The White Queen
566 Words
The bells of the Temple of Names echoed across both worlds.
Their sound crossed mountains, seas, and forgotten kingdoms, awakening those who had long believed the age of prophecy had ended.
In the Frost Kingdom of Elyndor, a woman dressed in flowing white robes stood on the highest balcony of an ancient palace. Snow fell gently around her, yet none of it touched her.
She was Queen Elara.
Her silver crown shimmered with blue crystals, and her calm eyes held centuries of wisdom.
A royal messenger rushed into the hall and knelt before her.
“Your Majesty,” he said, breathing heavily, “the Temple Bells have rung.”
Elara closed her eyes.
“So the Child has awakened.”
She had waited for this day for nearly twenty years.
“Prepare the Star Guard,” she ordered. “We leave before sunset.”
Far away, in the Temple of Names, Kael watched the glowing words disappear from the silver book.
The silence that followed was unsettling.
Seraphine turned to him.
“The bells have revealed your existence. Every kingdom now knows the Nameless Child lives.”
Kael frowned.
“Some will come to protect you,” she continued.
“And others?” he asked.
“They will come to control you.”
Before anyone could speak again, the temple doors burst open.
Lyra rushed inside, her clothes torn from battle.
“We have to leave!” she cried.
“The Hunter wasn’t alone.”
Behind her came the sounds of clashing steel and desperate voices.
Dozens of black-armored warriors stormed the temple courtyard.
At their front rode a knight wearing armor as dark as midnight. A crimson banner fluttered behind him, marked with the symbol of a broken crown.
Malrec’s expression darkened.
“The Iron Order…”
The knight stepped through the broken entrance, removed his helmet, and smiled coldly.
“At last.”
His gaze settled on Kael.
“I have crossed three kingdoms to find you.”
He drew a long sword whose blade glowed with crimson fire.
“My name is Commander Darius.”
“I’ve come to take the First Name.”
The temple erupted into chaos.
Lyra fired arrows that flashed with silver light.
Seraphine raised powerful barriers to shield Kael.
Malrec met the invading soldiers with crimson magic, though it was impossible to tell whether he fought to protect Kael—or to claim him first.
As the battle raged, Kael noticed something hidden behind the altar.
It was another doorway.
Unlike the great gateway he had entered before, this one was small and covered with vines of silver light.
Above it was an inscription:
Only the forgotten may walk the Path of Echoes.
The stone in Kael’s pocket pulsed warmly.
The doorway slowly opened.
A narrow path stretched into darkness.
Without another choice, Kael looked at his companions.
“This way!”
As Darius lunged toward him, Kael, Lyra, Seraphine, and even the mysterious Malrec disappeared through the hidden passage.
The doorway sealed shut behind them.
Commander Darius slammed his burning sword against the stone, but it did not move.
He smiled instead.
“They can run.”
“But every path has an ending.”
Deep beneath the temple, the four unlikely allies stepped into a vast underground city that had been abandoned for centuries.
In the distance, a single light flickered.
Someone was waiting for them.
- Writer
