The gates didn't just break.
They exploded.
Wood shattered like glass. Iron bent like paper. The sound tore through the capital like thunder, followed by screams that echoed across the streets.
Panic spread instantly.
People ran.
Shouted.
Fell.
And above it all—
Figures moved through the chaos.
Silent.
Efficient.
Deadly.
---
Inside the palace—
Everything changed.
"MOVE!"
Leon's voice cut through the confusion like a blade.
Guards snapped into formation immediately, their hesitation replaced by discipline.
"Protect the inner halls! No one gets through!"
---
Kael was already moving.
Fast.
He didn't wait for orders.
Didn't need them.
His eyes scanned every corridor, every shadow.
"…Too quiet."
That was the problem.
There should've been more noise.
More chaos.
But instead—
It felt controlled.
Planned.
---
"They're not here to attack blindly…"
Kael muttered.
"They're hunting."
---
Behind them—
Aria stood still.
Too still.
---
The world around her felt distant.
Blurred.
Muted.
---
Her heartbeat slowed.
Then deepened.
Then—
Something else began to beat with it.
---
"…What is happening to me…"
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From something else.
Something… rising.
---
Suddenly—
A scream echoed from the corridor ahead.
Short.
Cut off.
---
Leon's eyes sharpened.
"Contact."
---
A guard stumbled backward into view—
Before collapsing.
A blade protruded from his chest.
---
Silence.
---
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
---
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Dressed in black.
Face hidden.
Presence…
Wrong.
---
Then another.
And another.
---
Not an army.
A unit.
Small.
Elite.
---
Kael stepped forward slightly.
A faint smile appearing.
"…Now this is interesting."
---
Leon didn't smile.
He reached for his sword.
Steel slid free with a cold sound.
"Stand down."
He said to Aria.
---
But she didn't move.
---
Because now—
She could feel them clearly.
---
Each one of them.
Like burning signals in the dark.
---
"They're not here for the throne…"
She whispered.
---
Kael glanced at her.
"…I figured that much."
---
The first attacker moved.
No warning.
No hesitation.
---
He vanished.
---
"FAST—"
Kael didn't finish.
---
Clang!
---
Leon blocked the strike instantly.
The impact echoed like a shockwave.
---
The attacker pushed forward—
Inhuman strength.
---
Leon didn't step back.
His eyes turned cold.
Focused.
---
"Not human…"
---
Kael appeared behind the attacker.
Too fast to follow.
---
Slash—
---
The blade cut clean—
But—
No blood.
---
"…What?"
---
The attacker twisted unnaturally—
And kicked Kael back.
Hard.
---
He landed smoothly.
Sliding slightly.
Eyes narrowing.
"…Yeah. Definitely not normal."
---
More attackers moved in.
Silent.
Deadly.
---
The guards rushed forward—
But it was useless.
---
One fell.
Then another.
---
They weren't fighting soldiers.
They were fighting something else.
---
"Fall back!"
Leon ordered.
"Form a defensive line!"
---
But even as he spoke—
He knew.
---
This wasn't a battle they could win like this.
---
Because the attackers—
Ignored everyone.
---
Their eyes—
Were locked on one person.
---
Aria.
---
"…Of course."
Kael exhaled slowly.
---
"Stay behind me."
Leon said firmly.
---
"Stay behind me."
Kael corrected.
---
Even now—
They didn't agree.
---
But Aria…
Didn't hear them.
---
Because the voice returned.
Stronger.
Clearer.
---
"They have come."
---
"They recognize you."
---
Her vision flickered.
---
The world changed.
---
For a split second—
She didn't see the palace.
---
She saw fire.
Ruins.
A broken sky.
---
And herself—
Standing alone.
---
Power surging around her like a storm.
---
Then—
Back.
---
Reality snapped into place.
---
"…What… was that…"
---
An attacker lunged toward her.
Faster than before.
---
Leon moved instantly.
---
Too slow.
---
Kael moved—
Also too slow.
---
The blade was inches away.
---
Time slowed.
---
Aria's eyes widened—
But her body—
Didn't move.
---
It reacted.
---
Her hand lifted.
---
Instinct.
Not thought.
---
And then—
---
Everything stopped.
---
The blade froze mid-air.
---
The attacker froze.
---
The air itself—
Froze.
---
Silence.
Absolute.
Impossible.
---
Leon's eyes widened.
"…What—"
---
Kael didn't speak.
He just stared.
---
Because in that moment—
They both understood.
---
This wasn't normal.
---
This wasn't power.
---
This was something else entirely.
---
Aria's eyes glowed faintly.
Gold.
Radiant.
Unreal.
---
The attacker struggled—
But couldn't move.
---
Then—
Her fingers closed slightly.
---
And—
---
CRACK.
---
The space around the attacker shattered.
---
Not like glass.
---
Like reality itself.
---
The attacker was thrown back violently—
Crashing into the wall—
And not moving again.
---
Silence.
---
No one breathed.
---
No one moved.
---
Because they had all seen it.
---
Aria slowly lowered her hand.
Her breathing uneven.
Her body trembling.
---
"…I…"
---
She looked at them.
At Leon.
At Kael.
---
"I didn't—"
---
"You did."
Kael said quietly.
---
Leon stepped forward.
Slow.
Careful.
---
"Explain."
---
But Aria couldn't.
---
Because she didn't understand it herself.
---
"I don't know…"
---
But deep inside—
She did.
---
The voice whispered again.
---
"You are awakening."
---
"And they will all come."
---
"To claim you."
---
Kael's gaze darkened.
"…Then they're not the only ones coming."
---
Leon tightened his grip on his sword.
---
"Then we prepare."
---
For the first time—
They weren't just rivals.
---
They were facing something bigger.
---
Something far more dangerous.
---
Because now—
It was clear.
---
This wasn't about a throne.
---
This wasn't about a crown.
---
This was about her.
---
And whatever she was becoming.
---
Outside—
More shadows gathered.
---
And in the distance—
Something watched.
---
Waiting.
---
"The world has noticed you."
---
Princess