Chapter 8: Secrets Beneath the Crown
615 Words
The throne room remained silent long after the royal guard finished his report.
No one dared speak.
The King’s piercing gaze swept across the nobles before settling on Azul.
“You are dismissed.”
The unexpected order caught everyone off guard.
“Your Majesty…” one minister protested.
“I said dismissed.”
The authority in his voice left no room for argument.
One by one, the nobles bowed and filed out of the hall. Even Bashan was instructed to leave.
Only the King, the Queen, and Azul remained.
The massive doors closed with a heavy thud.
For several moments, no one spoke.
Finally, the King descended from his throne.
His footsteps echoed across the sapphire floor until he stood directly before his son.
“When you were born,” he said quietly, “the royal priests gave me a prophecy.”
Azul looked up in surprise.
“A prophecy?”
The King nodded.
“They said the child born beneath the Storm Moon would either become Azul’s greatest king… or the one who would bring about its destruction.”
Azul’s heart skipped a beat.
“I’ve never heard this before.”
“You were never meant to.”
The Queen stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on Azul’s shoulder.
“We wanted you to live as a normal prince, not as a child burdened by fear.”
The King sighed.
“But yesterday… something changed.”
His sharp eyes locked onto Azul.
“Tell me the truth.”
“Did you go near the Endless Stream?”
Azul hesitated.
The memory of the glowing water flashed through his mind.
The ancient voice.
The blue light.
The impossible speed.
“…Yes.”
The room fell silent.
The Queen closed her eyes.
The King slowly turned away.
“So… it has finally chosen.”
“What has chosen?” Azul asked.
Instead of answering, the King walked toward the far end of the throne room.
There, hidden behind an enormous tapestry bearing the royal crest, was a stone door.
He pressed his palm against it.
The wall rumbled.
Dust fell from the ceiling as the ancient door slowly opened.
A cold breeze drifted from the darkness beyond.
“Follow me.”
Azul obeyed.
They descended a winding staircase carved into solid rock.
The deeper they walked, the older everything became.
Faded murals covered the walls, depicting warriors surrounded by rivers of glowing blue light.
Some knelt before a crowned king.
Others fought monstrous creatures with burning red eyes.
At the end of the passage stood a circular chamber.
In its center rested an enormous crystal, glowing with the same blue light Azul had seen at the Endless Stream.
His breathing stopped.
“It’s the same…”
“Yes,” the King replied.
“This crystal was brought here by the First King of Azul.”
He rested a hand on its smooth surface.
“For generations, our family has protected one secret above all others.”
Azul slowly approached the crystal.
“What secret?”
The King’s expression grew solemn.
“The Endless Stream is not merely a river.”
“It is alive.”
Before Azul could respond, the crystal pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then a deep c***k echoed through the chamber.
A thin fracture appeared across its flawless surface.
The King’s face drained of color.
“No…”
Another c***k spread.
Then another.
The chamber trembled violently.
The Queen stumbled as dust rained from the ceiling.
“The seal is breaking,” she whispered.
Far away, in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, the waters of the Endless Stream began to glow brighter than ever before.
And something imprisoned beneath its depths…
Opened its eyes.
- Writer
