Secrets Of The Past
1143 Words
The first seal has broken.
The words echoed through the valley.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the red-eyed hunters seemed unsettled.
The ground continued trembling beneath our feet.
Far to the north, a column of dark energy rose into the sky.
Visible even from this distance.
My stomach twisted.
The immortal king was getting stronger.
And somehow, that was connected to me.
Seraphina watched the distant darkness with an almost reverent expression.
"After a thousand years..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"He's finally returning."
Kael stepped forward.
Power rolled off him like a storm.
"Leave."
The command shook the trees.
Several hunters immediately lowered their heads.
Instinctively submitting.
But Seraphina simply smiled.
"You know I can't do that."
The tension between them was suffocating.
Neither looked away.
Neither backed down.
For a moment, I thought they might attack each other.
Then Seraphina glanced at me.
A strange sadness crossed her face.
"Be careful, little heir."
I blinked.
What?
The warning sounded sincere.
Which made no sense.
She served the enemy.
Didn't she?
Before I could ask, crimson light erupted around the hunters.
One by one, they vanished.
Until only Seraphina remained.
She looked at Kael.
Then at me.
Then she disappeared too.
The valley became silent.
Only the crackling campfire remained.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then I turned toward Kael.
The photograph still trembled in my hand.
"We need to talk."
Kael sighed.
A long, tired sigh.
"I know."
Good.
Because I was done being ignored.
I held up the photograph.
"Start explaining."
His golden eyes lingered on the image.
A shadow crossed his face.
Regret.
Pain.
Memories.
Whatever he was seeing, it clearly hurt.
Finally, he sat beside the fire.
For the first time since meeting him...
He looked tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
I sat across from him.
Waiting.
The silence stretched.
Then Kael spoke.
"Your mother was named Lyra."
The name sent a strange warmth through me.
Lyra.
My mother finally had a name.
Not just a memory.
Not just a vision.
A name.
"She was the last Moonborn Queen."
My breath caught.
Queen.
Not warrior.
Not noble.
Queen.
The revelation hit harder than expected.
My entire life, I had believed I was nobody.
Now I was discovering my mother had once ruled a bloodline powerful enough to shape history.
Kael continued.
"She was also one of my closest friends."
Friends.
The word felt inadequate somehow.
I remembered the photograph.
The way they stood beside each other.
The way they smiled.
There was history there.
Deep history.
"What about my father?"
A faint smile appeared on Kael's face.
The first genuine smile I'd seen all night.
"Your father was named Orion."
The name sounded strong.
Warm.
Familiar.
"He was stubborn."
The smile grew slightly.
"Reckless."
"And completely incapable of following instructions."
Despite everything, I found myself smiling.
Somehow, hearing these small details made them feel real.
Like actual people.
Not distant figures from the past.
Kael stared into the fire.
"He loved your mother more than anything."
The smile faded.
A heavy silence followed.
Then I asked the question I had dreaded.
"How did they die?"
Kael froze.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The warmth disappeared.
The pain returned.
I immediately regretted asking.
Not because I didn't want to know.
But because I could see how much it hurt him.
Still.
I deserved the truth.
Kael closed his eyes.
Then spoke.
"They were murdered."
The words hit like a hammer.
Murdered.
Not killed in battle.
Not lost in an accident.
Murdered.
My hands tightened around the photograph.
"By who?"
Kael's jaw clenched.
"The same people hunting you."
A chill ran through me.
The immortal king.
His followers.
The red-eyed hunters.
My parents had died because of them.
The realization ignited something inside me.
Anger.
Hot.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
For years, I had believed my parents died serving the pack.
A noble sacrifice.
A tragic accident.
It had all been a lie.
"They were protecting you."
Kael's voice softened.
The anger inside me paused.
"What?"
He looked directly at me.
"The enemy discovered Lyra was pregnant."
My pulse quickened.
"They knew the heir existed."
The heir.
Me.
"So they came for us."
Us.
The word slipped out naturally.
As though Kael had been part of that family.
Part of my parents' lives.
Part of my past.
Kael nodded.
"I fought beside them."
The image formed instantly.
Kael.
My mother.
My father.
Standing together against impossible odds.
My chest tightened.
"What happened?"
The fire crackled softly.
Kael stared into the flames.
Lost in memory.
"There were too many enemies."
His voice became distant.
"They broke through our defenses."
The pain in his eyes was unmistakable now.
Raw.
Unhealed.
A wound decades old.
"Your father was injured."
I swallowed hard.
"Your mother knew they couldn't win."
Silence.
Then—
"She gave you to me."
The world stopped.
"What?"
Kael looked at me.
The sadness in his eyes nearly broke my heart.
"She placed you in my arms."
My breath caught.
"She told me to run."
The firelight reflected in his golden eyes.
For the first time, I noticed tears.
Not falling.
But there.
Held back.
"I refused."
The admission came quietly.
"She ordered me."
The image became painfully clear.
A mother protecting her child.
A father fighting to buy time.
A king forced to flee.
And a baby too young to understand any of it.
Me.
"Did they..."
My voice cracked.
Kael understood anyway.
He nodded.
Slowly.
Painfully.
"They stayed behind."
Tears blurred my vision.
Not because they died.
Though that hurt.
But because now I knew.
They had chosen it.
Chosen to protect me.
Chosen to save me.
Chosen me.
The realization shattered something inside my chest.
For years, I had believed I was alone.
Unwanted.
Forgotten.
I wasn't.
I never had been.
My parents had loved me.
Enough to die for me.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
Then another.
Kael didn't say anything.
He simply sat there.
Giving me space.
Giving me time.
The silence felt respectful.
Necessary.
Eventually, I wiped my eyes.
And asked the question that had been bothering me since Seraphina showed me the photograph.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Kael became very still.
Then he answered honestly.
"Because I promised."
I frowned.
"Promised who?"
A sad smile appeared.
"Your mother."
The answer left me speechless.
Before I could respond, the pendant around my neck suddenly grew warm.
Very warm.
Kael noticed immediately.
His expression sharpened.
The pendant began glowing.
Silver light spread across its surface.
Stronger.
Brighter.
Brighter still.
Then a map appeared in the air above the fire.
A glowing silver map.
One location pulsed at its center.
A mountain.
Massive.
Ancient.
Hidden.
The Silver Temple.
But that wasn't what made my blood run cold.
It was the symbol blinking directly over it.
A symbol that wasn't there before.
An army.
A massive army.
Already waiting.
- Writer
