t time, I saw him look up, his face twisted with sorrow. "I couldn't save him. I couldn't—" he choked on his words, the pain too much.

  Hue, Jade, and I sat there in silence, letting Emberes have a moment to himself. None of us knew what to say. This kind of pain... there were no words for it.

  After a long while, Emberes finally straightened up, wiping his eyes and taking in a deep breath. His expression hardened again, but we all knew better now. He was hurting.

  "Enough of this," Emberes said, his voice rough but steady. "We've got work to do."

  But even as he said it, we could all tell it wasn't the work that weighed on him. It was the hole left by his father's death.

  The conversation moved on, the silence between us thick with unspoken thoughts. Eventually, we turned to Hue.

  "So," I started, my tone neutral, "you tapped into royal mana back there. But if you're not the king's real son, then how did that happen?"

  Hue shifted uncomfortably, clearly as confused as the rest of us. "I don't know. I didn't even know it was royal mana at first. It just felt... natural. I've never felt anything like that before."

  Jade, her arms crossed, leaned in, brow furrowed. "But you're not the king's son. You were raised as his, sure, but there's no way the blood runs through your veins."

  Hue nodded, his lips tight. "I don't get it either. A Liche clan member with royal blood? That's unheard of. And yet, here I am, wielding mana that only royalty should be able to use."

  We sat there for a moment, pondering. It felt like a mystery that had no clear answers. But one thing was certain—we couldn't trust the king. Not after everything that had happened.

  "We need to move forward," I finally said, breaking the silence. "There might be survivors. We need to search the village, see if anyone's still alive."

  We set off through the rubble, moving carefully but with purpose. The village that had once been a safe haven for so many was now reduced to ashes. We searched for hours, pulling through debris, hoping for a sign of life—anything.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  And then we came across it.

  Our house, or what was left of it. The walls were reduced to charred ruins, the remnants of our former home barely recognizable. But there was one thing that stood out: the shed. The mana-fused shed.

  The shed that had never burned, never been damaged, despite everything else around it being consumed by flames.

  Jade looked at it, her eyes narrowing. "It's still standing."

  I took a step forward. "What's in there?"

  "I don't know," Jade admitted, shaking her head. "But I know it's important."

  I couldn't argue with that. The shed had always felt different—there was something about it that had drawn us in from the beginning. Something that connected us to the mystery of our origins.

  "We need to figure this out," Jade said, her voice steady. "But not yet. The shed isn't ready to reveal its secrets. We need more answers first."

  We moved on from the shed, our curiosity tugging at us but understanding there were pieces of the puzzle we still had to find. And that's when we spotted the archive, remarkably intact amidst the destruction.

  Inside the archive basement, there was still the chest marked with an "F." It stood out among the other scattered remnants, almost as if it had been waiting for us.

  Hue carefully lifted the note from the chest, his fingers trembling slightly. His eyes scanned the paper as he read aloud.

  "If you are opening this chest, it means the prophecy was true. King Belfour destroyed the Liche Clan. You are the true heir to the throne and also the advisor of the Liche clan. Protect the twins with your life."

  Hue paused, his eyes lingering on the words. His face was unreadable.

  Hue took the key from the chest and held it up.

  "This key—it's been eluding us. I think it's part of what we need to unlock the shed." Jade says

  Hue looked down at the key for a long moment before speaking, his voice low. "And the bracelet and ring?"

  "They're yours," Jade said softly. "They were meant for you."

  There was a long pause as the weight of everything began to settle in.

  Hue turned the note over in his hands. "So, the king knew. He knew I was the heir all along. But if that's the case, why did he raise me as his son?"

  I frowned, trying to make sense of it. "Maybe he never thought you'd be a threat. Or maybe he thought you'd be too weak to take the throne."

  Hue didn't answer, but the look in his eyes told me he was already thinking about confronting the king.

  "I need answers," Hue muttered, his voice low but firm. "I need to see him. I need to understand why he did this."

  But before any of us could respond, we heard it.

  Footsteps.

  Slow, deliberate steps.

  We all froze.

  In the silence, the footsteps grew louder, closer.

  I could feel the tension rising in the air, and instinctively, I reached for my weapon. The others followed suit.

  We were ready. But we had no idea who—or what—was approaching.

  And then, the door creaked open.