The Imperial Capital had not changed.
Its towering white walls still reached into the heavens like the spine of a sleeping giant. Golden banners bearing the crest of the Imperial Dragon fluttered proudly beneath the afternoon sun, while thousands of citizens flowed through the massive gates in an endless tide of merchants, nobles, adventurers, and soldiers.
To the people of the Empire...
It was just another ordinary day.
No one noticed the lone young man walking toward the capital.
His black cloak was worn from years of travel. Dust covered his boots, and a weathered longsword rested across his back beside a staff wrapped in faded cloth. His raven-black hair swayed with the breeze, hiding calm silver eyes that carried a weariness no seventeen-year-old should possess.
He stopped several hundred meters from the gates. For a long moment... He simply stared. "So..." he murmured.
"I'm finally home."
His voice carried no excitement.
No relief.
Only quiet nostalgia.
Ten years.
It had been ten years since he'd walked through those gates. Ten years since a frightened seven-year-old boy had disappeared without leaving a single trace. To everyone inside those walls...
Prince Kael Asterion had died long ago. The young man exhaled slowly. "I wonder if Father is still as stubborn as ever." A faint smile appeared before disappearing just as quickly. The system's familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"Imperial System"
Homecoming Quest Initiated.
Objective: Return to the Imperial Palace.
Reward: Unknown.
Kael rolled his eyes.
"You're still terrible at giving useful information."
"Negative."
The system is exceptionally useful.
He chuckled.
"Right."
The guards at the gate noticed him approaching.
"Halt!"
Nearly twenty Imperial Knights lowered their spears in perfect unison. The captain stepped forward. "State your identity."
Kael stopped.
His silver eyes calmly met the captain's. "It's been a while." "I'd like to enter." The captain frowned. "That's not an answer."
"Name."
Kael looked up toward the imperial banner waving above the gate.
"...Kael."
Silence. "Kael, what?" Kael Asterion. The world seemed to freeze.
Then—
Laughter erupted from the guards. One soldier nearly dropped his spear. "Did he just say Asterion?" Another burst into laughter. "The royal family?"
"You've got guts."
The captain's expression darkened. "Impersonating the Imperial Bloodline is punishable by death."
Kael nodded once.
"I know."
"Then stop joking."
"I'm not."
The captain's hand slowly rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Enough."
"The Tenth Prince disappeared ten years ago." "They found pieces of his carriage." "His escorts were slaughtered." "There wasn't enough left to bury." "You expect me to believe you're him?"
Kael remained silent.
The captain sighed.
"What proof do you have?"
Proof...
Kael thought about it for a moment. Then smiled. "I suppose I don't." The soldiers laughed again.
"I knew it."
"Throw him out."
"Another lunatic."
Just as the guards began to move, a cold wind swept across the road.
A horse's sharp neigh echoed behind them.
An elderly man wearing crimson Imperial robes arrived with several royal escorts.
The guards instantly knelt.
"Grand Chamberlain!"
The old man's sharp eyes drifted toward Kael.
At first...
He looked confused.
Then his eyes widened.
His hands trembled.
"...Impossible."
Kael gave a small smile.
"It's been a long time."
The old man slowly stepped closer.
Closer.
His breathing grew uneven.
Finally...
He stopped only a few feet away.
His weathered hand reached toward Kael's face.
"...Your Highness?"
Kael nodded.
"I'm home."
The old man suddenly fell to one knee.
Tears streamed down his face.
"The Tenth Prince..."
"The Tenth Prince has returned!"
The words rang across the gate like thunder.
Every soldier froze.
Every merchant stopped walking.
Every noble turned to look.
Silence swept through the capital.
Then came whispers.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
"He's alive?"
"The Lost Prince?"
Within moments, runners sprinted toward the Imperial Palace.
The news spread faster than wildfire.
The Lost Tenth Prince had returned.
Far away, inside the highest tower of the palace, an aging emperor stood before a massive window overlooking the capital.
An imperial knight dropped to one knee.
"Your Majesty..."
"The Tenth Prince has returned."
For the first time in many years...
The Emperor's expression changed.
He closed his eyes.
A single, quiet breath escaped his lips.
"...So."
"You finally came home.