The morning of the Zarethian Trial arrived with a sky the color of bruised steel. Inside the King's private chambers, the air was thick with a tension that even the heavy incense couldn't mask. King Aetheron paced the floor, his footsteps echoing like a ticking clock, while Lord Kaelor watched him with furrowed brows.
"The Abyss will know, My King," Kaelor whispered, his voice trembling. "It breathes the truth. The moment Azeal stands before the Gates, the shadows will sense that your blood does not flow through his veins. He will be rejected... or worse, consumed."
Aetheron stopped, his eyes flashing with a desperate light. "I know. The Gate demands a sacrifice of royal blood just to open. If Azeal spills his blood alone, the Abyss will remain shut, and our secret will be screamed from the mountaintops."
"Then how will he become the King of the Seven Kingdoms?" Kaelor asked.
"He won't go alone," Aetheron declared, a cold smile touching his lips. "He will go with Princess Vaelora. If they both shed their blood at the entrance, the Abyss will recognize the royal essence of Solthera through her. The Gate will open, and it will not be able to distinguish between the two souls once they are inside."
Kaelor gasped. "But the laws! The other kingdoms will never allow a Prince to have a companion in the Abyss. It has been a solo trial for centuries."
"I am the King of the Seven Kingdoms," Aetheron growled. "I make the laws. I will decree a new rule: Every Prince shall now be allowed one 'Shadow Guardian'—a companion of their choice, be it a soldier or a noble. It will look like a gesture of unity, but it is our only way to save Azeal."
Before the sun had fully risen, messengers were dispatched to every corner of the realm. The King's new law spread like wildfire, sparking whispers in every court.
Meanwhile, on the high balcony of the princess's quarters, Vaelora stood watching the moon fade into the grey dawn. Her heart felt like a stone in her chest. She wasn't thinking about rules or thrones; she was thinking about the boy who had become her world.
The Abyss was a place from which many never returned. What if I lose him? she wondered, her eyes stinging. She looked at the horizon, unaware that her own blood was the key to his survival. She only knew that if Azeal was going into the darkness, she would find a way to be the light at his side.