I swallowed, then nodded.
My steps were heavy.
Every time my foot stepped on the white marble, the echo of my footsteps sounded too clear in my ears, reminding me of that day, when I also walked in this room to be test my talent.
When we entered the hall, the air felt denser. The faint scent of incense filled the room, mixed with the smell of metal from the armored guards along the walls.
At the end of the room, King Thorian was already sitting on his golden throne, while Eldrin stood slightly behind, watching calmly.
Gregory stopped a few steps before the throne, patting his chest with his right hand and bowing respectfully. His armor made a soft sound as he moved.
"I have brought the girl as Your Majesty commanded," he said in a deep, respectful voice.
King Thorian nodded briefly to Gregory, then his eyes turned to me with an unreadable gaze.
The light from above reflected in his dark red eyes, making him look calm but unpredictable.
He didn't answer immediately.
Just silent, staring at me from his throne, as if weighing something only he knew.
I stood behind Gregory, bowing deeply. My heart beat fast.
Both my hands gripped the shabby fabric of my clothes tightly, trying to hide the trembling in my fingertips.
I didn't know what to say, even raising my head felt frightening.
The King's voice was finally heard, soft but deep.
"Tell her to come closer."
Gregory glanced slightly toward me. His gaze was like stone, no emotion, just an undeniable command.
"Step forward," he said flatly.
I took a breath, trying to keep my steps from trembling.
The sound of my footsteps felt so clear in that room, like an unwanted echo.
Every meter felt like a long journey to a place I shouldn't be going.
When I finally stopped a few steps before the throne, I could feel King Thorian's gaze directly on me.
Not sharp, but not warm either
That gaze was silent… but heavy, like someone looking at something that needed no further explanation.
I bowed deeply, my voice almost inaudible.
"Y… Your Majesty, did you call me?"
"Raise your head."
His tone was gentle, but it made me want to bow even deeper.
I slowly raised my face.
The light from the ceiling crystals shone on the King's face and Eldrin beside him.
Both smiled faintly, smiles whose meaning I couldn't guess.
The King leaned back on his throne, his fingers tapping the armrest slowly.
"It hasn't been long since the last time you were in this room, has it?" he said softly, his voice flowing like a tone too calm for this situation.
"But many things have changed… in a short time."
I swallowed.
His words sounded simple, but felt like a knife wrapped in velvet. In his words, it felt like there was something behind them, something that made my stomach tense without knowing why.
I could only answer softly, "Y-yes, Your Majesty."
King Thorian didn't speak again immediately after that. He just stared at me for a long time, a calm but meaningful gaze, making my breath feel heavy.
This room was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat. Then his lips moved slowly.
"You look thinner than the last time I saw you."
I bowed quickly, not knowing how to respond.
"Sorry… Your Majesty."
But the King just smiled faintly.
"No need to apologize. Life in the palace is indeed harsh for those who haven't found their place. But sometimes, pressure like that shapes something extraordinary."
I could only stay silent. His words sounded gentle, but to me felt like knives covered in fine cloth. Eldrin, who stood to the right of the throne, took half a step forward.
His white robe swayed gently as he bowed slightly to the King, then looked at me calmly. His gaze wasn't cold, even feeling like the eyes of a patient teacher.
"Your Majesty, Allow me to explain." The King gave a small nod.
Eldrin then turned his face toward me.
"Vira," he said in a tone so gentle it made me want to believe him.
"we have reviewed the results of your talent test."
I looked up slowly, surprised.
"Reviewed…?"
Eldrin smiled faintly.
" Yes, the truth is more complex than it seems. The crystal only dims for you, but that doesn't mean you are not talented. The crystal's reaction to you is different. It doesn't dim... it just refuses to be read."
I fell silent, trying to process every word coming from his lips.
"Refused to be read…?" I repeated slowly, almost disbelieving.
He nodded slowly.
"Some rare people have a form of magic not bound to basic affinities. Something deeper… more ancient. That kind of magic can't be measured with ordinary tools, that's why the crystal back then seemed to go out."
It felt like someone relit a small candle inside my chest.
I stared at Eldrin, my breath caught in my throat.
"So… I… am not a talentless?"
Eldrin smiled softly, as if comforting a crying child.
"No, Vira. You are not talentless. You are just… different."
The word different echoed in my head, swallowing all the bitterness I had held onto so far.
Different…
Perhaps for the first time, that word didn't feel like an insult.
King Thorian also spoke, his voice deep and calming.
"I have heard the report from Eldrin himself. That's why we decided to give you a chance, a chance to awaken your talent."
I looked at the King, almost not believing what I had just heard.
"I… am given a chance…?"
"Yes," he answered softly.
"The ritual will be performed here, in this hall. The holiest place in the entire palace."
He smiled faintly, looking at me in a way that made me unable to refuse.
"Not everyone is given such an honor. Consider it… a reward for your perseverance."
My hands trembled softly.
I didn't know what to feel, scared, touched, or suspicious.
But behind all that, there was something resembling a small hope, warm but fragile. Eldrin stepped forward, his crystal staff vibrating softly, emitting a soft light onto the marble floor.
"This ritual is simple," he said gently.
"You just need to stand in the center of the magic circle and let the energy guide you. There will be no pain, only light."
I looked at him with a pounding heart, then asked softly,
"Your Majesty…is this safe?"
The King looked at me for a moment, his eyes sharp but calm, then nodded slowly.
"The process is safe. It will not harm you."
I nodded slowly, my voice barely coming out.
"Alright… I understand."
The King leaned back on his throne.
"are you ready?" he said slowly.
I nodded, still a bit scared of this situation. "I... I am ready, Your Majesty."
"then let Eldrin begin."
For the first time, those words felt like a prayer. Not because I was sure, but because I wanted to believe. Eldrin glanced at the King briefly, then lowered his staff to the floor.
Instantly, the air around us changed.
The echo of magic filled the hall, and soft blue light began forming lines on the floor, drawing ancient symbols that slowly rotated.
I watched, mesmerized.
The air vibrated, but somehow… it felt warm and soft.
As if the world was finally calling me in a way I had never seen before.
The King watched me from his throne, smiling faintly.
"Look, Eldrin." he said softly.
"The light… has finally appeared."
And I, foolish as always, looked down with tears in the corners of my eyes. Truly believing that finally, I was beginning to shine.
The magic circle grew brighter.
The blue lines on the floor moved slowly, as if alive, merging with the marble floor and spreading to form intricate patterns around me.
The air vibrated subtly. Warm, yet also giving a strange sensation on my skin, like being touched by something invisible. Eldrin stood before me with his crystal staff. From its tip, white light dripped like stardust, then fell into the circle. Every flake that touched the floor made the symbols around me vibrate, glowing brighter.
"I will begin," he said softly, his voice almost like a prayer.
"Breathe slowly, Vira. Let the world answer you."
I obeyed his words. Took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and tried to calm my racing heart.
The sound of chanting began to resonate with a low, deep, and heavy voice. I didn't understand the language, but every word seemed to shake the air.
The symbols on the floor began to rotate. Their light rose upward, circling around my body like a gentle vortex.
It felt warm, even beautiful.
For the first time, I felt as if this world was embracing me and not rejecting me. But slowly… something changed. The tone of Eldrin's chant grew lower, heavier, and foreign.
The soft blue light began to shimmer purple, and the warmth turned to cold. A cold not from the air… but from within my bones.
I slowly opened my eyes. The air around me shook. The magic lines on the floor were no longer blue, but dark red, like pulsating veins.
I looked at Eldrin in panic.
"A-Ar—Archmage…?"
He didn't answer. His eyes were still closed, his face looked calm.
Yet between the chants he uttered, I heard something different. Another sound, faint, like whispers coming from beyond the world.
I began to panic. My body couldn't move. My legs and hands felt held back by the air.
"Why… why does it feel cold?" my voice trembled.
"What… is this part of the ritual?"
No answer.
Only the sound of chanting growing louder, echoing throughout the room.
King Thorian still sat on his throne. He didn't move, just watched, with a calm expression.
Suddenly, the floor began to shake. The air around the circle tensed.
The red light beneath me changed into a rapidly spinning vortex.
My eyes widened.
"W-what's happening!?"
"Calm yourself, Vira."
Eldrin finally opened his eyes.
That gaze was still as gentle, but behind that calmness was something else, something cold, untouched by mercy.
"Let the magic guide you to where you belong."
Where I… belong? I wanted to speak, but my voice disappeared. The vortex of light beneath me opened, glowing too brightly.
My body lifted uncontrollably, and cold wind began to surround me, pressing from all directions.
"No—! Help!"
I tried to reach for the air, but my hands only passed through empty light. My eyes looked at the King for the last time.
He still sat, calm, with a faint smile on his face. Not a smile of pride, but the smile of someone who had just discarded something unwanted.
Then everything shattered.
Sound. Light. Air. Everything vanished in an instant.
My body fell into something that had no direction. The red light around me turned into mist, then darkness.
A deep, bottomless darkness.
I tried to scream, but my throat felt choked.
My body floated, light but cold, then
Crash!
"ugghh"
I hit the hard ground. Air rushed out of my lungs, and pain spread from my back throughout my body.
I coughed violently, trying to breathe, and only then realized the ground beneath me was damp, wet and stinking.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.
The sky above my head was pitch black, only illuminated by a large, deep red moon.
Strange insect sounds and faint roars were heard from afar.
The air around me was cold and smelled like the wild.
I gasped, looking around with a trembling body.
Large trees towered high, their shapes strange and twisted.
I knew this place wasn't in the palace.
I knew this wasn't the place Eldrin meant.
"No…" my voice broke.
"It can't be…"
I hugged myself, trying to hold back the uncontrollable trembling. Darkness swallowed everything again.
I was alone.
In an unfamiliar forest.
And for the first time, I realized… that the light they promised was just a lie.
…
The red light finally extinguished.
Magic dust fell slowly like ashes after a fire.
The magnificent royal hall was now filled with faint residual heat and the bitter smell of ozone. Traces of the high-level spell that had just been completed.
In the middle of the white marble floor, only a smoking black circle remained.
No trace of a body, no blood. Only a faint mark of something… or someone… who was no longer there.
Eldrin lowered his staff with a slow movement. The crystal tip pulsed once, then died.
He still stood, staring at the empty center of the magic circle. His expression was flat. Without regret, without satisfaction. As if what had just happened was merely a routine task to be completed before lunch.
King Thorian leaned back against his throne. The soft tap of his fingers against the armrest echoed in the silent hall.
And the knights stationed along the walls released breaths they seemed to have been holding for a long time, the collective sigh hanging in the air like a silent hymn of relief.
The sound of his fingers tapping the armrest echoed softly in the silent hall. He didn't speak for several seconds, just gazing at the empty space before him.
"Is it done?" his voice was finally heard, deep and calm.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eldrin answered without turning.
"The ritual proceeded perfectly. There is no dangerous magical residue."
The King nodded slowly. His eyes were half-closed, tired yet still radiating a cold authority that made the air in the room seem to stop.
"Where was she sent?"
"To the west," Eldrin answered flatly.
"The depths of the Forbidden Forest. There, even spirits refuse to linger. There is no possibility of her returning."
Silence...
Then the King took a small breath, his eyes opening again.
"Good."
He rose from the throne. And give command
"All of you here, consider that girl has run away from the palace and do not tell anyone about what happened in this room!" His gaze swept over the assembled knights.
"You are all dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" With that unified response, they bowed simultaneously before turning and leaving the room.
King Thorian then sat back down
"I didn't expect that girl to come this far," he said softly.
"I thought she had given up since the first day."
Eldrin was still staring at the remains of the magic circle on the floor.
"That girl doesn't know when to stop hoping," Eldrin said calmly.
"But the world always knows how to dispose of what isn't needed."
The King smiled slightly, faint, almost invisible.
"Yes. And we merely accelerated the process."
he rose from her throne and walked to the middle of the hall, looking at the black mark on the floor, where Vira had last stood. His gaze was empty, but his voice was cold like metal.
"Consider it we just cleansed the palace of one burden. There is nothing to regret."
Eldrin bowed slightly, his voice calm but sharp.
"This world is too harsh for the weak, Your Majesty. And the weak will only slow the steps of those destined to lead."
The King looked at him, then nodded slowly.
"Precisely."
"Ensure all records about that girl are erased. Starting today, as if she never existed."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
With those final words, King Thorian walking toward to the exit without looking back. The King's steps disappeared behind the large door, leaving a long echo.
Eldrin stood alone in the now silent hall again. Only the residual light from the ceiling crystals danced on the marble, touching the scorched mark in the center of the floor. The last shadow of someone already forgotten.
The Archmage looked at it for a moment. No expression on his face, only an eternal calm too calm to be called humane.
He spun his staff once, and with one gentle swing, the scorched mark vanished from the floor, as if there had never been anything there.
Then he whispered softly, his voice almost inaudible,
"Nothing is lighter than a discarded burden."
And the room fell silent again.