2026-07-09 09:59:13The royal carriage rolled through the gates of Silvermoon Palace. White marble under the wheels. Silverwood trees lined the road. Their leaves caught the morning sun.
Inside, it was dead quiet.
Gareth sat in the corner. Face calm. Hands clenched until his knuckles went white. Every few seconds he glanced at Duncan.
Duncan didn’t look back. He just watched the trees go by.
“You look too sure of yourself, little brother.” Gareth’s voice was light. Too light. “Remember this before father. Proof matters more than power that shows up overnight. People who play with fire get burned first.”
Duncan turned. Met his eyes.
Through the Eye of Truth, Gareth was a mess. Dark red and black. Hate. Fear. And chains of shadow wrapped around him.
“You’re right,” Duncan said. Calm. “Fire stolen from dark places burns the one holding it first. I just hope you don’t get scorched when the truth comes out.”
Gareth went silent. He looked away.
He didn’t get it. The brother who used to flinch was now talking to him like an equal. Like he already knew everything.
The carriage stopped.
They walked through the halls together. Duncan remembered them. The carpets. The gold. The places they used to plan his downfall.
This time he felt nothing. No awe. No fear.
Two guards opened the oak doors with the wolf and moon crest.
The Small Throne Room. Where the King dealt with family matters. Where secrets died.
King Alaric sat on the ironwood throne. Silver inlay caught the light.
Next to him stood Duke Valerius. Same soft smile. Same “concerned uncle” face.
Duncan saw it for what it was now. A predator’s mask.
“You’re here,” the King said. His voice filled the room. He looked at both of them. “I’ve heard a lot lately. About your progress. About power that appeared out of nowhere. About whispers I don’t like. Speak plainly. Speak truth.”
Gareth stepped forward. Bowed perfectly.
“Father. Thank you for hearing me. I don’t say this to boast. I say it because it needs to be said.
What Duncan showed at the academy... it’s not natural. People are saying he found forbidden scrolls. That he made deals with dark things. If that’s true, he puts our whole family in danger. The whole realm.”
Valerius nodded. Slow. Sad.
“I’ve heard the same, Your Majesty. And worse. The traces match what was around Queen Seraphina before her accident. We can’t let that darkness back into this palace.”
The King turned to Duncan. His eyes were heavy. Disappointed. Suspicious. Grieving.
“Is it true, Duncan? Did you use forbidden arts to get strong?”
Silence.
In his old life, he’d broken here. Yelled. Stuttered. Looked guilty.
Today he just breathed. Stepped forward.
“Father. Uncle Valerius.” His voice didn’t shake. “My power isn’t from dark craft. It was returned to me.
For ten years, a blood binding ritual locked away the true power of the Von Silvermoon line. Inside me.
That seal just broke.”
The King frowned. “A blood seal? That’s high forbidden magic. Only the best can do it. And never on a royal heir without the Crown’s permission.
Who did this to you?”
Duncan looked straight at Valerius.
The Duke flinched. Just one step back.
“I don’t have physical proof yet,” Duncan said. “But I have proof that can’t lie.
May I show you? If my power is dark, it will die in the light of the Silver Crown.
If it’s our birthright, it will burn brighter.”
The King studied him. Then nodded. “Do it. I invoke the full authority of the Crown to judge what you show.”
He raised his hand. Silver light poured out. Pure. Holy. The light of the royal line.
Duncan didn’t hide. He let his power rise.
It didn’t clash. It didn’t burn.
It merged with the King’s light. Twisted together. Shot up into a pillar so bright Gareth and Valerius covered their eyes.
Even the wolf and moon on the floor glowed in answer.
The King stared. Then whispered.
“This... this is pure ancestral power. Untainted.”
He snapped his head to Valerius. “You said it was like the darkness around Seraphina? This is the cleanest proof of our blood in generations.”
Valerius went pale. He opened his mouth.
“Father, there’s more,” Duncan cut in. “Gareth has something. Something no prince should touch.
A talisman. Black bone. Carved like a skull. Soaked in shadow magic. It steals strength. Binds you to dark forces.”
Gareth choked. His hand flew to his chest. To the hidden pocket in his coat.
“That’s a lie! That’s slander!”
“Then show us,” the King said. Cold. “Take it out. Now.”
There was no way out.
With shaking hands, Gareth pulled it out. A small skull of black bone.
The room got cold. The air felt wrong. Even the King leaned back.
“Where did you get that?” the King’s voice shook with anger.
Gareth panicked. Looked at Valerius. Begging.
The Duke looked away.
That’s when Gareth got it. He was being sacrificed.
“He gave it to me!” Gareth pointed at Valerius. Voice breaking. “Duke Valerius! He said it would protect me! Make me strong enough to rule!
He signed the order for the Eclipse Archives! He’s the one who put the seal on Duncan when he was a kid!”
Ten years of lies. Broke in one second.
Valerius dropped to his knees. All the color gone from his face.
“You betrayed your own blood?” The King stood. Fury in every word. “Did you kill Seraphina too?”
Valerius lifted his head. The soft mask was gone.
“She stood in my way!” He spat. “Too soft. Too fair. Letting our enemies get strong.
I did this to bring back our ancestors’ true power! Gareth was perfect for it. And you...
You were just a mistake I needed to erase!”
The King didn’t wait. He raised his hand.
“Guards. Take them. Deepest cells. Until the High Court.”
Doors opened. Guards dragged them out.
Gareth looked back at Duncan. Pure hate. Ruin.
Valerius looked back too. And smiled. Cold. Like he was saying: _this isn’t over._
The doors shut. Silence.
The King walked to Duncan. Put a heavy hand on his shoulder. His eyes were wet.
“I failed you,” he said quietly. “I was blind. I listened to the wrong people.
Today you proved you’re not just the strongest heir. You’re the right one.”
He squeezed. “From this day, you are Regent of the Realm. Commander of the Royal Silver Guard.”
[CRITICAL MISSION COMPLETE]
[TRUTH REVEALED TO THE KING]
[REWARD: FULL ARCHIVE ACCESS. +30% POWER. TITLE: COMMANDER OF THE SILVER GUARD]
[SYSTEM WARNING: VALERIUS STILL HAS HIDDEN POWER. THE PLOT RUNS DEEPER. BIGGER THREAT COMING]
Duncan bowed.
He won this round. But Valerius’s smile meant trouble.
For the first time in ten years, he wasn’t alone.
He had his name back. His father’s trust. Allies.
And all the power he needed for whatever came next.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 21: THE BURIED TRUTH
The robed man walked slowly toward them his steps making no sound at all against the cold stone floor. The cold edge of his face had softened as if the trial they had just survived had torn down the wall he had built between himself and every heir who came before.“You have proven you are nothing like the rest” he said quietly. “And because of that I will tell you the truth I have hidden for a thousand years. The truth Silas himself was too afraid to write down anywhere.”He turned and gestured to the long stone table. The ancient scrolls rose and unrolled on their own revealing no ordinary map of lands but a map of bloodlines of bonds between soul and world of how the so called balance was built entirely on uncounted sacrifice.“Silas was no hero of legend” he said firmly. “He was a conqueror terrified of losing his grip. Long ago the line between light and shadow was thin. People walked freely in both sides. Power was not cursed or praised for what it looked like. It was only what i
CHAPTER 20: THE GHOSTS OF YOU
The copies did not charge right away. They spread out around the room dozens of them breathing in perfect sync tilting their heads exactly the way Duncan did when he was weighing something heavy. It felt like standing in a hall of broken mirrors every one holding a piece of what he was becoming every one showing a version of himself he might turn into.“Great” Torin growled drawing his sword all the way free and lifting his shield high. “Just what we needed today. An army of you who already knows every move every weakness every trick you have ever learned.”“Watch them closely” Elara said nocking three arrows at once her eyes flicking rapidly from one shape to the next. “They may look exactly alike walk alike shine alike. But they are not you Duncan. There will be something wrong something they can never copy right.”Before anyone could say more the nearest copy moved. It did not run it did not leap. It simply vanished from where it stood and reappeared right in front of Duncan swingi
CHAPTER 19: THE SHADOW THAT FOLLOWS
They left the tower as the sun climbed high. The gray sky had lightened but the air felt colder and heavier than before. Every step Duncan took was surer now yet he never let his guard drop. He knew this new strength was not just a weapon. It was a trail nothing could erase one that would lead anyone who wanted it straight to him.Torin walked along the left edge of the group scanning the trees and cliffs around them.“No sign of anyone following us since we left” he said quietly. “But it feels wrong. Like they just let us go on purpose.”“They don’t need to chase” Duncan answered without looking back. “They know we carry what they want. We are the bait and the target all at once.”Elara stayed close behind him. She said little but her eyes never left his shoulders. She watched how his jaw tightened at distant sounds how his hands curled into fists now and then like he was testing just how much power sat beneath his skin.By late afternoon they reached a river clear but sharp with the
CHAPTER 18: THE WEIGHT OF NEW POWER
They walked through the rest of dusk without stopping once. The mist that had trailed them for miles now pulled back, as if something deep inside it feared to come any closer. But the heavy dragging weight in Duncan’s chest did not lift if anything it settled deeper sharper like an invisible hand was still trying to yank him back toward the ruins they had just left behind.When night fell they made camp high on a windswept ridge far from thick woods or any place that could hide a threat. They kept the fire small just enough to hold back the biting cold without drawing eyes from the dark. The silence stretched long but it was no longer the awkward quiet of strangers every person there could feel the shift the heavy new weight in the man leading them.Torin sat across the flames his gaze drifting now and then to Duncan’s hands broader steadier every movement carrying a force that had not been there before.“You move different now” he said quietly almost lost to the wind. “Every step pre
CHAPTER 17: THE UNSEEN TRAIL
That night they camped right at the edge of the valley, not far from the now quiet foundations of the Shadowgate. The fire burned bright, but the mood was heavy and still. The people who had followed Valerius sat huddled apart, staring at the embers with blank, confused eyes. No one dared speak first.Duncan sat a little apart from the rest, staring up at the great black gate looming against the dark sky. He could still feel the faint thrum of old energy deep in his chest-something that made his muscles tighter, his bones stronger, sharper than they had ever been. It felt strange, but right. Like a part of him he'd never known was there had finally woken up.Kael sat down beside him without a word, resting his rune staff on the stone."You've changed," he said quietly. "Not just in power. Everything about you feels... heavier. Stronger. Like something that was locked away for centuries finally broke free."Duncan nodded slowly. "I can feel it in every step, every breath. And I know on
CHAPTER 16: THE EIGHTH ANCHOR
The fire burned low through the night but nobody slept. Bren’s scrap of parchment lay spread on the flat stone, its red line glowing faint even in the dark. Every time Duncan glanced at it the Key pressed warm against his chest, like it could feel whatever was creeping closer to the heart of the seal.By dawn they were packed and moving south toward the Shadowgate. The mood had shifted from careful hope to sharp, tight caution. Bren walked at the front now, scanning every ridge and hollow like he was matching them to memories he’d locked away for years.“The seven nodes were built like pillars holding up an arch,” he said as they climbed the long slope. “Break one, the arch leans. Break two, it cracks. But this eighth point was never meant to be part of the support. It was the lock. The thing that held the whole thing together so it wouldn’t fall apart or swing open without good reason.”“And someone’s prying that lock right out,” Torin said, his hand resting heavy on his sword hilt.
You may also like
Divine Sword Art System
Rafaiir_22.7K viewsThe Poor Owner of a Legacy System
Pein37.4K viewsMy Sniper System
kuhaku_sora25.2K viewsRoyal Harem System
Red Phoenix.56.9K viewsMy Sudden Trillionaire System Made Me Boss On Campus
Divi Chris737 views$100 Million Before Doomsday: My Doomsday Shelter System
Elma writes390 viewsApocalypse: Rise of the SSS-Rank Sovereign
Annie. Natt563 viewsSORRY MISS CEO, YOUR BILLIONS ARE USELESS!
Bait bait aksara309 views