The long dining table gleamed under the golden chandeliers. Steaming plates of delicacies lined the polished surface—roasted pheasants, honey-glazed roots, warm spiced bread, creamy soups, and desserts that shimmered with crushed gems of sugar. The smell alone was enough to quiet any chatter.
The family sat in comfort and awe—Maria, Jasmine, Ryan, Adam, and Sahabi with his wife beside him. Servants moved like shadows, filling cups, refilling platters. But Adam's mind was elsewhere.
He finally leaned forward and said, "Dad... there's something I've been longing to ask you."
Sahabi paused, his spoon halfway to his mouth. "Oh? What's that?"
Adam's gaze softened. "You've never spoken about your past. Not even once."
The entire table went silent. Only the crackling fireplace dared make a sound. Sahabi's face dimmed. Jasmine—his wife—lowered her eyes. Maria's brow furrowed in curiosity, and Ryan and young Jasmine exchanged glances.
Then, Sahabi did something unexpected. He laughed—not loudly, but a short, thoughtful chuckle that echoed with pain and pride.
"You really want to know, huh?" he said, voice thick. "Alright. But sit back… this story is long overdue."
"I was born in a kingdom called Varnok—far south of here, past the black pines and snowbound cliffs. A land where dry cold winds bite your skin, and snow falls even when the sky is clear."
Adam leaned closer. "So... my father is a prince?"
Sahabi smiled. "Was. Not anymore."
He explained how Varnok was a kingdom of iron law and fire-blooded tradition. A place where children were trained to make even a leaf into a weapon, where worship of Kaarn, the Flame God, meant burning those who showed weakness.
Its army was vast—80,000 strong—and feared. Not just for their power, but for their shadowy elite assassins known as The Black Fangs, who operated under Varnok's banner and hunted the enemies of the crown.
Sahabi described King Drokan, his father—a merciless ruler who measured loyalty by the body count, and honor by obedience. Sahabi, though raised to inherit the throne, began to ask questions... questions that earned him exile.
"I rejected their path," Sahabi said. "I wanted a family, peace... not a kingdom of blood."
Adam was speechless.
Then Sahabi added, "A few months ago... a messenger came. King Drokan is ill. He acts strong, but... he doesn't have long. My uncles—vultures—are circling. They want to seize the throne. The king summoned me back."
Everyone stared, holding their breath.
"But I said no."
The words hung like thunder. The silence after was louder than any scream.
Maria was the first to speak. "You gave all that up... for us?"
"I gave it up," Sahabi said, "for freedom."
Just as emotions swelled and the silence turned warm, Sahabi stood up and clapped his hands.
"Enough emotion for tonight!" he said. "Time to rest. But in the morning…"
He turned to Adam. "Adam, me and you... and little Ryan... we're going to train together."
Adam's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"
Then, little Jasmine leaned forward with a playful smile. "And I'll train with my namesake."
Laughter and shock rippled across the table.
Maria nearly choked on her drink. "You too?!"
Even Sahabi and his wife exchanged surprised looks, both grinning. Then the father and mother said in unison, smiling:
"Go and sleep, all of you. You'll understand more in the morning."
The fire crackled, the air warm with food, memories, and the heavy echo of forgotten royalty. Tomorrow promised to be nothing like today.
The early morning breeze was brisk, carrying with it the scent of dew and distant roses blooming in the royal garden. Sunlight poured into the mansion courtyard, where three generations of warriors stood—Sahabi, his son Adam, and the spirited boy Ryan.
"Let's begin," Sahabi said calmly, tying the sash of his training robe. He didn't wear armor, just a plain shirt, loose pants, and a thin wooden staff in hand.
Adam, already warming up, turned to Ryan. "Keep up. Grandpa's tougher than he looks."
Ryan giggled. "I'll try not to embarrass you both."
The first strike came from Ryan—quick, calculated, and agile. Sahabi parried effortlessly with the staff, spun, and danced through their dual attacks like a leaf in the wind. Adam moved in, feinting low and going high. Sahabi ducked, chuckled, and flicked his staff—knocking Adam's sword to the side.
"I wasn't Crowned Prince of Varnok for nothing," Sahabi said, grinning. "Even now, I can kill a man... with a leaf from a tree."
Adam wiped his brow, panting. "Dad... I wasn't even holding back that much and you're still this fast?"
"I was raised where hesitation meant death."
Not far away, two fierce lights danced in harmony—Jasmine, Adam's wife, and Jasmine Jr., the daughter they adopted and named after her.
Their weapons: a pair of gleaming daggers.
Their battleground: the open veranda beyond the flower-lined balcony.
They sparred with speed, grace, and deadly precision. Blades clashed, twirled, and glinted under the rising sun. They moved like shadows—whirling, striking, and countering as if performing a dance only warriors understood.
Unnoticed, Adam, Sahabi, Ryan, and Maria had paused their own session, watching in awe.
"Would you look at that?" Adam muttered.
He turned to his father. "How did you end up with a fierce warrior like Mom?"
Sahabi laughed, shaking his head with fondness. "She was the first woman to ever defeat me. That's how she stole my heart."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Then Sahabi looked at Jasmine Jr. and whistled low. "What a daughter you have, Adam. She's keeping up with your mother... that's no small feat. Trust me—even I can't do that anymore. She's... stubborn."
The girls clashed one final time. Jasmine (the mother) pinned the girl's wrist and smiled.
"Yield?"
The young one grinned and nodded. "Next time, I'll win."
After drinks and laughter under the shade of the mango tree, Adam turned to his father. "Can we talk... in private?"
Sahabi nodded, and they strolled into the cool garden, where a gentle wind stirred the petals of silver lilies.
"I received a vision," Adam began softly. "The Three Angels visited me in the night."
Sahabi's steps slowed.
"They said I have a new quest. One that leads me back to Varnok. They told me… to set things right."
The silence was deafening.
"No," Sahabi said sharply. "I won't let you go there. You have no idea what waits in Varnok. No one returns from that hell."
Adam's eyes didn't flinch. "Please, Father. Don't deny my fate."
Sahabi stood still. He closed his eyes... then turned around without a word and began walking back to the house.
Adam followed in silence.
Inside a locked wooden chest covered with dust, Sahabi pulled out a strange ancient gadget—its surface etched with the mark of the Varnok King.
"This is your way in," he said. "It bears the blood-seal of the crown. Keep it hidden. If they find it... they'll know you have royal ties."
Adam took it with a deep breath. "Thank you, Father."
Back outside, laughter still echoed in the air. But the mood shifted when Adam stood up.
He looked at them all.
"I'm going to Varnok."
Maria gasped. His mother, Jasmine, closed her eyes. "I knew this would happen," she whispered. "Just... come back to us, my boy."
Then, as if by instinct, Ryan and Jasmine Jr. stood beside him.
"Wherever you go... we go," Ryan said, voice firm.
Adam glanced at them, pride gleaming in his eyes. "It's your choice."
They smiled, knowing he wouldn't stop them like before.
"I'll inform King Zayd," Adam added. "We leave at first light."
At sunrise, Maximus was groomed and ready. The sky was streaked with gold and pink. The wind had a cold bite to it.
Sahabi stood by the gate, holding a long silk-wrapped bundle.
"Adam," he said, "I have one last gift."
He unwrapped it slowly—revealing a gleaming katana, its blade shimmering with veins of midnight blue.
"This was forged from the strongest metal in Varnok. It can cut through anything. I used it once... now it's yours. Use it wisely."
Adam held the blade with reverence.
He mounted Maximus, looking at the open road ahead.
He looked down at his father. Then at maximus "My dear friend... the future is waiting for us."
And with that, Adam, Ryan, and Jasmine Jr. rode out of the mansion... toward the distant, frozen shadow of Varnok—a kingdom buried in blood, secrets, and fate.