I walked with the prince and the general through the town streets. The festival decorations still hung between the buildings, ribbons fluttering in the breeze, and lanterns glowing even in daylight. People waved at us as we passed by, some bowing slightly in respect, others cheering casually like they knew us. The prince smiled politely while the general waved like a parade marshal.
As time passed, our arms grew heavy with bags of fruits, all gifted by the townspeople. We carried them to the palace gates, where guards took them off our hands. Entering the palace, I saw a few generals standing in groups, chatting either with each other or with guards stationed along the walls.
Then, a group of women walked past us in the corridor. One of them caught my eye—not because of her beauty, but because she looked eerily similar to the prince. Her hair and eyes were the same shade. I looked toward the prince, but he had lowered his gaze, walking silently without reacting.
We reached the royal hall, where a round table stood at the center. Several generals were already seated, with five seats and a throne still empty. The three of us took our seats. The room fell into a heavy silence as a man entered from the other side—the King.
He was unlike any king I had imagined. Bandages covered his eyes completely, yet he walked confidently with a tall, rune-inscribed scythe in hand. He sit on a throne with his scythe on his lap .
"Who the heck sits like that in a royal meeting?" I muttered under my breath.
Everyone froze. The other generals slowly turned to look at me, expressions ranging from shock to amusement. Even the king turned his head toward me.
Wait—could he actually see?
One of the generals stood up. "We're all here to discuss the recent events: the sudden assault attempt by NAMLESS FAITH on our borders, their attempt to breach our magic wall, and the rumors spreading in the underground channels about their plans."
He paused, glancing at each of us.
"It's still not clear why they attacked but still we have to make assumptions" .
"They've been planning something much larger. Last week's incident in Emberbrook confirms that. We lost contact with the entire village. Not a single transmission, no return of messenger birds. Scouts were sent and… found nothing but ashes the whole village was burned down and their was no traces of any lifeform ."
"Wait what did he just say about the village ? "
Another general spoke up. "Their power is growing. Not just in numbers—but in something darker.
The king tapped his scythe lightly against the ground.
"That's enough," he said. Though calm, his voice held steel. "We'll handle NAMELESS FAITH. But there's another matter I want to speak about."
Everyone went quiet again.
"My daughter, Luka ..."
***
The scene shifted to the prince's mansion, where Luka sat cross-legged on a training circle, trying to cast a spell but failed . Athena sat beside her, looking absolutely lost.
"So wait… how can you not understand spells ?"
Luka let out a sigh. "We went over this yesterday."
"Yeah, but that was yesterday. You know I told you I forget theory stuff easily !" Athena poking luka .
Luka stared at her. "How much did you score in magical studies?"
Athena grinned sheepishly. "Just passing. I only focused on learning spells, not all the boring magic theory."
"You realize the theory is how you control magic, right?" Luka asked, completely deadpan.
Athena stand proudly, accidentally causing a spark to burst from her fingertip. Luka raised an eyebrow and extinguished it with a flick. meanwhile outside the mansion in the garden, Kite was running around with the twins—Lapis and Emerald. Silver sat nearby, watching with a distant look in his eyes.
Kite finally collapsed onto the grass. "Okay, okay, I'm done. I'm too old for this."
"You're like nineteen ," Silver muttered.
"I age emotionally," Kite replied ." as the twins pulling his hair as he picked both up and started to throw them and create sparkles with fire and lighting spells .
****
[Emberbrook Village].
Smoke hung in the sky like a permanent scar. The village was a wasteland of charred homes and ash-covered roads. Bodies lay everywhere—teachers, students, elders… all fallen with some black robes people also dead .
At the edge of the academy ruins, the principal lay dying. His robes were shredded, one hand missing, and a gaping hole in his stomach bled freely.
He coughed, his blood mixing with the dirt. "You... Nameless Faith jerks... what do you want from us why would you do this to these innocent student and people ?"
Figures in dark robes moved silently around the wreckage. One of them held a glowing, ancient book, pulsing with dark energy.
The principal's thoughts scattered as his eyes began to dim. Faces flashed in his mind—students laughing, teachers arguing over lesson plans, the village children playing in the square ,his wife and his children .
"My students and my sons ... please... avenge our home," he whispered with his last breath. as the principle final words spoken.
Then one of the Nameless Faith members stepped forward and opened the book. A black mist coiled from the pages. The figure chanted a spell in a forgotten tone .as the ground lit up.
The bodies around him began to move.
First a twitch. Then full motion.
Teachers. Villagers. Even the principal.
They all stood again, faces expressionless, eyes glowing faintly wounds healed like there was no injury from the start.
As they bowed to the cloaked figure as the spell completed. A cold wind blew through the ashes.
To be continued...