Chapter Two : The Prince Who Remembered
490 Words
The thirteenth bell echoed across the empire.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Silence followed.
No one moved.
Thousands of eyes turned toward the Imperial Palace as if the heavens themselves had spoken.
"What... was that?"
"The bells only ring twelve times."
"Who rang the thirteenth?"
Fear spread through the crowd faster than wildfire.
The elderly fell to their knees, whispering forgotten prayers.
Children clung to their mothers.
Even the palace guards, warriors who had faced monsters beyond the Northern Mountains, tightened their grip on their spears.
Inside the palace, Nysera stood frozen before the shattered window.
The golden threads of light that had burst from her body slowly disappeared into the air, leaving only tiny sparks dancing around her fingertips.
Her breathing became uneven.
"I... I didn't do that."
The other servants stared at her as though she had become a stranger.
One woman dropped the tray she was carrying.
It crashed against the marble floor.
"She's cursed."
"No..."
"She's possessed."
"Look at her eyes!"
Nysera lifted a trembling hand to her face.
The polished silver serving tray reflected her image.
For the first time in her life...
The mirror didn't hesitate.
It showed her clearly.
But behind her reflection stood another figure.
A man wearing a broken crown.
When she turned—
No one was there.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Then—
Boom.
The enormous palace doors opened.
The Twelve Divine Princes entered.
Every servant immediately knelt.
Every servant...
Except Nysera.
She couldn't move.
It wasn't pride.
It was as though an invisible force held her in place.
The princes walked through the grand hall like living legends.
Some wore armor forged from starlight.
Others carried weapons whose names had been lost to history.
None of them looked toward the servants.
None...
Except one.
Prince Zepharion Draven.
His golden eyes never left Nysera.
His expression remained unreadable.
But inside his mind...
Everything had changed.
Impossible.
It cannot be her.
For a thousand years, he had dreamed of the same face.
A girl standing beneath a sky with no stars.
A girl whose name had been erased from every sacred record.
Each time he reached for her...
He awoke alone.
Now she stood before him.
Breathing.
Human.
Real.
His younger brother stepped beside him.
Prince Kaelor Vayne smiled lazily.
"So," he whispered, "the cold Prince of Heaven finally found something interesting."
Zepharion didn't answer.
Kaelor followed his gaze.
His playful smile disappeared.
"The servant?"
"Do you know her?"
"...No."
But it was a lie.
Somewhere deep within his immortal soul...
He had always known her.
Without warning—
The ancient crystal pillars lining the throne hall began to glow.
One after another.
White.
Gold.
Silver.
Then...
A forgotten pillar at the very end of the hall awakened.
Its light was black.
The entire palace shook.
Deep beneath the marble floors...
Something opened its eyes.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
Soft.
Ancient.
Hungry.
"After five thousand years..."
"The Thirteenth Heir has returned."
- Writer
