Kael Vorne stood still, dwarfed by the star-swept crystal walls of Aetherion's royal nursery.
Only five years old—but behind his emerald eyes simmered the soul of Elliot Kane.
The cultist's shadow from days past still haunted him, a phantom of Vastara's lurking dangers. Yet the deeper wound lay elsewhere. In a memory. A woman. A betrayal.
Sarah's voice echoed in his chest.
You were never enough, Elliot.
The blade. The blood. The cold stare of the woman he once called wife.
And still, from the corner of the cradle, the sword leaned against the wall—pulsing gently with a warm, familiar flux.
"Quit broodin', darlin'," Lyra's voice drawled in his mind, dry and amused. "We're Chosen, not cursed."
Kael's jaw clenched.
She didn't get it. Not really.
Love breaks you. Trust kills.
Queen Lysara's voice drifted down the marble corridor.
"Kael, my star, it's time for court lessons!"
Her voice held storm and sun all at once—too fierce, too full. Aetheria's matriarchy didn't coddle its sons. Yet Lysara adored him with a passion that smothered more than it soothed.
Kael reached for Lyra's hilt.
90 cycles per span. Her aetheric flux steadied him like an old equation.
[Infinite System Activated]
Quest: Attend Court Lesson (Reward: 20 Aetherons)
"Accept," he muttered.
The screen faded.
Lyra chuckled. "Schoolboy already? Bet you'll charm those matriarchs to tears."
A sliver of Elliot's dry wit stirred—before fear snuffed it out.
---
The nursery doors creaked open.
Talia Wren burst in, all bouncing auburn braids and unfiltered joy.
"Kael! Come on! The court awaits!" she beamed.
He stiffened as she grabbed his hand, her fingers brushing his.
Too warm. Too trusting. Too dangerous.
Talia had grown since their slum-stargazing days—now nine, confident, hopeful. Her aether-tome glowed at her side like a heartbeat.
"You'll be great at court," she whispered, voice soft.
"She's got it bad," Lyra snickered.
Kael said nothing. Pulled away. Talia's smile faltered, her eyes dimming, unnoticed.
---
The throne room shimmered with majesty and menace.
Crystal spires outside reached toward the heavens. Inside, the weight of power pressed down.
Kael walked between pillars of legacy—Lysara at the front in emerald robes, Lyra strapped to his back, Talia close behind.
The Senate Matriarchs waited—House Thorne, Drakestone, Valthorne. Their robes flowed like rivers, their gazes like knives.
"Aetheria's Chosen," Matriarch Valthora cooed, her smile a serpent's hiss.
Elliot's instincts screamed.
She's dangerous.
"Black Veil stink all over her," Lyra muttered darkly.
King Ardyn stood beside Lysara, quiet, composed, his presence warm without intrusion.
"Listen well, son," he said.
Kael blinked.
A father.
Elliot never had one—not really. Foster homes and cold halls had shaped him, not love.
The lesson began.
Talks of vein quotas, tribal unrest, Senate votes filled the air. Boring—but grounding. Kael tuned them out, mentally calculating aetheric flux ratios between Senate nodes.
From the side, maids Mira and Lila watched dreamily.
"So dreamy…"
"Braiding his hair is like touching aether silk!"
Kael groaned as Lila fumbled with his hair. Lyra cackled.
"You're their royal doll now..."
---
Then came a voice—low, cocky.
"Name's Rion Cade."
A boy lounged by a column, flipping a silver coin, eyes full of fire.
"Heard you're some kinda god-prince. Bet I can outshoot ya."
Kael eyed him cautiously. Charisma dripped from every smirk.
Elliot's warning flared: Don't get close.
"He's nice," Talia whispered, nudging Kael. "Really."
"He's got guts. Could be useful," Lyra added.
Kael ignored them both.
Valthora's eyes never left him.
She's watching too closely. Too intently.
---
Lysara's voice cut through.
"Kael, recite the Vorne betrayal."
He froze. The pain came back, old and jagged.
But he stood tall, voice cold.
"Three hundred years ago, Houses Klythe and Valthorne sold Aether Vein secrets to Demon King Malzath. He tainted 40% of the realm's veins, spawning shadow-beasts. House Vorne sealed him in Eryndora—losing 95% of our army."
Silence.
Lysara stepped forward, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"And you, my son… broke the curse. You are Vastara's hope."
The Senate clapped.
But Valthora's eyes burned colder.
[Quest Updated: Investigate Cultist Activity (Reward: 50 Aetherons)]
Kael's pulse spiked.
The gate. The cult. The shadows. It was all aligning. Celestine's warning hadn't been empty.
Rion flipped his coin.
"Trouble's brewin', prince. You'll need more than pretty eyes."
Talia clutched her tome tighter.
"I'll help you, Kael."
Lysara's hand tightened on his shoulder. Ardyn nodded.
Kael gripped Lyra's hilt. Her flux held steady. Real.
I will conquer. Not for love. Never for love. But to bury Elliot Kane for good.
---
Dusk cloaked the crystal towers in violet flame.
Outside, a shadow slipped across a spire—a cultist, obsidian crystal glinting like a whisper of doom.
"They're watchin', darlin'," Lyra said grimly. "Gate's trouble's comin' fast."
Kael's resolve surged.
Sarah's betrayal had ended Elliot Kane.
But Kael Vorne would not fall.
He'd face the cult. The court. The curse.
The world.
Even if it meant standing alone.
---