Darkness.
That was the first thing Elisa felt.
Darkness and silence.
Then came a familiar voice.
“Elisa.”
She opened her eyes.
The Empty Throne stood before her.
The throne room from her visions.
Silver pillars stretched toward an endless ceiling.
Ancient banners hung from the walls.
And sitting upon the Empty Throne was the shadow she had seen before.
Red eyes glowed beneath a dark hood.
The figure watched her silently.
Elisa took a step backward.
“Who are you?”
The shadow laughed softly.
A cold laugh.
“A question asked too soon.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Because the throne wishes to speak.”
The shadow slowly stood.
For a moment, Elisa saw something strange.
A crown.
Not silver.
Not gold.
Black.
A crown covered in cracks.
“The kingdom is waking.”
The shadow pointed toward her.
“So are its enemies.”
Before Elisa could respond, the throne room began shaking.
The walls cracked.
The vision collapsed.
And she woke up.
“Elisa!”
Raphael’s relieved voice filled her ears.
She blinked.
The forest was gone.
She was lying inside a wagon.
Sunlight streamed through a nearby window.
Raphael sat beside her.
Rose and Lily were nearby.
Rose immediately checked her forehead.
“No fever.”
Lily sighed dramatically.
“Good.”
“You were worried?” Elisa asked.
“Of course.”
Lily paused.
“Who else would I borrow money from?”
Rose hit her with a pillow.
The familiar argument made Elisa smile.
For the first time in days, things felt normal.
Then Adrian entered the wagon.
“You’re awake.”
His expression was serious.
That smile disappeared immediately.
“What happened?”
Adrian crossed his arms.
“You were unconscious for two days.”
“What?”
Raphael nodded.
“Your awakening drained you.”
Elisa sat upright.
Two days?
That meant…
“The capital!”
“We’re almost there,” Adrian replied.
The wagon suddenly stopped.
Outside, voices echoed.
The messenger looked inside.
“We’ve arrived.”
Everyone climbed out.
And immediately froze.
The capital of Valoria stood before them.
Massive walls surrounded the city.
Silver towers reached toward the sky.
Thousands of banners fluttered in the wind.
Markets crowded the streets.
People moved everywhere.
Merchants.
Soldiers.
Nobles.
Travelers.
Elisa had never seen anything so large.
Lily stared with wide eyes.
“How many bakeries do you think are here?”
Rose groaned.
“That was your first thought?”
“It was an important thought.”
The city gates opened.
The group entered.
Immediately, Elisa noticed something strange.
Soldiers.
Lots of soldiers.
More than seemed necessary.
Adrian noticed too.
“The kings are already arriving.”
The throne gathering was beginning.
That was bad news.
The city would soon become the most dangerous place in the kingdom. Get faster updates on g.com.
Far beneath the capital…
A stone door creaked open.
Dust filled the air.
Ancient chains lay broken on the floor.
A lone figure walked through the darkness.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Wearing worn royal clothing.
His black hair reached his shoulders.
His silver eyes glowed faintly.
The guards stationed nearby were unconscious.
Not dead.
Just asleep.
The stranger stepped into an abandoned hallway.
Twenty years.
Twenty years underground.
Twenty years imprisoned.
He touched a nearby wall.
The city above had changed.
The kingdom had changed.
Everything had changed.
But one thing remained.
The bloodline.
He could feel it.
A familiar presence.
Close.
Very close.
The man smiled.
For the first time in twenty years.
“My daughter…”
Back above, Elisa suddenly stopped walking.
A strange feeling filled her chest.
Warm.
Comforting.
Almost familiar.
Raphael noticed.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She looked around the crowded street.
For a moment, she felt as if someone was watching her.
Not an enemy.
Not a king.
Someone else.
Someone important.
The feeling vanished.
And she continued walking.
Unaware that only a few streets away, the man beneath the capital had already begun searching for her.
And if his identity became known…
The entire kingdom would be thrown into chaos.
Because the Lost King was alive.