The Forsaken Heir: Rise of the Shadow Monarch

Chapter 3:Execution Day

Three days passed in darkness.

Kael lost count of the hours inside the cold prison wagon that carried him to the royal capital. His wrists remained bound by iron chains, and the little food he received was barely enough to keep him standing.

No one spoke to him except to bark orders.

No one asked if he was innocent.

By sunrise on the fourth day, the towering walls of Valenor's capital rose before him.

It was the first time Kael had ever seen the city.

White stone towers stretched toward the sky, colorful banners fluttered from every rooftop, and thousands of people filled the streets.

He had once dreamed of visiting the capital.

Not like this.

The prison wagon rolled into the Grand Execution Plaza, where a massive wooden platform stood at its center. Royal guards formed a ring around it while citizens crowded every available space.

News of the "Sacred Relic Thief" had spread quickly.

People had come from neighboring towns just to witness his death.

"That's him?"

"He looks ordinary."

"I thought the cursed boy would have horns."

"My brother died in the storm seventeen years ago. Good riddance."

Kael lowered his gaze.

Their hatred no longer surprised him.

The chains around his wrists rattled as two guards forced him up the wooden steps.

A thick execution post stood at the center of the platform.

They tied his hands behind it.

The rough rope bit into his skin.

A royal herald stepped forward, unrolling a scroll adorned with the king's golden seal.

"In the name of His Majesty, King Aldren of Valenor..."

His voice echoed across the silent plaza.

"...Kael Ashryn has been found guilty of stealing the Sacred Relic, committing treason against the Crown, and threatening the peace of the kingdom."

The crowd erupted.

"Execute him!"

"Justice!"

"Kill the cursed child!"

Kael slowly closed his eyes.

For years, he had wondered what it would take for people to accept him.

Now he knew.

Nothing.

No matter how hard he worked...

No matter how quietly he lived...

They had already decided who he was.

He wasn't a person to them.

He was a curse.

A convenient villain.

His thoughts drifted to the tiny cabin beside the forest.

To the little gray bird that visited him every morning.

To the wooden sword his father had carved.

So many questions...

Questions he would never have answered.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Maybe..."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"...I'll finally see Mother and Father again."

The executioner stepped onto the platform.

He was a giant of a man clad in black armor, carrying an enormous axe polished to a mirror shine.

He stopped before Kael.

"Any final words?"

Kael opened his eyes.

Instead of looking at the executioner, he gazed at the endless blue sky.

"I didn't steal the relic."

Only a few people heard him.

None believed him.

The executioner sighed.

"May the gods judge your soul."

He raised the axe high above his head.

The entire plaza fell silent.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

The blade began to descend.

Then—

A sharp pain exploded through Kael's left hand.

His eyes snapped open.

The strange black mark burned hotter than fire.

"What...?"

Dark veins spread from the mark across his wrist, pulsing with an eerie violet glow.

Deep beneath the execution platform...

Something ancient stirred.

A low rumble shook the ground.

The executioner froze.

The axe stopped inches from Kael's neck.

"What was that?"

The wooden platform trembled violently.

Cracks spread across the floorboards.

One of the royal mages shouted from below.

"Captain! There's mana beneath the platform!"

Before anyone could react, the cracks widened.

Ancient symbols, buried beneath the wood for centuries, ignited one after another with blinding purple light.

A massive magic circle emerged beneath Kael's feet.

The air grew impossibly heavy.

Every mage in the plaza turned pale.

"Impossible..."

An elderly court scholar stumbled backward, his eyes filled with terror.

"That seal..."

"It shouldn't exist anymore."

The glowing symbols spun faster.

A deafening hum echoed through the square.

Kael stared at the light surrounding him.

He had no idea what was happening.

The burning in his hand intensified until it felt as though molten lava flowed through his veins.

The black mark expanded across his palm, forming an intricate crest unlike anything he had ever seen.

The magic circle answered.

Purple pillars of light shot into the heavens.

The sky darkened.

Clouds swirled into a giant vortex above the capital.

People screamed.

Soldiers stumbled backward.

The executioner dropped his axe.

"No..."

The old scholar's voice trembled.

"The seal has recognized him..."

A heartbeat later—

BOOM!

The execution platform exploded in a violent eruption of black and violet energy, sending wood, stone, and soldiers flying in every direction.