Chapter 33: Echoes in the Throne Room
The golden halls of the Velmoran Palace gleamed under afternoon light, but the air was heavy with tension. The scent of ink and old parchment lingered as advisors murmured near the high dais. At the center of it all sat King Thalric Vellmore, expression unreadable, fingers steepled before his mouth.
Before him knelt a royal scout, still dusted in soot.
"He saved an entire village?" Thalric asked slowly.
The scout nodded. "Without hesitation, Your Majesty. Civilians confirm it. He charged into fire, carried out children, and stood against the Hunters."
Whispers swirled around the room. One advisor stepped forward. "That sword—Ashren—it awakens darker forces. He may be a hero now, but what happens when the blade takes control?"
The king said nothing. His gaze drifted to the royal balcony, where his son—the defeated prince—stood brooding.
Finally, the king spoke. "If Andrew Caelum is what the people believe he is, then he's more than a swordsman… he's a symbol. And symbols are harder to kill than men."
- The People Speak -
Back at the academy grounds, the tone had changed.
Where once there were whispers of fear, now came curious stares and half-smiles. A group of young students approached Andrew during his morning routine.
"Was it true you walked through fire?" one boy asked."Are you immune to pain?" said another.
Andrew simply smiled. "Pain's part of the job. You just keep walking."
Even the instructors watched him differently now. Not as the cursed one—but the capable one.
- The Flames Spread -
That night, Mihai met Andrew on the cliffs overlooking the forested edge of the kingdom.
"You've started something," Mihai said. "They believe in you."
Andrew stared into the horizon, where smoke still lingered in the distance.
"That scares me more than the Hunters," he admitted.
Mihai raised a brow. "Why?"
"Because I'm not sure if they're seeing me… or the echo of what I used to be."
There was a pause.
Then Mihai smiled. "It doesn't matter who you were. What matters is the choices you make now. And today? You made the right one."
- A New Enemy Awakens -
But far away, in the sealed chambers beneath the Obsidian Spire, cloaked figures gathered around a blackened mirror.
"The blade has chosen again," one hissed. "The Shadow King's soul burns anew."
"Then the cycle has begun," another whispered. "He must not be allowed to reach the Second Awakening."
From the darkness stepped a figure with silver eyes and a grin like broken glass.
"Then it's time we test the hero," he said. "And remind him what he was born to destroy."