The capital of the 1st Kingdom basked in golden sunlight, but Ayra knew too well — warmth on the outside often hid rot on the inside.
She was being treated as royalty now. Dressed in silk, praised in court, and bowed to by nobles who once laughed at her bloodline.
But none of that mattered.
Because Ayra had seen what true power looked like. And none of these people… had even scratched its surface.
---
The Boy with the Broken Past
He stood by the training ground's edge. Silent. Watching.
Ayra noticed him again — the boy she had once rescued in the forest during her exile. He never smiled, but his eyes always seemed older than he looked. Like they'd seen countless lives… and lost all of them.
> "What's your name?" she asked.
> "I… don't remember," he replied, barely audible.
He clutched a dull metal ring on his finger like it was his last tether to existence.
Ayra studied it for a second longer than she should've.
> "You're hiding something," she thought. "Just like me."
She didn't push him. Not yet.
---
The Quiet Before the Storm
Meanwhile, in the farthest northern district of the capital, a small hidden temple began to tremble. A cloaked figure, ancient and scarred, placed his hand on a rusted stone pedestal.
> "The timeline's shifted," he muttered. "She's unlocked the first gate… earlier than predicted."
The air shimmered.
In a language older than this world, he whispered:
> "The child has awakened. The Veil is cracking."
Then, with a chilling calm, he spoke a name that hadn't been uttered for eons.
> "Project E.X.I.L.E…"
---
Ayra's Midnight Trial
That night, Ayra was alone on the palace balcony, meditating with her eyes closed.
Suddenly—screams. Panic.
> "Assassins!" a guard cried.
But Ayra didn't move. She felt their presence long before anyone else.
Seven masked killers emerged from the shadows, blades drawn.
> "You again?" she said coldly.
They hesitated.
And in that single blink, the world twisted.
Reality folded inwards for just a heartbeat. And when it snapped back—
—they were gone.
Not dead. Not vanished. Just… rewritten.
Erased from this timeline like they never existed.
Ayra stood and whispered to the stars:
> "If this is the level of danger they're sending… they still don't understand."
> "Not yet."
---