جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

DYLAN'S POVTHIRTEEN YEARS AGOA month passed, and things between Ryan and me only got worse. He stopped eating breakfast with me, avoided me whenever we crossed paths in the palace, and spent most of his time training. Even when Oscar dismissed him for the day, Ryan would remain on the field until his hands were too tired to hold his sword properly.I tried to understand him, but every attempt to get close only pushed him further away. Eventually, I stopped trying as often as I used to, although I still hoped that things would return to how they had been before Father started comparing us.Then came the day everything changed.Father had summoned several generals to the palace to discuss the kingdom's military strength, and Oscar was asked to bring us along. I was excited because it was the first time I would be allowed to sit through an actual military meeting, but Ryan barely reacted when Oscar informed us."You should be grateful," I told him as we walked towards the council chamb

FINN'S POVI barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the expression on Ryan's face when he caught me standing outside the room. He hadn't looked surprised or embarrassed that I had overheard his conversation with the silver-haired official. Instead, he had looked almost pleased, as though my presence had given him another reason to believe he was finally getting ahead of me.I knew my brother better than anyone else in the palace, or at least I had always believed I did. Ryan had never been the kind of person who accepted losing without questioning why it had happened, and he hated being treated as though he were less capable than me. However, there was a difference between wanting to prove himself and secretly preparing to take the throne before our father had even decided who would succeed him. I couldn't understand how things had reached that point, and the fact that Ryan was willing to hide his intentions from me made it even worse.The following morning

FINN'S POVI waited for Ryan to return from the northern territories, hoping that the journey would give him enough time to think about everything that had happened between us. I knew he was still angry with Father, and I understood that he wanted to prove himself, but I believed there was a difference between wanting to be respected and shutting everyone out of your life.For the first few days, I asked the guards if they had received any messages from him. They told me that the prince was doing well and that the royal party had visited several villages without encountering any serious problems. Their answers relieved me, but they did little to settle the strange feeling that had followed me since the night I overheard Ryan speaking with the silver-haired official.I wanted to know what they had discussed, but I had promised Ryan that I would not tell anyone about the meeting. Even when Father asked me whether I had noticed anything unusual about my brother recently, I said I had not

FINN'S POVBesides, Dylan had mentioned the old warning book before, and I still had no explanation for the strange things I had discovered in it."Fine," I said eventually. "I'll go to your meeting, but I have conditions."Dylan raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening.""First, you tell me the truth about anything that concerns me. I don't expect you to explain every secret in this kingdom, but if you know something about why I am here, I want to hear it. Second, I am not going to help you fight Ryan simply because you don't like the way he rules. If you want my help, you will have to give me a reason to believe what you are doing is right."He considered my words before nodding."Those are fair conditions.""And third, if I feel that anyone in that room is planning to use me, I am leaving.""Agreed."I watched him carefully. "You agreed rather quickly.""Would you prefer that I argue with you?""No, but I am beginning to think you have a habit of telling people exactly what they want to h

FINN'S POV I thought about the mirror in my room and the way I had found myself on the other side of it. I remembered the first time I had seen Ryan in Drakoria, how familiar his face had looked despite the fact that I had never met him before arriving in this world.I had spent so much time trying to find a way home that I had barely considered why I had ended up here in the first place."Are you saying I came here through some kind of boundary between worlds?" I asked."We believe that is possible," Seraphina replied. "But we don't know how it happened, and we don't know why you arrived when you did.""Then how am I supposed to help you?"Aldric leaned forward, resting both hands on the table."Because Ryan has been searching for something connected to those records for years. He has sent people to investigate old ruins, ordered the royal archives to be searched, and had anyone who questioned his interest removed from their positions. Whatever he wants, he believes it will give him