Inner Palace — Dawn
Morning mist floated gently.
Birds circled golden towers.
But inside one courtyard…
Chaos reigned.
Training Ground
Arin stood at the center.
Eyes closed.
Lyra walked around him.
Holding a glowing star tablet.
"Relax."
"Empty your mind."
"Feel the threads."
Seren sat nearby.
Eating fruit.
"Why does fate training look like meditation?"
Mira replied, "Because it is."
Elara watched silently.
Arms crossed.
Very silently.
Very closely.
First Attempt
Lyra raised her hand.
Star lines appeared.
"Invisible."
"Past."
"Future."
"Possibility."
"They all intersect on you."
"Touch one."
Arin focused.
Reached out.
Boom!
He was suddenly surrounded by illusions.
Battlefields.
Dead friends.
Broken empire.
Elara crying.
Children fading.
He staggered.
Breathing hard.
"Damn…"
Lyra grabbed his arm.
"Don't resist."
"Accept uncertainty."
Elara's Eyes Darken
She saw Lyra holding Arin.
Her aura leaked.
Moonlight flickered.
Seren whispered, "Incoming storm."
Mira nodded. "Probability: 92%."
Second Attempt
Arin tried again.
This time—
He didn't fight.
He observed.
Paths twisted.
Merged.
Rewrote.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Fate Sensitivity +5%
A golden thread appeared in his hand.
Thin.
Fragile.
But real.
Lyra gasped.
"You grabbed it…"
"That's… first-deity-level."
Jealousy Arc Begins
Training ended.
Elara walked over.
Smiling.
"Lyra."
"Yes, Empress?"
"Why were you touching my husband?"
Silence.
Lyra panicked.
"I-I was stabilizing him!"
Elara nodded.
"…Next time, I'll do it."
Seren laughed so hard she fell.
Children's Prophecy
That night…
Lyra activated her clan mirror.
Stars reflected.
Suddenly—
It cracked.
Images flooded out.
Three figures.
One golden dragon.
One phoenix-dragon.
One…
Shrouded in white mist.
Unclear.
Lyra whispered.
"…Three heirs."
"…Three Sovereigns."
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Hidden Prophecy Unlocked
Arin frowned.
"Third?"
Elara froze.
Slowly looked at him.
"…Arin."
He gulped.
"…Yes?"
"Explain."
Somewhere in Heaven
A black book opened.
A name appeared.
Arin Drayke.
Red letters.
"Erasure Approved."