King Aetheron stood by the high arched window of the solar, his gaze fixed on the jagged peaks of the North. Behind him, Prince Azeal stood in silence, his head slightly bowed, feeling the weight of his father's disappointment.
"You think a few scars from the training pits make you a warrior, Azeal?" the King's voice was low, like distant thunder. He turned around, his eyes piercing. "You have much to learn. The world outside Solthera is not a playground, and the time for the ZarethianTrial is drawing closer than you think."
Azeal looked up, his curiosity momentarily masking his guilt. "The Trial? You mean the path to the throne?"
"It is more than just a path," Aetheron sighed, walking toward a large, ancient map carved into the stone table. "To lead the Seven Kingdoms, a Prince must survive the ShadowAbyss. It is a place of absolute darkness, a realm that exists between our world and the void. No one has ever seen the entirety of the Abyss. Even those of us who passed the trial only saw the path meant for us."
He paused, his hand trembling slightly as he touched the map. "I saw things there that no Drazhin should witness. Creatures that feed on fear, shadows that speak in the voices of the dead. But the greatest mystery of all is the Book of Origins."
Azeal stepped closer. "The book that holds our future?"
"The very same," the King whispered. "My father told me it is hidden deep within the Abyss, but its location shifts like the wind. It reads the soul of every Drazhin who enters. You can only go as far as your courage allows. Draeven Zareth failed because his heart was consumed by greed, not strength. And now... I fear his sons will attempt to claim what their father could not."
Outside the heavy oak doors, Princess Vaelora pressed her back against the cold stone wall, her breath hitched in her throat. She had followed them, ready to burst in and take the blame for their secret trip to the North if the King's anger turned into a punishment. But now, the fear of a lecture was replaced by the chilling realization of what Azeal had to face.
The Shadow Abyss wasn't just a test; it was a trap. And she knew, looking at the grip she had on her own cloak, that she couldn't let him go there alone.