The day Jazell was born, Kora, her mother, had always known she was special, destined for great things. The gods had consoled her with a good child since her husband, greedy King Jarob, was a selfish man. But as Jazell grew, she became more… dynamite. The way she walked. It was different; she walked as though the weight of the world was on her very fingertips.She became self-obsessed, wanting to do better, wanting to amass power…she wanted to be perfect.She would spend hours reading books about ancient kingdoms and her ancestors. She would absorb their knowledge and put it into practice in her day-to-day life, and it was brilliant! Jazell believed that one day she would have to rule as queen, and when that day came, she wanted to be ready…more than ready. She was born an oracle of beauty; many men from great kingdoms came to seek her hand in marriage, but she turned them down bluntly, refusing to be a puppet for any man to use as a political alliance. A queen had to be mercifu
“Guards seize her! Vashi froze on the spot; she could recognize the owner of that voice anywhere. It was Ragaleon's! From behind the nearest pillar, a shoe emerged; it was Micah’s.Another appeared on the upper deck of the hallway, her hand trailing on the wooden railings, the sound of soft clicks coming from a pair of shoes echoing. It was Racheal. One by one, figures stepped from the darkness: Selena, Helena, and the whole royal family. Last of all, from the shadows at the far end, the Ragaleon himself stepped forward, his presence heavier than the silence that followed him.Vashi's breath caught in her chest. She turned slowly, eyes darting from one familiar face to another, only to find their gazes sharpened, cold, and predatory.They had been waiting. Watching. And now she stood exposed in the center of the hall, the circle closing in around her.Jazell made her way to where Ragaleon was and took a stand beside him. As she watched two guards grip Vashi aggressively. “Let
Vashi's eyes remained tightly shut, her breathing slow and measured, though her mind was sharpened with unease. She could feel it again—those shadows shifting at the edges of the room, lurking, circling. Closer… closer. The air grew heavier, colder, as if something unseen leaned over her. She did not flinch, only waited, every muscle coiled in silence beneath the blanket, her grip tightened on the knife she was holding. Then…when the presence drew near, so near she could almost feel its breath against her face, her eyes snapped open. In the same heartbeat, her arm shot out from under the covers, striking upward with sudden, deadly precision.The blades of the knife only pierced through thin air. Vashi bolted upright, her chest heaving in a frantic rhythm, each breath louder than the silence around her. Strands of hair clung wildly to her damp forehead, her once breathtaking appearance now reduced to a disheveled ruin. In the pale moonlight, her eyes glimmered with a feverish in
The great doors of the courtroom groaned open, their iron hinges dragging a heavy sound across the chamber. A cold hush swept the air as Ragaleon stepped in. His presence seemed to draw a dark aura with him—his scarlet black cloak trailing against the stone floor, a golden crown firmly rooted to his head. The small council, who had been waiting in tense silence, immediately rose to their feet. Chairs scraped back in hurried unison, their movements sharp and stiff, as though compelled by an unseen hand. None dared speak. None dared breathe too deeply. Ragaleon's eyes swept across their faces and then to the table where maps and parchments lay. The weight of his gaze was enough to make the air feel heavy. His aura pressed down on the room, swallowing the light, making every man feel smaller, weaker, as though they were standing before judgment itself. His footsteps echoed as he approached, each strike of his boot echoing in the silent room. When he reached the head of the table
The night was heavy with silence, broken only by the creak of wheels and the steady clop of the mule’s hooves. A cart rolled slowly down the lonely road, lanterns swaying, light flickering across the sleeping children. In the moving cart was a family of four.The father held the reins tight, his eyes darting to the dark line of trees on either side of the path. Then…the sound of quick footsteps could be heard.Faint at first, then multiplying, quickening. The father’s heart thudded. He snapped the reins. The mule strained forward, the cart jolting. The mother stirred awake, clutching her youngest. “What is it?” she whispered. The man squinted his eyes into the darkness beyond. “I can hear voices…” He didn't finish his sentence when shadows broke from the treeline—riders, cloaked, armed, fanning out in silence. The lantern’s glow caught the glint of steel. The father shouted... “Hold on!” He held on to the reins, but an arrow split and flew past his side, grazing his arm.
Hamstung Imperial Palace The early morning dew filled the air, making it look like a cloud of mist. The hush of dawn, the air cool. Joya stepped out, with a wooden bowl clutched against her hip, the scent of dry grains rising faintly from it. The soft rustle of her skirts brushing the dew-strewn ground as she shoved her hand into the basket of grains and scattered the feed with practiced flicks of her hand. The grains rained down on the soil, tapping against the stone and earth. Almost instantly, the hens stirred to life, ruffled feathers, soft clucks, and quick darting beaks pecking at the food. She continued to throw the feed on the ground until she had emptied the wooden bowl. She was wearing a plain white gown, the maid's uniform. The quiet was filled with the flutter of wings, the occasional crow of a rooster in the distance, and the rhythm of pecking on stone. She mindlessly continued to throw the grains on the ground, and the hen clustered around her, pecking endless