The sky above Valoria burned red.
Thunder rolled across the clouds as if the heavens themselves were angry.
In the center of the capital stood the Empty Throne.
It was made of silver and black crystal.
No king had sat upon it for twenty years.
Many had tried.
All had failed.
Some disappeared.
Some died.
And some went mad.
The people of Valoria feared the throne.
Yet everyone desired it.
Far away from the capital, in a peaceful village called Willowbrook, a young woman was running for her life.
“Elisa!
Stop!”
A voice shouted behind her.
Elisa Everhart laughed as she jumped over a wooden fence.
“You’ll never catch me!”
She looked behind her and nearly crashed into a cow.
The cow mooed angrily.
Elisa quickly bowed.
“Sorry, Lady Cow.”
The animal stared at her.
“You heard me.
I apologized.”
The cow mooed again.
“It still isn’t enough?
Tough crowd.”
A burst of laughter came from behind.
Two girls were chasing her.
One had short brown hair and bright green eyes.
The other had long black hair and looked permanently annoyed.
The sisters finally caught up.
“You stole our breakfast!” the younger one shouted.
Elisa raised a loaf of bread.
“I borrowed it.”
“You ate half of it!”
“I borrowed half.”
The older sister sighed.
“You are impossible.”
These were Elisa’s sisters, Lily and Rose.
Lily loved causing trouble.
Rose loved complaining about trouble.
Together they were a disaster.
Elisa grinned.
“At least I make life interesting.”
“Interesting?” Rose said.
“Last week you accidentally released thirty chickens into the mayor’s house.”
“It was an accident.”
“You opened every cage.”
“I was curious.”
Lily burst into laughter.
Even Rose struggled to keep a straight face.
The three sisters continued walking home.
The morning air was cool and fresh.
Everything seemed normal.
Then Elisa suddenly stopped.
A strange pain shot through her left hand.
She gasped.
“What is it?” Lily asked.
Elisa looked down.
A silver mark was glowing on her palm.
The symbol looked like a crown surrounded by flames.
The light grew brighter.
The ground trembled.
Birds exploded into flight from nearby trees.
Rose stepped back.
“What is that?”
“I don’t know,” Elisa whispered.
The mark had never appeared before.
Suddenly, a voice echoed inside her mind.
The throne awaits.
Elisa froze.
“What?”
Lily looked confused.
“What what?”
Before Elisa could answer, the voice spoke again.
The heir has awakened.
The silver light vanished.
The mark remained.
The three sisters stared at it in silence.
Finally Lily spoke.
“Well.”
“Well what?” Rose asked.
“If Elisa is secretly royalty, can I be a princess too?”
Rose smacked her arm.
“Ouch!”
“This is serious.”
Elisa couldn’t laugh.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
That evening, news arrived from the capital.
A royal messenger entered Willowbrook.
His horse was covered in dust.
His face was pale.
The entire village gathered around him.
The messenger unrolled a scroll.
His voice shook.
“The Kings of No Throne have begun moving their armies.”
The crowd gasped.
Everyone knew the stories.
There were seven powerful kings.
Each ruled part of Valoria.
Each wanted the Empty Throne.
Each was willing to kill for it.
“The Oracle has spoken,” the messenger continued.
“The next ruler of Valoria has awakened.”
Fear spread through the crowd.
People whispered to one another.
Some prayed.
Others looked worried.
Elisa slowly covered the silver mark on her hand.
No.
This could not be connected.
It had to be a coincidence.
Then she noticed something.
The messenger was staring directly at her.
His eyes widened.
His face became white.
He pointed at her trembling hand.
“The mark…”
The crowd turned toward Elisa.
Silence filled the village.
For the first time in her life, Elisa felt truly afraid.
Far away, inside a dark castle, a man wearing a golden crown opened his eyes.
One of the Kings of No Throne.
He smiled coldly.
“Find the girl.”
Across the kingdom, six other rulers received the same message.
The heir had awakened.
And the hunt had begun.