Autumn wind blew cold along the cobblestone road leading to the city of Aetheloria.
A girl walked alone, wearing a worn brown cloak. Her silver hair was tossed by the wind, contrasting sharply with her pale violet eyes.
Her name was Lyra.
She had traveled for weeks just to reach the capital of the largest kingdom on the continent of Eldoria.
The palace towers loomed in the distance like colossal guardians.
But as Lyra approached the city gates, a sudden scream pierced the air.
"Monster! Monster from the northern forest!"
The city gates opened chaotically.
A massive creature, with the body of a giant wolf and glowing red eyes, burst into the city.
The guards tried to fight it, but their swords barely scratched its skin.
From atop the city walls, a young man in silver armor drew his sword.
He was Prince Alaric Valerian.
With a swift movement, he leapt down to the street.
Yet even a prince-knight seemed to struggle against the magical beast.
As the monster roared and lunged at a small child—
Lyra instinctively raised her hand.
The air around her vibrated.
Ancient blue light sprang from her palm.
And in an instant…
The monster froze, turning to stone.
The entire city fell silent.
Including the prince, who now stared at the strange girl with astonishment.
The magic he had just witnessed…
was the kind thought to have vanished centuries ago.
Silence enveloped the main street of Aetheloria.
Dust slowly fell from the petrified monster standing in the middle of the road. Its red eyes had lost their glow, turning into cracked gray stone.
The guards exchanged pale, shocked glances.
"Wh… what just happened?" one of them whispered.
Prince Alaric still stood a few steps away from Lyra.
His sword remained drawn, though its tip slowly lowered.
His sharp gaze never left the strange girl.
"Magic…" he murmured softly.
Lyra herself looked just as stunned as everyone else. She stared at her palm as if she could not believe what had just happened.
The blue light had vanished.
"I—I…" her voice barely audible.
Suddenly, the guards moved quickly, surrounding Lyra.
"Don't move!" one shouted, aiming his spear.
People who had been hiding behind houses and shops now came out, staring at the girl with a mixture of fear and awe.
"She's a witch…"
"Impossible… ancient magic has been lost for so long…"
"Who is this girl?"
Whispers filled the air.
Lyra swallowed hard. She had never intended to cause such chaos.
"I just wanted to enter the city…" she said softly.
Before the guards could act, a calm yet commanding voice spoke.
"Lower your weapons."
Everyone froze immediately.
Prince Alaric approached.
The silver armor reflected the late afternoon sunlight, and the royal red cloak fluttered gently behind him.
The guards bowed instantly.
"Your Highness."
Alaric stopped directly in front of Lyra.
Up close, Lyra noticed just how piercing his gaze was. His gray eyes seemed able to see through a person's very soul.
"Was that you?" Alaric asked.
Lyra hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes… but I didn't mean to…"
Alaric glanced briefly at the stone monster.
Small cracks had begun to appear across its body, proving the creature was truly dead.
He looked back at Lyra.
"You saved the city's people."
The guards looked shocked at his words.
"But Your Highness—" one of them tried to protest.
Alaric raised a hand slightly, and the guard immediately fell silent.
"However," Alaric continued in a firmer tone, "the magic you used is not ordinary magic."
Lyra lowered her head.
Truthfully, she did not understand it herself.
Since she was a child, strange things had sometimes happened around her—fire igniting on its own, water moving without being touched, or sudden gusts of wind changing direction.
But today was the first time something this immense had occurred.
"I don't know how I did it," Lyra admitted honestly.
Alaric studied her for a long moment.
Then he made a decision that shocked everyone.
"You will come with me to the palace."
"To… the palace?" Lyra blinked in surprise.
The guards were equally bewildered.
"Your Highness, is that safe?" the captain asked.
Alaric answered calmly.
"If she truly possesses magic like that, allowing her to roam the city freely is far more dangerous."
His gaze returned to Lyra.
"But don't misunderstand. This is not an invitation."
His voice grew colder.
"This is a royal command."
Lyra bit her lip softly.
She had come to Aetheloria seeking answers about her past.
Yet it seemed…
fate was pulling her straight into the heart of the kingdom's power.
As they began walking toward the palace, no one noticed something unusual.
The cracks in the petrified monster suddenly glimmered with a faint black light.
Very faint.
Almost invisible.
As if something else had been hiding behind the creature's attack.
And far away…
someone smiled in the shadows.
"So… it has finally appeared."
"Ancient magic."
The royal carriage moved slowly along the main street of Aetheloria.
People stepped aside as they saw the golden lion emblem of the kingdom on the carriage. Whispers spread again along the street.
"That's the witch girl…"
"The prince himself is taking her…"
"Could ancient magic truly have returned?"
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was much quieter.
Lyra sat to one side, hands clasped in her lap. She tried to appear calm, but her heart raced.
Across from her, Prince Alaric sat upright. His gaze shifted occasionally to the window, then back at Lyra.
Finally, he spoke.
"Your name."
Lyra was slightly startled; the voice broke the silence.
"Lyra… Lyra Evandriel."
Alaric nodded softly.
"Where are you from?"
"From a small village in the north. Its name is Arlenwood."
Alaric appeared thoughtful.
The village was far from the capital, almost at the edge of the ancient forest seldom visited by humans.
"Why did you come to Aetheloria?"
Lyra hesitated, bowing her head briefly before replying.
"I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"My mother."
Alaric raised an eyebrow slightly.
"She lives in the capital?"
Lyra shook her head slowly.
"I don't know."
Her answer made Alaric regard her more seriously.
Lyra swallowed and explained in a soft voice.
"My mother disappeared when I was little. All that remains is this necklace."
She pulled a silver necklace from beneath her cloak.
At the end of the chain hung a circular emblem with three glowing lines.
The moment Alaric saw it—
his expression shifted.
"Where did you get this?"
Lyra was taken aback by his tone.
"From my mother. Why?"
Alaric did not answer immediately.
He recognized the symbol.
The same symbol he had seen in the kingdom's ancient archives.
It belonged to the Order of the Keepers of the Source of Magic.
An order that had supposedly been destroyed over three hundred years ago.
Before he could say anything, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Voices of guards echoed outside.
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the palace."
The door opened.
Lyra stepped out first and froze.
The palace of Aetheloria stood magnificently before her.
Tall towers reached the sky, white stone walls gleaming under the late afternoon sun, and a vast courtyard filled with royal knights.
Lyra had never seen anything this grand in her life.
"This…"
"This is my home," Alaric said shortly as he stepped down from the carriage.
Some nobles in the courtyard began to notice them.
Their gazes immediately fell on Lyra.
"Who is that girl?"
"Why is the prince bringing her to the palace?"
Whispers began to spread.
Alaric paid them no mind.
He walked toward the main entrance of the palace.
Lyra followed hesitantly.
But just before they entered—
a cold wind suddenly blew across the courtyard.
Strange.
The sky, once clear, was now covered with thin clouds.
Lyra felt a strange sensation in her chest.
The silver necklace trembled faintly.
She held it, confused.
"What… is happening…"
At the tallest tower of the palace, an old man in black robes stood on a stone balcony.
His sharp eyes were fixed on the courtyard below.
He focused on Lyra.
The man was the Royal Archmage, the most powerful mage in Aetheloria.
And when he saw the necklace around Lyra's neck—
his face slowly went pale.
"Impossible…" he whispered to himself.
"That symbol…"
"Three hundred years… and it has finally appeared."
The Heir.
Down below, Lyra had no idea that her arrival at the palace…
had awakened an ancient secret buried for centuries.
And tonight—
her destiny would begin to change forever.
(End of Chapter 1) ✨📖