The royal council chamber echoed with a tense silence, broken only by the occasional rustling of papers and the soft shuffle of feet on the polished marble floors. Kael stood at the head of the table, his posture straight and regal, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something deeper—a restlessness that had settled in his chest ever since he'd made the decision to house the Forsaken girl, Selene, in the palace.
The Elders were on edge. Their sharp eyes were focused on him, their voices barely hushed as they murmured among themselves. They had hoped, in vain, that this matter would be discussed in private, that Kael would change his mind. But there would be no such luck today.
Elder Desmond was the first to speak, his words heavy with a mixture of disbelief and irritation. "Your Highness," he began, standing with his hands clasped before him, "you cannot be serious about this. You've placed a Forsaken, one of those cursed creatures, within the heart of Lunaris. In the palace. Under your protection. This is madness!"
Kael's jaw tightened as he met Desmond's gaze, refusing to look away. "I've made my decision," he said, his voice calm, but his eyes dark with something unspoken. "Selene will stay in the palace, and that is final."
Desmond took a slow breath, as though trying to calm himself before responding. "You do not understand the magnitude of what you're doing. A Forsaken—" he stopped himself, his eyes flicking to the others in the room. "A Forsaken is a curse, Your Highness. They are the outcasts of our world, dangerous beings who—"
"I am aware of what they are, Desmond," Kael interrupted, his voice sharp. "I will not stand here and listen to you spout out old wives' tales. I know what she is, and I've seen what she's capable of. But she is not a threat to the kingdom."
Lady veyra spoke up, her voice trembling with frustration. "But how can you be certain? How can you trust her when she has nothing to prove her innocence? The people already whisper of curses. The blood of the Forsaken runs deep, and if you do not act swiftly, it will spread like a plague through this land."
Kael's eyes darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line. "This kingdom is not governed by superstition," he said, his words deliberate. "And it will not fall to fear."
The murmurs of protest only grew louder as other councilors chimed in, each one more worried than the last. But Kael's resolve was unwavering. He had seen something in Selene—a flicker of humanity buried beneath the surface of her chaos. She was not what they feared. She wasn't like the others.
"I understand your concerns," Kael said, his voice lowering, a thread of something softer beneath the sternness. "But I will not be moved on this matter."
Desmond's face twisted with frustration, but he bowed his head. "Then you leave us no choice, Your Highness," he said, his tone clipped. "We will have to report this decision to the people. They must be prepared for the consequences."
"I will deal with the people if need be," Kael said coldly. "This conversation is over."
🔹🔹🔹
NEXT MORNING*
Lunaris woke to the sound of unrest. Word of the Forsaken's presence in the palace had spread like wildfire, stoking fear and suspicion in every corner of the kingdom. Rumors flew through the market squares, through the winding streets, and into every noble house.
People were nervous. Tensions were rising.
Then, as if the gods themselves had decided to test the kingdom's limits, more bad news arrived. A second Forsaken had been found. This time, it was in the village of Ravinehold, a small settlement nestled deep in the black pine forest to the north of the capital. The creature, as reports claimed, was even more dangerous than the last—violent, untamed, and bloodied from a clash with the villagers who had found it.
The news sent shockwaves through Lunaris.
In the palace, the mood was grim. Kael had already received the summons from the council, and he knew what awaited him. A cursed land, they said. The Forsaken had come to haunt them, to destroy them all.
He left his chambers, his thoughts clouded with a storm of uncertainty. His instincts told him to trust Selene, but the arrival of another Forsaken only complicated matters. Had they come for her? Were they somehow connected? His mind raced as he made his way through the darkened corridors of the palace, the weight of his decision pressing heavily on his shoulders.
By the time Kael arrived at the royal council chamber, the Elders were already gathered. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear.
"The Forsaken has been captured," Desmond said, his voice thick with dread. "It was found near the Black Pine Forest. The villagers claim it was attacking their livestock, and by the time they arrived, it had already slaughtered most of them."
Kael stood motionless, absorbing the news. "Where is it now?"
"The dungeon," Elder mordric answered, his face flushed with worry. "It's been locked away for now, but... we cannot ignore the implications of this. There are whispers of a curse. Some say the land of Lunaris is being punished."
Kael clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing. "I'll handle it," he said, his voice low and steady. "Leave it to me."
🔹🔹🔹
DUNGEON*
The dungeon was cold, the air thick with the smell of damp stone and rusted chains. The Forsaken prisoner was shackled in a cell at the far end, its form slumped against the wall, barely conscious. The guards looked on nervously as Kael approached the cell, his boots clicking sharply against the stone.
His eyes locked on the prisoner, but it wasn't just the usual fear and malice he saw in the creature's eyes—it was something more. Something that sent a shiver down his spine.
"Your Highness," the captain of the guards said quietly, "this one is different. He's... He's not like the others."
Kael stepped closer, studying the prisoner with a sharp, penetrating gaze. There was something oddly familiar about him. His long, dark hair was matted with blood, and his eyes glowed with an eerie, unsettling intensity. But what struck him most was the scar that ran across his cheek.
The prisoner's lips parted in a strangled gasp, and his gaze shot up to meet kael's. There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
Kael felt his heart stutter, but he pushed the sensation aside.
"Leave him for now," he said to the guards, turning to walk away. "I will deal with this personally."
🔹🔹🔹🔹
Later that night, as the palace settled into an uneasy calm, Selene found herself restless. She sat in her chamber, staring out of the narrow window at the moon. Something had changed since the arrival of the second Forsaken. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the air had shifted. A darkness had descended upon Lunaris—a palpable, creeping fear that she could feel in her bones.
Suddenly, an image flashed before her eyes. A woman—striking, with long dark hair and glowing eyes. She looked... familiar. But before Selene could comprehend what the vision meant, it vanished, leaving only a lingering sense of dread.
"Who... was that?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible.
Her mind raced, but the memories were too fragmented to make sense of.
🔹🔹🔹
NEXT MORNING*
Word spread had quickly that the second Forsaken had been locked in the dungeon, and the people were already on edge. In the streets, in the taverns, and within the noble houses, the same question echoed: "What does this mean for Lunaris?"
Selene knew she wasn't safe. No one was. Something bigger was at play, and she could feel it.
Her mind drifted back to the vision of the woman. Had she known her? Was she connected to the Forsaken in some way? The pieces of the puzzle were there, but she couldn't put them together.
One thing was certain, though.
She wasn't the only Forsaken in this kingdom.
And something told her that her past—everything she had lost—was about to resurface.
To be continued...