Nightfall draped the city in uneasy shadows as Kael's captors marched him toward the palace. Familiar walls now felt hostile, every torchlit corridor echoing with ghostly memories of lost innocence. The echoes of the hunt still rang in his ears—the cries of soldiers, the grit of magical barriers, and above all, the fear that he had bought precious hours for the exiles at the cost of his own freedom.The royal council chamber was colder than Kael remembered. His father, King Aldric, stood by the high window, shoulders rigid beneath his cloak of gold and blue; his eyes fixed on the sprawling, restless city. Nobles whispered in the corners. The high priest, his voice sharp and uncertain, invoked blessings that sank into the carpet with the dust.Kael was pushed to his knees before the throne, hands bound but spirit unyielding."You return not as heir," the king intoned, "but as an anomaly—one who has brought misfortune down upon the house of Solarel."Kael met his father's gaze, something fierce flickering in his eyes. "I didn't choose this, but I won't deny it. The system is failing. People suffer. What legacy is left if you cling to broken laws?"A tense silence reigned, then the queen stepped forward—her gentle face drawn and pale. She held an object wrapped in velvet, which she placed before Kael. "You deserve to know the truth," she said quietly.Inside was an old signet ring, worn smooth by time and engraved with unfamiliar runes. It pulsed faintly as Kael touched it."The system has not always been as it is now," his mother whispered. "Centuries ago, a prophecy was written—a child would be born during a time of imbalance, and their power would reset the system, giving the world a chance to remake itself."The high priest objected, "That legend is forbidden! It defies the order the system gave–"The king silenced him with a look. "Kael, your birth coincided with the first disturbances in the dungeons. Even then, the awakening crystals had begun to falter. We hid what was happening, afraid of unrest."Kael stared at the ring, the truth dawning: he was not the curse the council feared, but the possibility the system predicted."Why keep this secret?" he demanded. "Why not let people hope?"The king's face twisted in regret. "If the prophecy is true, it means we were never truly rulers—just stewards of a machine that dictates fate. To accept that is to abandon everything we built."Rage and understanding mingled inside Kael. "Perhaps that's what should happen."The high priest drew a dagger from his robes, desperation written in every line. "I won't let you destroy the order!"Chaos erupted. Guards moved to intervene as Kael's runes blazed in warning—air rippled, the floor trembled, and barriers shimmered into existence, deflecting blows. The queen declared, "No more blood for blind faith!"When the dust settled, Kael found himself surrounded, but untouched. The king bowed his head, defeated. "Go, then. Find the truth. If the world must reset, let it be by your hand—not by mindless vengeance."Kael slipped the ring onto his finger, the runes warming beneath his touch. He turned from the palace—not a prince, not a prisoner, but a catalyst for change.In the flickering torchlight, he glimpsed hope instead of doom—hope for a new world, if only he could survive to see it.
