried a warmth that softened even the coldest hearts. She was beloved by the people for her kindness and known for her unmatched gift of healing magic. "Brother," she said, her voice like song, "the gardens in the lower districts have begun to bloom again. The healers say the air has grown purer since your last experiment."
Kayden smiled faintly. "That is good," he said, his tone calm and deep. "Then the ley channels are stable. The earth breathes well again."
As he spoke, his hand brushed the edge of the crystal orb beside his throne — a sphere of pure light, containing the combined wisdom of thousands of scholars. Within it glowed faint symbols of ancient science and old magic intertwined.
To all the empire, Kayden Fross was not just a king.
He was a living bridge between the two forces that ruled existence — the seen and the unseen, the rational and the mystical.
He had achieved what no one before him dared to dream:
To make the impossible ordinary.
Outside, the skies of Kishorio sang with the hum of energy lines and airships gliding through them.
Children laughed in the markets, machines whispered beside the temples, and for a moment — a brief, perfect moment — the world felt eternal.
Yet in the stillness of that morning, far beyond the light of their sun, something stirred in the dark void between stars.
It watched the golden planet with silent hunger.
And though no one yet knew it, the peace of Kishorio had already begun to count its final days.
TO BE CONTINUE…
Want to read more chapters early ?
Buy the LEGACY BEYOND TIME novel ebook on amazon. For early access of chapters stay tune.