The sun had barely risen when Elisa and her companions left Willowbrook.
The villagers gathered to see them off.
Some wished them luck.
Others looked worried.
A few looked as if they might never see them again.
Elisa tried not to think about that.
She waved goodbye and followed the road leading east.
Raphael walked beside her.
Lily was carrying enough food for an army.
Rose was carrying enough medicine for an army.
Neither trusted the other to prepare properly.
The messenger led the group.
For several hours, the journey was peaceful.
Birds sang.
The wind was cool.
Everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
Elisa noticed the messenger constantly looking around.
“You seem nervous.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because people usually try to kill prophecy girls.”
Elisa blinked.
“That’s surprisingly honest.”
“I prefer honesty.”
Lily raised a loaf of bread.
“I prefer breakfast.”
Rose rolled her eyes.
“You had breakfast.”
“That was yesterday’s breakfast.”
“It was two hours ago.”
“Time is a mystery.”
Nobody understood Lily.
Not even Lily.
By midday, they entered a forest called Blackwood.
The trees towered overhead.
Their branches blocked much of the sunlight.
The air felt colder.
Raphael placed a hand on the sword hanging from his belt.
He wasn’t a knight.
He wasn’t even a trained warrior.
But he refused to travel unarmed.
Elisa noticed.
“Scared?”
Raphael smiled.
“Absolutely.”
She laughed.
At least someone was honest.
Then everything changed.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
The messenger’s eyes widened.
“DOWN!”
Everyone dropped.
An arrow flew over their heads.
THUNK!
It buried itself in a nearby tree.
Another arrow followed.
Then another.
And another.
The forest exploded into chaos.
“AMBUSH!” shouted the messenger.
Dark figures appeared among the trees.
Masked assassins.
At least fifteen of them.
Elisa’s heart raced.
“They found us!”
The assassins charged.
The messenger drew his sword.
Steel flashed.
The first attacker fell.
Raphael pulled Elisa behind him.
His hands trembled.
But he stood his ground.
The assassins closed in.
One rushed toward Rose.
Rose screamed.
Then smashed a medical bag into his face.
The assassin collapsed.
Everyone stared.
Rose blinked.
“I didn’t know that would work.”
Lily pointed dramatically.
“Rose defeated a warrior!”
Rose looked proud for exactly two seconds.
Then another assassin appeared.
She screamed again.
The battle became chaos.
The messenger fought three enemies at once.
Raphael blocked a sword strike.
The impact nearly knocked him over.
The assassin laughed.
“Pathetic.”
Raphael agreed.
“Actually, yes.”
Then he kicked the assassin between the legs.
The man collapsed instantly.
Raphael looked surprised.
“That worked.”
Elisa almost laughed despite the danger.
Then she felt something.
The same strange feeling from before.
The air around her began to shimmer.
The silver mark on her hand glowed.
Again.
The assassins noticed.
One pointed at her.
“The heir!”
Immediately, all attention shifted toward Elisa.
A chill ran down her spine.
That was bad.
Very bad.
The assassins abandoned everyone else.
They charged straight at her.
Elisa stumbled backward.
There were too many.
She couldn’t escape.
The nearest assassin raised his blade.
Then—
A thunderous sound shook the forest.
BOOM!
Everyone froze.
Even the assassins.
Hoofbeats echoed through the trees.
Fast.
Powerful.
Approaching rapidly.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Suddenly, a black horse burst from the forest.
The rider moved like a storm.
His sword flashed once.
Then twice.
Three assassins fell instantly.
Silence followed.
Nobody had even seen the strikes.
The rider pulled his horse to a stop.
He wore black armor.
A dark cloak.
Golden eyes.
The assassins stepped back in fear.
One whispered a name.
“The Seventh King…”
The newcomer’s expression remained calm.
King Adrian.
One of the Seven Kings of No Throne.
The youngest king in Valoria.
And one of the most dangerous.
Adrian slowly looked around.
His gaze settled on Elisa.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Adrian smiled.
It wasn’t a cruel smile.
Or a mocking one.
It looked strangely genuine.
“So.”
His voice was calm.
“You’re the girl causing trouble across the entire kingdom.”
Elisa folded her arms.
“Nice to meet you too.”
Raphael immediately stepped between them.
Adrian looked at him.
Raphael looked back.
Several seconds passed.
Finally Adrian spoke.
“Boy.”
“Yes?”
“You know I could defeat everyone here in less than a minute.”
Raphael nodded.
“Probably.”
“And you’re still standing in my way?”
“Yes.”
Adrian stared.
Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.
A real laugh.
The first one he’d had in days.
“Interesting.”
The king climbed off his horse.
The assassins began retreating.
None of them wanted to fight Adrian.
Not today.
Not ever, if possible.
Within moments they disappeared into the forest.
The danger was gone.
For now.
Adrian turned toward Elisa again.
His golden eyes examined her carefully.
The silver mark.
The strange aura around her.
The prophecy.
Everything matched.
At last he spoke.
“The kings are coming.”
The humor vanished from his face.
“The First King.”
“The Third.”
“The Fifth.”
“All of them.”
Elisa swallowed.
“Why?”
Adrian looked directly at her.
“Because the Empty Throne has chosen someone.”
Silence filled the forest.
Then Adrian added one final sentence.
The sentence that changed everything.
“And I don’t think it chose you by accident.”
Before Elisa could respond, the silver mark on her hand suddenly burned.
A blinding vision filled her mind.
An empty throne.
A sea of fire.
A shadow wearing a crown.
And a voice.
A voice colder than death itself.
The throne belongs to blood.
Kill the false heir.
Elisa screamed.
The vision vanished.
She collapsed to her knees.
Everyone rushed toward her.
But far away, hidden within the capital itself, a mysterious figure opened glowing red eyes.
The true game for the throne had finally begun.