Chapter 8.3
1253 Words
Chapter 8. 3 - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Part III – Starlight and Shadow
The underground corridor fell into complete silence.
Only the sound of rain dripping through cracks in the ancient ceiling broke the stillness.
Selene Orion stood at the opposite end of the hall, twin daggers twirling effortlessly between her fingers. Crimson flames danced along the blades without consuming them, casting eerie shadows across the silver blossoms covering the walls.
She wasn't smiling anymore.
She was studying Fin.
Not like an enemy.
Like someone trying to solve a puzzle.
"...You really do look like Aunt Elara," Selene murmured.
Her voice was softer than anyone expected.
For a moment, she almost sounded nostalgic.
"I remember watching you chase butterflies in the palace gardens."
Fin tightened her grip on the Crownblade.
"I don't remember you."
"No."
A flicker of sadness crossed Selene's face.
"You were too little."
Priston stepped forward, placing himself between them.
"Enough talking."
"If you're here to fight..."
He pointed his sword toward her.
"...come through me first."
Selene looked at him.
Then at the wolf pendant hanging around his neck.
Her crimson eyes widened almost imperceptibly.
"...House Fenrir."
Priston frowned.
"...How do you know that name?"
She gave a small smile.
"Your ancestors were troublesome."
"They nearly killed my father twice."
Priston blinked.
"I'll... take that as a compliment."
"You should."
The Cousin
Selene returned her attention to Fin.
"I didn't come to kill you."
Fin raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"You came armed with two flaming daggers."
"They're decorative."
Priston snorted.
"No, they're not."
Selene sighed dramatically.
"They're not."
Despite the tension...
Fin couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"...You're weird."
"So I've been told."
For a split second...
The resemblance between Selene and Fin became obvious.
The same stubborn expression.
The same sarcastic humor.
The same habit of smiling in dangerous situations.
It was unsettling.
"I have a message."
Selene's tone became serious again.
"My father wishes to speak with you."
"I'm not interested."
"I thought you'd say that."
"So why ask?"
"Because..."
Selene slowly lowered her daggers.
"...he believes you've been lied to."
Fin's expression hardened.
"I've heard that already."
"And?"
"I don't know what to believe."
Selene nodded.
"Good."
Confused, Fin frowned.
"...Good?"
"Question everything."
"My father always said blind trust is more dangerous than blind hatred."
Priston scoffed.
"Your father started a war."
Selene looked at him calmly.
"Did he?"
The simple question echoed through the corridor.
Priston frowned.
"...Excuse me?"
"My father declared war."
She corrected.
"But who started it..."
She looked toward the ancient murals.
"...depends on which history book you read."
Zanne stepped forward.
"Don't."
His voice was unusually sharp.
"Don't play with her."
"I'm not."
Selene answered.
"I'm giving her a choice."
"A choice your father stole from everyone else."
Selene's gaze softened.
"You still hate him."
"I watched him destroy my family."
"And I watched mine disappear."
Silence settled over them.
For the first time...
No one argued.
Because everyone standing in that corridor had lost something to the same war.
The Academy Shakes
The conversation ended abruptly as another massive explosion thundered through the underground halls.
Dust cascaded from the ceiling.
The walls trembled violently.
Then—
CRACK.
A fracture raced across the stone floor.
The silver vines reacted instantly, wrapping around the broken rock to hold it together.
"What was that?" Fin asked.
Zanne's face paled.
"...The barrier."
Above Ground
The western wall of Academia exploded inward.
A section of the golden barrier shattered into thousands of glowing fragments that rained over the battlefield like falling stars.
Students screamed.
Shadow Legion soldiers surged through the breach.
"Hold the line!"
Professor Seraphine's voice rang across the battlefield as she cut through three enemy soldiers in a single motion.
Blue energy exploded from her sword.
Stone walls erupted from the ground to block the advancing army.
But for every soldier that fell...
Two more took their place.
The siege had begun.
The Headmaster
Headmaster Caelum planted his spear into the academy courtyard.
Golden light erupted outward, forcing dozens of enemies backward.
His breathing remained steady.
But his eyes betrayed him.
He was tired.
Far more tired than anyone had ever seen.
A young instructor rushed toward him.
"Headmaster!"
"They're inside the east wing!"
Another professor shouted from above.
"The infirmary is under attack!"
The old man closed his eyes for one brief moment.
"...Protect the students."
"What about you?"
He slowly lifted his spear.
"I'll protect the academy."
Then he disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Underground
Selene looked toward the ceiling.
"...They're losing."
Priston glared.
"They won't."
"They already are."
"I said—"
"They're buying time."
Her calm response silenced him.
"My father never expected to take Academia in one night."
"This siege..."
She looked directly at Fin.
"...was only meant to bring you out."
Fin's stomach tightened.
"...Me?"
"The moment you touched the Crownblade..."
Selene sighed.
"...every ancient relic in the Veiled Realm felt it."
"The Starborn Queen has returned."
Those words echoed painfully inside Fin's mind.
Queen.
Princess.
Heir.
Chosen.
Every day someone called her something new.
Yet none of those titles felt like her.
"I don't want a throne."
She whispered.
"I just wanted a normal life."
Selene smiled sadly.
"I know."
"So did your mother."
A Secret Revealed
Zanne suddenly stepped between them.
"You need to leave."
Selene looked at him.
"I can't."
"If Father discovers I let you escape..."
"He'll execute you."
Fin stared.
"...Wait."
"You'd die..."
"...for helping us?"
Selene laughed softly.
"You really don't remember me."
"When we were children..."
She looked at Fin.
"...I promised I'd always protect my little cousin."
Priston blinked.
"You're helping the enemy?"
Selene corrected him.
"I'm helping my family."
Before anyone could respond—
A sharp whistle echoed through the corridor.
Selene's expression changed instantly.
"They found me."
"Who?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she stepped backward.
"Listen carefully."
Her voice became urgent.
"There are three keys hidden beneath Academia."
"The Crownblade is only the first."
"If Orion finds the other two before you..."
She hesitated.
"...no one will be able to stop what's coming."
"What are the other keys?" Fin asked.
But it was too late.
A spear of black energy burst through the wall.
BOOM!
Stone exploded across the corridor.
Selene shoved Fin aside just before the attack struck.
The spear embedded itself deep into the floor.
Dark smoke curled from its blade.
A slow clap echoed from the shadows beyond the dust.
"Touching."
A familiar voice.
Cold.
Elegant.
Cruel.
King Orion himself stepped into the corridor, silver armor gleaming beneath the flickering light.
His crimson cape trailed silently behind him.
His gaze ignored everyone else.
It settled only on Fin.
For several long seconds...
He simply looked at her.
Then, unexpectedly—
He smiled.
Not the smile of a conqueror.
Not the smile of a monster.
The smile of a man seeing someone he had missed for a very long time.
"...You've grown."
Fin's fingers tightened around the Crownblade.
"I don't have anything to say to you."
Orion's expression didn't change.
"You will."
His silver eyes flickered to the sword in her hand.
"The Crownblade accepted you."
He nodded almost proudly.
"Just as I hoped."
Everyone in the corridor froze.
Even Selene looked shocked.
"...Father?"
Fin frowned.
"...What do you mean?"
King Orion took one slow step forward.
"The day your mother fled Astralis..."
His voice echoed through the ancient halls.
"...she didn't just steal the future of our kingdom."
His gaze met Fin's.
"...She stole you from me."
- Writer
