EPISODE 9 : NO MORE SECRETS
909 Words
The rain had stopped by the time the last of the academy guards arrived.
Red and blue emergency lights flashed across the shattered entrance of Noctis Crown Academy, casting long shadows over the broken stone and abandoned weapons left behind by the attackers. Students stood in frightened groups, whispering among themselves as faculty members hurried everyone back toward the dormitories.
Rumors spread faster than the storm had.
Some claimed terrorists had attacked the academy.
Others insisted they had seen monsters.
No one seemed to know the truth.
Asher stood motionless near the courtyard fountain, staring at the silver mark on his wrist. Though the glow had faded, it refused to disappear completely. It lay beneath his skin like a silent reminder that his life had changed forever.
Noah approached him cautiously.
"You should let the school nurse check you."
"I'm fine."
"You keep saying that."
Asher managed a tired smile.
"I know."
Noah looked at him for several seconds before speaking again.
"I'm not asking because of what happened."
"Then why?"
"Because you're my best friend."
His voice was calm, but the hurt behind it was impossible to miss.
"I watched you stop a sword with your bare hand."
He took another step forward.
"I heard those people call you 'the heir'... and 'the prince.'"
His eyes searched Asher's face.
"Were they talking about you?"
Asher lowered his gaze.
"I honestly don't know."
"You don't know..."
"No."
"I believe they were talking about me."
The words surprised even Asher.
Until tonight, he had wanted to deny everything.
Now he couldn't.
Not after the memories.
Not after the mark.
Not after the wooden wolf.
Noah released a slow breath.
"I've known you for almost ten years."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"If anyone had told me you were secretly a prince, I would've laughed in their face."
"So would I."
The two friends stood in silence.
For the first time since they had met, neither of them knew what to say.
A black car rolled quietly into the courtyard.
Lucas stepped out before the driver had a chance to open the door.
His suit was soaked from the earlier battle, but he carried himself with the same calm authority as always.
He walked directly toward Asher.
"We need to leave."
Asher frowned.
"Leave?"
"Now."
"What about the academy?"
"The academy is no longer safe."
Lucas's tone left no room for argument.
"They know where you are."
Noah stepped forward.
"Hold on."
Lucas looked at him.
"You're asking him to leave without explaining anything."
"I'm asking him to survive."
"That's not the same thing."
For a brief moment, neither man spoke.
Lucas finally nodded.
"You're right."
He turned to Asher.
"You deserve the truth."
Asher felt his heartbeat quicken.
Lucas glanced around the nearly empty courtyard before speaking.
"Twenty years ago, there was a kingdom hidden from the human world."
"The Silver Moon Kingdom."
"It was ruled by a royal bloodline whose power kept peace among the Beast Clans."
Asher listened without interrupting.
"One night, the kingdom fell."
Lucas's voice grew quieter.
"It wasn't destroyed by strangers."
"It was betrayed from within."
Lightning flickered across the distant sky.
"The royal family was murdered."
Lucas looked directly into Asher's eyes.
"Everyone believed the prince died with them."
Asher swallowed hard.
"But he didn't."
Lucas slowly shook his head.
"No."
Silence settled between them.
"Asher..."
Lucas's voice was almost gentle.
"You are the last surviving prince of the Silver Moon Kingdom."
The words struck harder than any weapon.
Asher stared at him, unable to speak.
His nightmares.
The palace.
The queen.
The wooden wolf.
Every piece suddenly fit together.
"No..."
His voice was barely audible.
"This has to be some kind of mistake."
"I wish it were."
Lucas reached into his coat and removed an old silver pendant.
The pendant bore the same wolf emblem carved into Asher's wooden keepsake.
"I've carried this for twenty years."
He placed it in Asher's hand.
"Your mother gave it to me on the night the kingdom fell."
Asher looked at the pendant.
Then at the wooden wolf.
The symbols matched perfectly.
His hands began to tremble.
"My mother..."
Lucas nodded.
"Queen Selene."
The name echoed through Asher's mind.
Suddenly, another memory surfaced.
A warm embrace.
A gentle lullaby.
Silver hair dancing beneath the moonlight.
"My little wolf..."
A tear slipped down Asher's cheek before he even realized he was crying.
He quickly wiped it away.
"I don't even remember her face."
Lucas lowered his eyes.
"You will."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because the seal protecting your memories is breaking."
A sharp sound interrupted them.
One of Lucas's guards hurried across the courtyard, breathing heavily.
"My King."
Lucas turned immediately.
"What is it?"
"We've received reports from the northern border."
The guard hesitated.
"They're gathering."
Lucas's expression darkened.
"Which clans?"
"All of them."
The guard looked toward Asher.
"They've all heard the signal."
A heavy silence followed.
Lucas closed his eyes briefly.
It was exactly what he had feared.
The hunt had spread beyond the city.
There would be no hiding anymore.
When he looked back at Asher, the determination in his eyes had hardened into certainty.
"From this moment on, your life will never be ordinary again."
Asher tightened his grip on the wooden wolf.
He had spent years wondering who he really was.
Now he finally had an answer.
The only problem...
...was that the truth had just declared war on him.
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