All eyes were fixed on one place — Noa.
He was kneeling, his breath heavy, his clothes torn, and blood was seeping from his hands.
He had not fallen, yet he had not won either.
Silence filled the arena. Then, from among the crowd, a voice rose:
> "He failed… The prince has fallen."
Murmurs spread. Some laughed; others shook their heads in pity.
The ancient dragon elders frowned — all he received from them was cold silence.
Then the Emperor's voice thundered through the air:
> "The trial is over! The prince has proven himself unworthy of inheritance! From this day forth, he is stripped of his royal bloodline!"
The square fell silent again. The weight of those words pressed down like iron chains.
Noa slowly raised his head. There was no hatred or rage on his face — only exhaustion, carved together with unbroken resolve.
He trembled as he rose from his knees. His body was weak, yet his eyes still burned with undying fire.
> "I…" he said quietly but clearly. "I have failed."
Inside, Noa cursed himself: Damn it… what a disgrace. I couldn't even defeat a lesser beast. Is this truly all I am?
The crowd fell strangely silent. No one had ever heard a prince admit defeat. But Noa offered no excuses.
> "But," he said, cracking his fists, "I will not surrender. Today I fell — but tomorrow, I'll rise again. I'll prove myself not through strength… but through mind and truth."
Whispers rippled again. Some mocked, others admired his courage. The Emperor's gaze remained cold as frost.
> "Words mean nothing," Zagn said with contempt. "A weak heart has no worth. From this day, you are no longer my prince."
Those words pierced like a blade. Noa closed his eyes as pain spread through his body — yet he did not bow.
Damn it… even Father despises me, he thought.
---
As he left the arena, a boy ran toward him — a servant's son, tears streaming down his cheeks. He grabbed Noa's hand tightly.
> "Your Highness! Please, don't go! They're wrong! You're strong!"
The crowd gasped. Someone tried to pull the boy away, but Noa held his hand and smiled faintly.
> "Don't cry, little one. Yes, I lost… but this isn't the end. I'll return."
The boy sobbed. Noa gently brushed his hair.
> "I'll never harm you or our people. I'll come back — and when I do, the world will respect me."
His words echoed across the square.
Some laughed mockingly.
> "Respect you? Hah! What a joke!"
Zagn watched him — in Noa's eyes, there was no darkness, no hatred.
Only an unquenchable light.
---
That night, in the palace garden, he met his mother. Tears glimmered in Sylvia's eyes.
> "Noa… my son. Why has it come to this?"
Noa tried to smile, but couldn't.
> "Mother, I'll endure. I'll prove myself — for you, and for Father."
Sylvia gripped his hand, her voice trembling:
> "You will always be my pride, Noa. Your heart is pure — and that purity will protect you from the darkness. I believe in you."
Then she took a small silver seal from her robes and placed it in his palm.
> "This is your inheritance. Only a pure heart can awaken it.
But to use it… you must embrace its opposite."
Noa clutched the seal tightly. Pride and warmth filled his chest.
> "I'll return, Mother. For you… and for the Empire."
---
At dawn, the Emperor issued his final decree.
Noa was stripped of all titles, erased from the royal registry, and exiled to the northern frontier — as nothing more than a border guard.
Yet before leaving, he made a silent vow in his heart:
> I will return. For my mother's tears. For my father's wrath.
For the people's scorn.
One day… they will respect me
What do you think — will Noa find his path after this defeat?
Will he forget the promise he made to his mother, or draw strength from it?
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