episode 1

Kael

...

The air in the great hall was thick with tension. Prince kael leaned back in his gilded throne, tapping his finger against the armrest as a murmur rippled through the air. His dark eye scan the room if there is anyone to challenging him.

This was his movement -his declaration of strength he would not let it be sullied by the week whispers of novels too cowardly to defend Eldoria 's power

"The treaty with Caldera is dead" kael said, his voice sharp and

Commanding." let them squabble over their borders. Eldoria bows to. No one"

The murmuring stopped. Silence fell over the court, broken only by the faint rustle of silk robes as the gathered nobles shifted uneasily.kael's lips curved into a smirk. SILENCE WAS SUBMISSION.

From the edge of the room, an older man stepped forward-one of his father's most trusted advisors."your highness,"he began cautiously "Caldera's alliance could stabilize our trade routes.without it, there will be bloodshed".

"Then let there be bloodshed,"kael snapped, rising to his feet. His cape billowed behind him as he descended the dais." Eldoria will not be a puppet, Caldera will either fall in line or fall to our swords."

The advisor bowed his head, but kael caught the flicker of disapproval i his expressions.it irritated him, though he refused to show it. Let them doubt. Let them whisper behind his back.in time, they would see he was right.

From the far corner of the room came an unexpected sound: a soft, raspy laugh.

Kael's head snapped towards the source. An old woman, cloaked in tattered robes, stood by the doors. Her hunched frame and gnarled staff made her look harmless, but something about her presence unsettled him.the guards hesitated, unsure whether to approach her.

"Who is this?" kael demanded."how dare you let a vagrant into my court?".

The woman stepped forward with slow deliberate movements .the nobles parted before her as though pushed by an invincible force. Her pale, clouded eyes fixed on kael, unblinking.

"I have come to offer you a warning, prince of Eldoria,"she said, her voice a low, melodic hum that seemed to echo in the hall.

Kael scoffed, "A warning? ,from a crone who can barely stand?"

The woman ignored his insult, her gaze piercing."pride is a dangerous master, your highness, it blinds you to the pain you cause, the ruin you invite Turn back before it's too late.

Kael laughed a sharp mocking sound."and what would you have me do? Crawl to calderra on my knees?beg for mercy like a dog?"

The woman tilted her head and for the first time, kaell felt a flicker of unease. Her presence was ... unnatural."you will not bow," she said, Her voice growing louder."but you will fail."

The air in the hall shifted. A chill seeped through the stone walls, distinguishing the torches in their sconces, shadow flickered unnaturally, twisting and growing like living things.Thenobles gasped, backing away from the strange phenomenon, but kael stood his ground.

"Enough of this,"he growled."guards, remove her_"

Before he could finish, the woman raised her staff.a surge of energy rippled through the air knocking the guards to the ground.kael staggered but didn't fall.

"You are blind to the pain you cause,"the woman intoned, herr voice now layered with a strange, otherworldly echo."let the shadows show you what you refuse to see".

A blinding flash of light enveloped kael, andd for a brief movement,, hefelt weightless, as if the world has been ripped out from under him. When the light faded the woman was gone

Kael groaned as he opened his eyes.Tge grand hall was empty, the air eerily still. He pushed himself to his feet, his body feeling strangely heavy.the polished marble floor reflected his form-or rather, what had become of it

His breath hitched, his reflection was destroyed, his once-handsome feature blurred and shrouded in shadows. His skin seemed to ripple and twist, and when he lifted his hands, they left faint trail of darkness in the air

"What…s this?" he muttered, hiss voice low and warped barely unrecognizable.

He stumbled backward, colliding with a pillar the sound echoed in the empty hall.kael's mind raced, replaying the woman's words. A curse. She had cursed him.

He turned to the throne room doors, panic rising in his chest, He needed answers, needed to undo Whatever had done to him. But as he pu Sheed the doors open and stepped into the palace corridors, the screams of his servants greeted him.

"DEMON'" one cried, dropping a silver tray as they fled.

"Monster!" another whispered before disappearing into the shadows.

Kael's jaw tightened. He was no monster, he was their prince.

But as he caught another glimpse of his reflection in a nearby window, a silver of doubt crept in.

Perhaps he wasn't their prince anymore.

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