One hour.
That was all the time Kael had before the golden bridge disappeared forever.
The entire kingdom of Elysium had fallen into silence. Even the ancient guardians dared not speak as they stared at the floating Temple of Eternal Echoes.
For a thousand years, no one had entered the temple.
And now, the fate of Elysium rested upon the shoulders of an eighteen-year-old prince who had only recently learned the truth about his existence.
Kael stood upon the crystal balcony overlooking the kingdom.
His thoughts were a mess.
The Seven Sovereigns feared him.
The Echo Crystal had chosen him.
The temple had been waiting for him.
And somewhere within the floating temple lay the First Fragment of the Echo Crystal.
Yet none of those revelations frightened him as much as one question.
"What exactly am I?"
The words of his mother replayed within his mind.
> "You are the Eighth Sovereign."
An Eighth Sovereign.
A being that should not exist.
A power that even the rulers of existence feared.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"What if they're right?" he whispered quietly.
Seraphina looked at him in surprise.
"Who?"
"The Seven Sovereigns."
The old woman remained silent.
"What if my existence really will destroy this world someday?"
For the first time since they met, Seraphina smiled warmly.
"Then we'll simply save it before that day comes."
Kael looked at her.
"You make it sound easy."
"It isn't," she replied. "But your destiny isn't decided by prophecies."
Arven nodded in agreement.
"Kings are remembered for their choices, not their destinies."
Orion, who had remained unusually quiet, finally spoke.
"You've spent too much time worrying about what you might become."
"What do you mean?" Kael asked.
Orion smiled.
"You haven't even decided who you are today, yet you're worrying about the person you'll become hundreds of years from now."
Kael laughed softly for the first time that day.
Perhaps they were right.
He had spent his entire life fearing his power.
He wasn't about to spend the rest of it fearing his future.
Suddenly, Astra walked toward him.
"The temple is calling for you."
Kael turned toward the floating island.
The golden bridge had begun to shine brighter than before.
Ancient symbols appeared in the sky.
> THE CHALLENGER HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED.
> THE FIRST TRIAL SHALL COMMENCE.
The temple bells rang once.
The heavens themselves seemed to shake.
"Only you may enter," Astra said.
"No companions?"
She shook her head.
"The First Trial is meant to reveal who you truly are. No one can walk that path beside you."
Kael nodded slowly.
He had expected as much.
Before leaving, Seraphina handed him an ancient necklace made of silver crystal.
"This belonged to your mother."
He looked at it in surprise.
"She wanted you to have it when the time finally came."
The necklace carried the royal crest of Elysium alongside an unfamiliar symbol—a star surrounded by eight golden rings.
"The symbol of the Eighth Sovereign," Seraphina explained.
"You knew?" Kael asked.
"No," she answered honestly. "But your mother did."
That revelation shocked him more than anything else.
His mother had known all along.
The truth about his existence had been hidden for eighteen years.
Slowly, Kael placed the necklace around his neck.
The moment he did, the mark on his hand glowed brightly.
A warm voice echoed within his mind.
> "You've finally grown up."
His eyes widened.
"Mother?"
There was no response.
Only warmth.
Taking a deep breath, Kael stepped onto the golden bridge.
The moment his foot touched it, the bridge illuminated completely.
The entire kingdom watched in silence as their lost heir began walking toward his destiny.
Halfway across the bridge, something strange happened.
The world around him suddenly changed.
The sky disappeared.
The kingdom vanished.
Kael found himself standing in an endless white space.
"What?"
"Welcome, Challenger."
An ancient voice echoed around him.
"The First Trial has begun."
"I haven't even entered the temple yet."
"You entered the moment you chose to walk this path."
The voice sounded neither male nor female. It carried an overwhelming sense of authority.
"What is my trial?" Kael asked.
There was a brief moment of silence before the voice answered.
> "Tell us who you are."
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"Who are you?"
He blinked in confusion.
"I'm Kael Arwyn."
"Incorrect."
The world trembled.
"You are more than a name."
"I'm the heir of Elysium."
"Incorrect."
"You are more than a title."
"I'm the Eighth Sovereign."
"Incorrect."
"You are more than your power."
Kael remained silent.
The voice continued.
> "You have called yourself powerless."
> "You have called yourself a prince."
> "You have called yourself a Sovereign."
> "Yet none of those are who you truly are."
For the first time in his life, Kael realized something.
He didn't know who he was.
Not truly.
His entire identity had been shaped by other people's expectations.
The powerless prince.
The lost heir.
The chosen one.
The Eighth Sovereign.
But none of those titles answered the question before him.
Who was Kael Arwyn?
Minutes passed in silence.
Then Kael smiled.
"I don't know."
The voice became silent.
"I've spent my entire life trying to become the person everyone expects me to be. The truth is... I don't know who I am yet."
The endless white space began glowing.
"But I want to find out."
Golden light erupted around him.
"For now, I'm simply Kael."
The voice spoke once again.
> "Correct."
His eyes widened.
"What?"
> "The First Trial is not a test of power."
> "It is a test of honesty."
The world around him suddenly shattered into countless pieces of light.
> "The Temple of Eternal Echoes has acknowledged you."
> "Proceed to the Second Trial."
Kael couldn't help but smile.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't defined by his power or his destiny.
He was simply himself.
However, before the world completely disappeared, the ancient voice spoke one final sentence.
> "Beware, Challenger."
> "Someone has already entered the temple before you."
Kael froze.
"That's impossible."
> "The Second Trial awaits."
> "And the one waiting for you knows your greatest secret."
The voice vanished.
The smile on Kael's face slowly disappeared.
Someone else was inside the Temple of Eternal Echoes.
But the temple only allowed one challenger.
So who—or what—was waiting for him?
To be continued...