CHAPTER 12: THE CROWN'S SECRET
1661 Words
The cavern ceiling collapsed.
A mountain of rock thundered toward the ancient city.
"Selene!"
Kael shot toward her without hesitation.
At the same instant, the Fallen King let out another earth-shaking roar.
Huge slabs of stone rained down like meteors.
The Royal Guardians raised their silver spears.
"Protect the Princess!"
Hundreds of glowing barriers bloomed across the plaza.
BOOM!
The first boulder slammed into the magical shields.
Cracks spread instantly.
Another crashed down.
Then another.
The shields began to shatter.
Captain Nadia's eyes widened.
"There are too many!"
One barrier exploded into thousands of silver fragments.
A massive piece of the ceiling plunged directly toward Selene.
Kael was still too far away.
Time seemed to slow.
Selene looked up.
So... this is how it ends?
Then...
The silver dagger in her hand began to hum.
A warm light spread from the crescent engraved on its hilt.
The necklace around her neck answered.
Both relics shone brighter and brighter.
The air around Selene rippled.
Without thinking...
She lifted the dagger.
The moment its blade pointed toward the falling rock—
A crescent-shaped shield of pure moonlight appeared above her.
CRAAAAASH!
The enormous boulder struck the shield.
Instead of crushing her...
It split cleanly in half.
The broken pieces crashed harmlessly to either side.
Silence filled the plaza.
Everyone stared.
Even Ronan.
"...Impossible."
---
Kael landed beside Selene.
His golden eyes searched her face.
"Are you hurt?"
She slowly shook her head.
"I..."
"I didn't do that on purpose."
Kael looked at the glowing dagger.
"No."
"The royal relic chose you."
The Guardian Drake bowed its head.
"The Moon Blade has awakened."
Every Royal Guardian immediately dropped to one knee.
Their voices echoed through the underground kingdom.
"Long live the Queen."
Selene's eyes widened.
"No..."
"I'm not a queen."
"I don't even know what I'm doing."
The oldest guardian looked up.
"A true ruler never seeks the throne."
"They seek to protect others."
"You protected this kingdom."
"You passed the Second Trial."
Selene blinked.
"...Second?"
"I thought I only completed one."
"The first tested your heart."
The Guardian Drake continued.
"The second tested your instinct."
"You chose to protect life instead of yourself."
---
High above the city...
Ronan's calm expression finally cracked.
"The Moon Blade..."
"So it truly accepted her."
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"I've waited twenty-one years..."
"...and now everything is slipping away."
One of his commanders stepped forward.
"My Alpha..."
"Should we retreat?"
Ronan smiled again.
"No."
"If I leave now..."
"...I'll never get another chance."
He slowly removed a silver ring from his finger.
Ancient black symbols glowed across its surface.
The Guardian Drake saw it.
Its eyes widened in horror.
"No..."
"It still exists."
Kael's expression darkened.
"The Silver Crown."
Selene frowned.
"The Silver Crown?"
Kael didn't answer.
His attention remained fixed on Ronan's hand.
For the first time...
The Lycan King looked genuinely worried.
---
The Fallen King staggered across the ruined plaza.
The corruption was consuming him again.
Yet every few seconds...
His crimson eyes flickered back to silver.
As though General Orion was still fighting from within.
He looked at Selene.
Then at the Moon Blade.
A single memory surfaced.
A little princess laughing as she chased butterflies through the palace gardens.
He had promised to protect her.
He had failed.
"No..."
His broken voice trembled.
"I won't..."
"...fail again..."
With a roar of unimaginable pain, Orion turned away from Selene.
Instead...
He charged straight toward Ronan.
Ronan's smile vanished.
"You dare?"
The Fallen King's colossal fist came crashing down.
Ronan barely escaped, the impact leaving a crater where he had stood.
The entire underground kingdom shook.
Kael stared in surprise.
"He's resisting the corruption again..."
The Guardian Drake nodded slowly.
"Because of her."
He looked at Selene.
"The Princess is awakening memories that even darkness cannot erase."
Far across the plaza, Ronan rose from the rubble, dusting off his coat.
His sapphire eyes burned with cold fury.
"So be it."
"If sentiment won't stop you..."
He slipped the ancient silver ring onto his finger.
The moment it touched his skin...
A wave of black energy exploded across the underground kingdom.
The sky above the cavern darkened.
The moonlight vanished.
One by one...
The Royal Guardians began dropping their weapons.
Their blue eyes flickered...
Then slowly turned crimson.
Captain Nadia whispered in horror,
"The Crown..."
"...it's corrupting them."
Kael took a step forward.
His voice was low.
Deadly.
"Ronan..."
"What have you done?"
The black energy spread through the underground kingdom like a plague.
One by one...
The Royal Guardians' blue eyes dimmed.
Then—
They turned crimson.
The ancient warriors slowly rose to their feet.
The silver glow surrounding their armor disappeared, replaced by a sinister black aura.
Captain Nadia tightened her grip on her sword.
"No..."
"They're being controlled."
The oldest guardian struggled to lift his spear.
His body trembled violently.
"Your... Majesty..."
He looked toward Selene.
"Forgive us..."
"We... can't..."
Before he could finish—
The black aura tightened around him like chains.
His head snapped upward.
The compassion vanished from his glowing eyes.
With one sharp motion, he pointed his spear at Selene.
Every corrupted guardian followed.
Hundreds of silver spears turned toward their rightful queen.
---
Selene's heart sank.
"They were protecting me..."
She whispered.
"Now they're trying to kill me."
Kael stepped in front of her.
"They're still alive."
"They're prisoners inside their own bodies."
Ronan's laughter echoed across the ruined plaza.
"This..."
"...is why the Silver Crown was feared."
He slowly walked forward, the black aura swirling around him.
"It doesn't simply control minds."
"It controls loyalty."
The corrupted guardians marched forward in perfect formation.
Each step shook the ancient streets.
The Guardian Drake spread its wings protectively.
"The Crown was forbidden because no king should ever command obedience through fear."
Ronan smiled.
"And yet..."
"...it built the greatest empire our world has ever seen."
---
Kael's golden eyes burned with fury.
"You've learned nothing."
"I learned everything."
Ronan stopped only a few meters away.
"You rule because they respect you."
"I rule because they obey."
"There is a difference."
"There is."
Ronan's smile widened.
"My kingdom never questions me."
Kael answered quietly,
"Then they are not your people."
"They're your prisoners."
For a moment...
Neither Alpha moved.
The tension between them became unbearable.
---
Without warning—
The corrupted guardians charged.
Hundreds of armored warriors rushed across the plaza.
Captain Nadia drew her sword.
"Hold the line!"
Steel clashed against enchanted spears.
The underground kingdom erupted into chaos once again.
Ethan fought beside Nadia, knocking one guardian backward without striking a fatal blow.
"We can't destroy them!"
"I know!"
"They're victims!"
Nearby, the Guardian Drake blocked three guardians with one sweep of its massive tail, sending them crashing into ancient pillars.
But more kept coming.
There were simply too many.
---
Selene watched the battle helplessly.
Everywhere she looked...
Someone was fighting because of her.
Kael.
Nadia.
Ethan.
Even General Orion was struggling against the darkness.
She lowered her eyes to the Moon Blade.
The silver dagger still glowed warmly in her hand.
Almost...
As if trying to tell her something.
Then she remembered the words from her vision.
"A true ruler protects."
Not with fear.
Not with force.
With hope.
She closed her eyes.
"I don't know how to be a queen."
The dagger pulsed.
"But..."
She tightened her grip.
"I know I don't want anyone suffering because of me."
The necklace around her neck began to shine.
Its light spread to the Moon Blade.
The two relics resonated together.
The plaza fell strangely quiet.
Even the corrupted guardians hesitated.
---
Selene slowly stepped forward.
"Princess!" Nadia shouted.
"It's too dangerous!"
Kael reached for her.
She gently caught his hand.
"Trust me."
Their eyes met.
For a long moment...
Neither spoke.
Then Kael slowly released her hand.
"I trust you."
Selene smiled faintly.
It was the first genuine smile she'd worn since entering Black Hollow.
She walked toward the advancing guardians.
Ronan frowned.
"What is she doing?"
The Guardian Drake lowered its head.
"...She's listening."
---
Selene raised the Moon Blade.
Instead of pointing it at the enemy...
She turned the blade toward the sky.
Moonlight poured from the crystal ceiling above.
The silver light gathered around the dagger until it resembled a small moon.
The warmth spread across the plaza.
One beam...
Then another...
Then hundreds.
The light touched each corrupted guardian.
One by one...
Their movements slowed.
The black aura surrounding them began to crack.
The oldest guardian dropped his spear.
A single blue tear rolled down his stone face.
"Your..."
"...Majesty..."
More cracks spread through the darkness.
Another guardian fell to one knee.
Then another.
The Silver Crown's control was breaking.
Ronan's confident smile disappeared.
"No..."
"That's impossible!"
"The Crown cannot be resisted!"
The Guardian Drake looked at him with ancient wisdom.
"It cannot..."
"...unless the true heir awakens the Light of the Moon."
The black aura shattered like glass.
A wave of silver light exploded outward from Selene.
Every corrupted guardian was thrown backward.
Their crimson eyes returned to glowing blue.
The Royal Guardians slowly knelt once more.
This time...
By their own choice.
---
Ronan stared in disbelief.
His hand shook as he looked at the Silver Crown.
Tiny cracks had appeared across its surface.
"No..."
He whispered.
"I waited twenty-one years..."
"...for this?"
The Fallen King suddenly lifted his head.
For the first time since awakening...
Both of his eyes turned completely silver.
He looked at Selene.
Then at Ronan.
His voice, though strained, rang clearly through the ancient kingdom.
"The throne..."
"...has chosen."
The cavern trembled violently.
Deep beneath the Moon Palace...
Something ancient began to awaken.
A deep bell rang once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
The oldest guardian's face drained of color.
"Oh no..."
Kael looked toward the massive palace at the heart of the city.
He knew that sound.
Every Lycan King knew that sound.
"The Royal Vault..."
"...has opened."
- Writer
