The Shattered Realms

Chapter 9 — The Royal Records

The next morning, Selerin woke before sunrise.

She had barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same things—

the ancient ruin,

the five crowns,

the woman carrying a child,

and the strange golden and silver lights beneath her skin.

But one image troubled her more than the rest.

A little girl being carried away from a burning palace.

She didn't know who the child was.

Yet somehow, she knew the girl was important.

Selerin sat beside the window, staring into the pale morning mist.

Her fingers moved unconsciously toward the mark beneath her collar.

It was no longer glowing.

But she could still feel it.

Like a second heartbeat.

A knock came at the door.

She turned.

Feli stood outside.

"We're leaving."

"Where?"

"The capital."

Selerin frowned.

"Why?"

"Because I need to see the royal records."

Her heart skipped.

"The records about me?"

"Perhaps."

That answer was enough.

Selerin stood.

The Royal Archives

The capital was unlike anything Selerin had ever seen.

Towering walls surrounded the city.

Banners bearing the royal crest hung from every tower.

Soldiers guarded every entrance.

And at the center stood the royal palace.

Selerin lowered her head as she walked beside Feli.

She didn't understand why she felt uneasy.

She had never been here.

Yet the palace felt strangely familiar.

Feli noticed her staring.

"Have you seen it before?"

"No."

"Then why are you looking at it like that?"

Selerin hesitated.

"I don't know."

They entered an older section of the palace.

Unlike the magnificent halls above, the underground archives were dark and cold.

Rows upon rows of ancient books filled the stone chambers.

Feli approached an elderly archivist.

"I need access to the restricted royal records."

The man's eyes narrowed.

"On whose authority?"

Feli placed a sealed document on the table.

The archivist read it.

Then looked at Feli.

"You haven't requested these records in years."

"I know."

"And now you're asking for records that were sealed by the Crown?"

"Yes."

The old man studied him for a long moment.

Then he reached beneath the desk.

A heavy iron key appeared in his hand.

"Some things are sealed for a reason, General."

Feli accepted the key.

"I know."

The restricted chamber was buried beneath the oldest part of the palace.

The door opened with a groan.

Selerin stepped inside.

Dust covered everything.

Old royal documents.

Family records.

Maps.

Genealogies.

Portraits of people whose names had disappeared from history.

Feli began searching.

Selerin wandered toward a shelf.

One particular book caught her attention.

It was bound in dark leather.

There was no title.

Only a symbol.

A crown surrounded by five circles.

She reached for it.

"Selerin."

She stopped.

Feli was staring at her.

"Don't touch that."

"Why?"

"Because we don't know what it contains."

She slowly lowered her hand.

Then noticed something beneath the book.

A faded piece of parchment.

She pulled it free.

There was a name written across it.

YI.

Selerin stared.

The room suddenly felt colder.

"General..."

Feli came closer.

He looked at the parchment.

His expression changed.

"Where did you find that?"

"Here."

He took it from her.

The writing was old.

But beneath the faded ink was another name.

Princess Yi Xin.

Selerin's breath caught.

"Who is Yi Xin?"

Feli didn't answer.

She looked at him.

"Who is she?"

Feli folded the parchment.

"Someone who was erased from history."

"Why?"

"That's what we're here to find out."

They searched for hours.

Eventually, Feli found a damaged royal genealogy.

Several pages had been deliberately removed.

But one page remained.

At the top was the symbol of the Yi bloodline.

Below it were several names.

Most had been scratched away.

One remained.

Yi Xin.

Beside her name was a single sentence.

The child of two royal bloodlines.

Selerin stared at the words.

Her stomach tightened.

"Two?"

Feli nodded slowly.

"That's what it says."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know."

"You keep saying that."

"I'd rather admit I don't know than lie to you."

Selerin looked back at the page.

The words seemed to burn into her mind.

A child of two royal bloodlines.

Suddenly—

pain exploded beneath her collar.

She gasped.

The mark appeared.

Golden light spread across her skin.

Feli grabbed her shoulders.

"Selerin!"

The ancient page began glowing.

Letters appeared where the ink had faded.

Feli stared in disbelief.

A hidden passage revealed itself.

When the two bloods awaken within one vessel, the forgotten crown shall rise again.

Selerin's breathing became uneven.

"What does that mean?"

Feli couldn't answer.

Because the page continued writing itself.

Another sentence appeared.

But should the Hollowing awaken before the heir remembers—

The writing stopped.

The rest of the page had been destroyed.

Feli stared at the incomplete prophecy.

Then slowly looked at Selerin.

"We need to leave."

"Why?"

"Now."

They had barely reached the archive entrance when footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Several guards appeared.

At their center stood a royal official.

His eyes immediately went to the document in Feli's hand.

"What did you find?"

Feli's expression became unreadable.

"Nothing."

The official looked at Selerin.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Then—

his face changed.

Recognition.

Not certainty.

But suspicion.

"Who is she?"

Feli stepped between them.

"She's with me."

The official narrowed his eyes.

"That wasn't my question."

Feli's hand moved toward his sword.

"Then perhaps you shouldn't ask it."

The guards shifted.

The tension in the corridor became unbearable.

Finally, the official stepped aside.

"Very well, General."

But as Feli and Selerin walked away, the man's eyes remained fixed on her.

That night, the royal archives were searched.

Someone had discovered that a forbidden record had been opened.

And somewhere inside the palace, a single page was missing.

The page bearing the name—

Princess Yi Xin.

Feli stood alone in his quarters, holding the parchment he had secretly taken.

He stared at the name for a long time.

Then whispered:

"Where did you go?"

Across the city, Selerin woke suddenly.

Her heart was pounding.

She looked toward the window.

For a moment, she thought she saw a woman standing outside.

A woman dressed in white.

Watching her.

Selerin blinked.

The figure was gone.

But on the glass window was a faint mark.

A symbol she had seen before.

The same symbol from the ancient ruin.

Selerin touched it.

And somewhere far beneath the capital—

something answered.

The royal records had remembered her.

Now the question was—

who else would remember Princess Yi Xin?