Thirty days.
That was all humanity had left before the Second Trial.
Velkar had begun rebuilding.
Broken towers were repaired.
The wounded were treated.
The dead were buried.
Yet no one smiled.
Because everyone knew…
The peace was only temporary.
Kael stood alone atop the highest tower.
The Black Crown still haunted his dreams.
Every night…
He saw the same ruined kingdom.
The same black throne.
The same burning sky.
And always…
A child calling his name.
He never saw the child’s face.
Only heard one word.
“Brother…”
Kael opened his eyes.
His heart pounded violently.
“Who are you?”
No answer came.
Only silence.
Behind him—
Footsteps echoed.
The First Prisoner approached quietly.
He carried an old wooden box wrapped in black chains.
It looked ordinary.
Yet Kael immediately felt the Death Throne react.
The mark on his arm glowed faintly.
The old man placed the box on the stone floor.
“We’re leaving.”
Kael looked up.
“Where?”
The First Prisoner answered without hesitation.
“Home.”
Draven folded his arms.
“There is no Kingdom of Noctis.”
Selene slowly closed her ancient book.
“There never was.”
The First Prisoner smiled sadly.
“Exactly.”
Kael frowned.
“What does that mean?”
The old man gently touched the chained box.
Then whispered,
“The greatest lie in history…”
“…is not that Noctis was destroyed.”
He looked directly into Kael’s eyes.
“It’s that it never existed.”
Silence.
Evelyn activated a giant holographic map inside Velkar’s strategy hall.
The entire continent appeared.
Mountains.
Kingdoms.
Rivers.
Ancient ruins.
She pointed toward the northern wastelands.
“Nothing exists here.”
Kael looked carefully.
The map showed only endless snow.
Empty land.
No cities.
No roads.
Nothing.
The First Prisoner smiled. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Now…”
He opened the chained box.
Inside…
Lay an ancient compass.
Made from black crystal.
Its needle spun wildly.
Then suddenly…
Stopped.
Not toward the north.
Not toward the south.
It pointed…
Into empty space.
Into a place that didn’t exist on the map.
The room fell silent.
Selene’s eyes widened.
“No…”
She rushed toward the compass.
Impossible.
The needle wasn’t pointing at a direction.
It was pointing…
At something erased.
She whispered,
“The Memory Compass…”
The First Prisoner nodded.
“The last artifact of Noctis.”
Kael carefully picked up the compass.
The moment his fingers touched it—
The entire room disappeared.
He stood before gigantic black gates.
Thousands of meters high.
Covered in silver roses.
Beyond the gates…
He could hear laughter.
Music.
Children running.
A living kingdom.
Not ruins.
Alive.
Someone stood on the other side.
A young girl.
Around ten years old.
Long black hair.
Purple eyes.
She smiled warmly.
“Welcome back.”
Kael stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The little girl giggled.
“You really forgot.”
She placed one hand on the gate.
“My name is…”
Before she could finish—
CRACK!!
The vision shattered.
Kael stumbled backward into reality.
The compass fell from his hand.
Everyone looked at him.
“What happened?”
Kael slowly looked toward the First Prisoner.
“I saw…”
He swallowed.
“A kingdom.”
The old man closed his eyes.
“So it’s still there.”
Suddenly—
A loud explosion echoed outside Velkar.
BOOOOOOM!!
A soldier burst into the strategy hall.
His armor was covered in blood.
“Commander!”
He gasped for breath.
“We found…”
He hesitated.
“…another survivor.”
Silence.
The First Prisoner’s eyes narrowed.
“Impossible.”
The soldier nodded frantically.
“She’s asking for…”
He looked directly at Kael.
“…the Black King.”
Outside the city gates…
A young woman knelt in the snow.
Her white cloak was torn.
Blood stained the ground beneath her.
She looked barely twenty.
Long midnight-black hair flowed in the freezing wind.
Around her neck hung a broken silver crown.
The moment Kael approached—
She slowly opened her crimson eyes.
Tears rolled down her face.
She smiled.
Not with relief.
With sorrow.
Then she whispered the words that froze everyone.
“Your Majesty…”
She lowered her head completely.
“I am the last knight of Noctis.”
The entire battlefield became silent.
Draven’s eyes widened.
Selene dropped her book.
Even Astra looked genuinely shocked.
The impossible had happened.
Someone…
Had survived the destruction of Noctis.
Before Kael could ask another question—
The young knight coughed violently.
Black blood spilled onto the snow.
She grabbed Kael’s hand with surprising strength.
Her voice became desperate.
“Don’t go to the capital…”
Kael frowned.
“Why?”
Her entire body trembled.
Then—
For the first time…
Fear appeared in her eyes.
“Because…”
She looked toward the distant northern horizon.
Where nothing existed on any map.
“The King is still sitting on the throne.”
Silence.
Kael felt the world stop.
The King?
That was impossible.
If the Thirteenth King still sat upon the Black Throne…
Then who…
Was Kael?
The wind howled across the frozen plains.
Far beyond the horizon…
A forgotten kingdom waited.
And somewhere within its eternal darkness…
A pair of glowing purple eyes slowly opened.
End of Chapter 21