ARC ONE
The Royal clock struck thirteen.
The sound echoed through the great halls of Aurelion ,sharp and wrong, like a crack splitting the world into two.
Every noble,guard and servant froze in place. Thirteen was not a number that belonged to time .
Princess Saelira felt it before she heard it.
A pressure gathered behind her eyes, and the air around her shimmered as though reality itself was holding its breath.
She stood near the far pillars of the Hall, half hidden in Shadow,her hands clenched tightly inside the sleeves of her plain ceremonial gown.
Unlike the others, fear did not stop her from moving.
It never did.
The King sat rigid on his throne ,his pale fingers gripping the armrests. His crown trembled slightly ,as if it too sensed something was wrong.
Whisper rippled through the Hall, but no one dared speak loudly.
Thirteen.
Time magic had been used.
Saelira swallowed. Not AGAIN!!!
The High chronist stepped forward,his long robes brushing the marble floors. His face was tight with dread."Your Majesty,he said carefully, the cloak_"
"I heard it" the king snapped.
Saelira felt the moment stretch,thin and fragile. She could almost see the threads of time pulling apart, fraying like an old cloth.
This sensation had followed her since childhood, though she had never spoken of it. In Aurelion, time magic belonged to royalty _and only royalty. But Saelira was not supposed to exist.
Officially, she didn't.
The great doors burst open.
A knight in veskari armor stormed into the Hall, dragging a scroll sealed in black wax. Guards moved instantly, blades raised, but the knight dropped on one knee.
A message from the WAR BORDER,he announced."The Kingdom of Veskar crossed the treaty line".
Gasps erupted.
WAR.
The King's breath hitched."they would not dare".
"They dare because time is weakening, the High chronist said quietly,his gaze flicked_just for a second_towards Saeliras corner."
She looked away .
Another tremor rippled through the Hall .
The torches flickered. For a heartbeat, the world burned.
And then _everything stopped.
The whispers froze mid _sound. Flame's hang motionless in the air. Dust suspended itself like stars trapped in glass.
Saelira felt alone.
Her heart pounded as the familiar stillness wrapped around her. She stepped forward her shoe clicking against the marble far louder than they should have been. Everytime this happened,fear battled with wonder inside the chest.
She had stepped outside of time.
"She whispered ". "I didn't mean to "
But intention had never mattered.
She walked past frozen nobles, passed the king locked in an expression of fear and anger. Her reflection stared back at her with polished shields_dark eyes too knowing at her age , face drawn by secrets she was never meant to carry.
At the base of the throne, she stopped.
The crown glimmered faintly, humming with chrona Magic. Once in a ruler's lifetime, the crown allowed it's bearer to change time itself. The cost was always terrible. Memory, years and Life.
That power erased me,saelira thought bitterly.
She turned away, she had no right to be here. A crack split the air. Saelira gasped as time lurched violently , slamming back into motion.
Saelira filled the Hall. Torches flared. Several nobles collapsed, clutching their heads as if strike by invisible arrows.
The high chronist fell to one knee.
The king coughed violently _and blood stained his lips. "He's fading". Someone cried.Saeliras feet moved before her mind could stop them.
"Stop"!!!! She shouted.
Silence fell _not because time froze but because everyone was staring at her.
The king's eyes widened."You". He rasped.
You,you look like _.
The high chronist rose slowly,"Your Majesty," he said, voice trembling,"this is Saelira"!!
The hall erupted. That name was erased! She was never born.
"Time cursed!!"
Saelira stood shaking, but she did not run. Not this time.
"I'm here", she said,her voice small but steady. "And time is breaking"
The king stared at her, something like grief breaking through his fear."We used Chrona Magic", he whispered," Years ago to prevent a prophecy."
"And it didn't work", Saelira said softly.
Another tremor shook the Hall .Somewhere far away, bells rang out of sync .
The high chronist bowed his head "the threads are unraveling". If Veskar marches and Nymora awakens , forbidden spells....".
He did not finish his sentence .
Saelira lifted her chin. Hope, fragile but fierce , burned in her chest.
"I can help ". She said.
The king laughed weakly,"You are a child ".
"I am what time could not erase "she replied.
For the first time, silence did not feel heavy .
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky. War was coming. Time was wounded. And a forgotten princess had stepped into the light.
Saelira did not know if she would save the kingdom's.
But she would try.