Third Person – Unknown Point of View
In the shadow of the abandoned citadel near the border of the fallen Elaris kingdom, silence reigned. Moss-covered walls bore the weight of history, and time itself seemed to linger like fog in the cold mountain air. Deep within the hidden stronghold, a masked figure stood before a table cluttered with faded maps and coded letters, lit by a single lantern.
The wax seal on the latest message bore the mark of a hawk with outstretched wings.
"The Crown Prince has entered the ruins… with Viscount Elior Venstra."
The figure stiffened.
"Elior," they whispered, eyes narrowing. "So the Winterbell court allows him close."
They turned toward a cracked window overlooking the ruins below barely visible through the mist but their thoughts were not on the present. They were on a boy from five years ago. A commoner. A soldier. A knight. A general.
Caelan.
The boy who challenged nobles in duels and won, who rose through merit, not blood. A symbol of unity to the common ranks, and a threat to those who feared strength that didn't come from lineage. Caelan had once walked these very halls when they still served the banner of Elaris.
The masked figure once Caelan's closest advisor in war pressed a hand against the stone wall.
And Khalid had betrayed it all.
A noble. A sworn sword. A man raised alongside Caelan, entrusted with his life… and the one who ended it.
The messenger behind them remained silent until spoken to.
"Watch Khalid," the figure ordered. "But do not act yet. The prince walks unaware into the viper's nest. And Elior… keep eyes on him, too."
"Do you believe Flynn knows?" the messenger asked.
The figure shook their head slowly.
"No. Not yet. But he bears Caelan's fire in his eyes. I see it. The same look before every battle, every impossible command he turned into victory."
They turned away from the window. "This time, we won't lose him."
The figure moved back to the table and pulled out a fresh letter. The sigil of the veiled hawk shone faintly in the lantern light as they dipped their quill.
"To the eastern border cell," they wrote. "Activate the sleeper agents. The Ash Reborn are shifting again. And Flynn Winterbell must survive."