The endless white world vanished in an instant.
Kael slowly opened his eyes and found himself standing within the Temple of Eternal Echoes. Unlike the magnificent palace of Elysium, the temple was eerily silent. Ancient pillars stretched endlessly toward the heavens, each engraved with symbols that seemed older than time itself.
At the center of the hall stood a massive crystal door.
Inscribed upon it were eight ancient symbols.
Seven glowed brightly.
One remained dark.
"The Eighth Throne..." Kael whispered.
For some reason, his heart began beating faster. The dark symbol felt strangely familiar, as if it had been waiting for him all this time.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed throughout the chamber.
Kael immediately reached for his sword.
Someone else was here.
The warning from the First Trial immediately resurfaced in his mind.
> Someone has already entered the temple before you.
The footsteps grew louder.
"Impossible," Kael muttered. "The temple only permits one challenger."
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
He wore a black cloak embroidered with golden stars. His silver hair shimmered beneath the temple's light, and his eyes glowed with an unnatural shade of violet.
He appeared to be around Kael's age.
The stranger smiled as if he had been expecting him.
"So, you've finally arrived."
Kael frowned.
"Who are you?"
Instead of answering, the young man examined him from head to toe before laughing softly.
"You look exactly like she described."
"She?"
The stranger ignored his question.
"You are much weaker than I imagined."
The echoes within Kael's mind immediately screamed in warning.
> DANGER!
> HE DOES NOT BELONG HERE!
> RUN!
Kael took a step back.
"The temple said only one challenger could enter."
The young man nodded casually.
"That would be true if I were a challenger."
"Then what are you?"
His smile slowly widened.
"I am the guardian of the Second Trial."
Kael's eyes widened in surprise.
"A guardian?"
"Among the Seven Trials, each fragment possesses a guardian chosen by the temple itself."
The mysterious young man stretched his arms before continuing.
"My duty is simple."
"And that is?"
"To determine whether you're worthy of existing."
Silence filled the ancient chamber.
Kael blinked.
"Worthy of existing?"
"Precisely."
The guardian's expression suddenly became serious.
"The temple has observed countless kings and queens throughout history. It remembers every lie, every betrayal and every sacrifice."
He slowly approached Kael.
"But you are different."
"How?"
"You should not exist."
Those words immediately reminded Kael of what the Seven Sovereigns had said earlier.
> You were never meant to survive.
"Everyone keeps saying that," Kael replied. "Would someone care to explain why?"
The guardian smiled bitterly.
"Very well."
He snapped his fingers.
The temple suddenly transformed.
The walls disappeared.
The floor beneath Kael shattered into countless fragments of light.
He found himself standing beneath a star-filled sky.
Thousands of floating memories surrounded them.
"The Temple of Eternal Echoes remembers everything," the guardian explained.
"Then show me the truth."
The guardian pointed toward one particular memory floating nearby.
Kael's eyes widened immediately.
It showed his birth.
But unlike the visions shown by the Seven Sovereigns, this one was different.
Queen Elara stood before an enormous crystal surrounded by seven ancient figures.
The Seven Sovereigns themselves.
One of them spoke.
"The child carries impossible power."
Another added,
"If allowed to awaken, he will surpass all Sovereigns."
Queen Elara tightened her hold on her newborn son.
"Then teach him."
The Sovereign of Death shook his head.
"He cannot be taught."
The Sovereign of Time stepped forward.
"We have seen countless futures."
"In ninety-nine percent of them, he destroys everything."
Kael's expression changed immediately.
Destroy everything?
His mother looked toward them without fear.
"And the remaining one percent?"
Silence filled the memory.
Finally, the Sovereign of Light spoke.
"He becomes humanity's greatest protector."
Queen Elara smiled softly as she looked at her son.
"Then that future is enough for me."
The memory disappeared.
Kael remained speechless.
His own mother had chosen to believe in a one percent possibility.
The guardian folded his arms.
"Now do you understand?"
"No."
The guardian blinked.
"No?"
Kael shook his head.
"All I understand is that my mother believed in me when no one else did."
The guardian laughed loudly.
"Interesting answer."
Suddenly, the temple began trembling violently.
Ancient bells echoed throughout the chamber once more.
The guardian's expression immediately changed.
"Impossible."
"What happened?"
He looked toward the heavens in shock.
"Someone else has entered the temple."
Kael froze.
"Someone else?"
"That's impossible!"
The temple's voice echoed throughout the chamber.
> WARNING.
> UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED.
> THE SECOND FRAGMENT HAS AWAKENED.
> TWO ROYAL BLOOD SIGNATURES CONFIRMED.
The guardian slowly turned toward Kael.
"Royal blood?"
Kael immediately thought of one person.
"Orion."
At that exact moment, an enormous explosion echoed throughout the temple.
A familiar voice called out from the distance.
"Kael!"
The young prince's eyes widened.
It really was Orion.
But there was one terrifying problem.
The Temple of Eternal Echoes only permitted one heir.
If two members of the royal bloodline had entered the temple simultaneously...
Then one of them might be forced to leave as its rightful successor.
And the temple had already begun making its choice.
Deep within the temple's core, two crystal thrones suddenly illuminated simultaneously.
The first belonged to the Heir of Echoes.
The second had remained dormant for over one thousand years.
Until now.
An ancient voice echoed throughout the temple.
> THE SECOND HEIR HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED.
Kael's heart nearly stopped.
There wasn't only one heir of Elysium.
There were two.
And neither of them knew which one the temple had truly been waiting for.
To be continued...