Chapter 73: The Prophecy of Blood and Crown
The old library was quiet.
Dust floated in the air as soft light fell through tall windows. Elara walked slowly between the shelves, her fingers brushing the spines of ancient books. The crown rested lightly on her head, warm and calm, as if it knew this place.
She did not come here by choice.
The crown had guided her.
It had pulled her toward the deepest part of the castle, into a room few people entered anymore. Even King Araion rarely came here. This was the Archive of First Magic, where history slept and secrets waited.
Elara stopped before a stone table.
On it lay a single book.
It was old. Older than the kingdom. Its cover was dark, marked with a symbol she had never seen before—until now.
Her breath caught.
The symbol matched the faint mark on her wrist.
"I've seen this before…" she whispered.
The crown pulsed once.
Yes.
Her hands trembled as she opened the book.
The pages were yellow and fragile, written in old ink that shimmered faintly. The language was ancient, but as soon as Elara looked at the words, they changed.
The crown translated them for her.
Her heart began to race.
The Forgotten Lineage
The book spoke of a time before the curse.
Before the immortal king.
Before the crown was feared.
It spoke of The First Queen, a woman born with magic in her blood—not learned, not borrowed, but inherited.
She was called The Crown-Bearer, not because she wore the crown…
…but because the crown was made for her bloodline.
Elara swallowed.
The book continued.
The First Queen's bloodline was hidden after the curse was created. Her children were scattered. Their names erased. Their power sealed.
But a prophecy remained.
Elara read the words slowly.
When the crown finds the blood it obeys,The curse shall bend, not break.The queen born of earth and silenceWill rise when the realm stands on the edge.
Her chest tightened.
Born of earth and silence.
Elara had been born poor. Forgotten. Unnoticed. No songs. No records.
Silence.
She turned the page.
Her blood will awaken the crown,Her will will tame it,Her heart will decide the fate of the immortal king.
Her breath stopped.
The immortal king.
Araion.
The room felt suddenly too small.
"Is this… about me?" she whispered.
The crown warmed, gentle and steady.
Yes.
Tears filled her eyes.
All this time, she had thought she was chosen by chance. That she survived the crown because she was different.
But it wasn't chance.
It was blood.
Truth in the Mirror
Footsteps echoed behind her.
"Elara."
She turned.
Araion stood at the entrance, his armor gone, dressed in dark royal robes. His silver eyes narrowed when he saw the book.
"You found it," he said quietly.
"You knew?" she asked.
He nodded slowly.
"I suspected. But the Archive only opens when the crown allows it."
Elara hugged the book to her chest.
"It says I'm part of the First Queen's bloodline," she said. "That the crown was made for my family."
Araion stepped closer.
"That explains everything," he said softly. "Why the crown obeys you. Why it never harmed you."
"And why it reacts to you," Elara added. "Even when I'm afraid."
She looked at him.
"There's more."
She showed him the prophecy.
Araion read it in silence.
When he reached the final lines, his jaw tightened.
Only the blood-bound queenCan free the immortal king—Or bind him forever.
The room went still.
Araion closed the book slowly.
"So my curse…" he said. "It was never meant to be broken by force."
Elara shook her head.
"No. It says the crown responds to blood and heart. Not power."
She looked at him, eyes full of emotion.
"I think… my lineage is the key."
Araion met her gaze.
"And your choice," he said. "Not mine."
Fear and Truth
Elara sat down heavily.
"I don't want this destiny," she admitted. "I didn't ask for it."
Araion knelt before her.
"I didn't ask to be immortal," he said. "Or to curse a crown that destroyed queens."
Their eyes met.
"But fate doesn't ask," he continued. "It waits."
Elara's voice shook.
"What if I fail?"
Araion reached out, stopping just before touching her hand.
"Then you won't fail alone."
The crown pulsed.
Strong.
Steady.
Elara felt something shift inside her.
For the first time, her power didn't feel like a burden.
It felt like belonging.
The Blood Awakens
Suddenly, the mark on her wrist burned.
Elara gasped.
Light spilled from the pages of the book, wrapping around her arm. Symbols rose into the air, circling her like glowing threads.
Araion stood quickly.
"Elara!"
"I'm okay," she said, though her voice shook.
The crown lifted slightly from her head, hovering above her.
A voice echoed—not loud, but deep.
Ancient.
"Blood recognized."
Elara felt warmth flow through her veins.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Strength.
The crown settled back onto her head.
The light faded.
The room fell silent once more.
Araion stared at her.
"You just awakened something," he said.
Elara exhaled slowly.
"I think… I just remembered," she whispered.
"Remembered what?"
"That I was never meant to be weak."
She stood taller.
"The crown didn't choose me because I was different."
She met his eyes.
"It chose me because I was home."
Araion bowed his head slightly.
"To the true Queen," he said.
Elara felt the weight of the words—but also their truth.
Her destiny was no longer unclear.
She was not just queen by power.
She was queen by blood.
And the fate of the crown…
The curse…
And the immortal king…
All rested with her.