The Stolen Heir’s Bond

Kael stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat as he stared at the shimmering vision within the archway. The man on the throne—his father—looked older than he remembered. Shadows clung to the edges of his form, making him seem both regal and ghostly at once.

Elaria shifted beside him, gripping his sleeve. "Kael… is that really—?"

"Yes," he whispered, his voice tight.

The golden eyes in the vision suddenly snapped upward, as if sensing them. Kael's pulse thundered in his ears. It wasn't just a vision. His father could see them.

"Kael."

The voice echoed through the cavern, deep and filled with something unreadable.

Kael clenched his fists. "This isn't possible. You—" He swallowed hard, the words heavy on his tongue. "You're supposed to be dead."

The man on the throne tilted his head slightly. "That is what they told you, wasn't it?"

Elaria's grip on Kael's arm tightened. "Kael, we need to be careful—"

But Kael stepped closer to the archway, his entire body rigid. "What is this?" he demanded. "A trick? A curse?"

His father didn't move, but his golden eyes burned brighter. "It is the truth. The truth they never wanted you to know."

A pulse of magic rippled through the air, and suddenly, the vision inside the archway shifted—showing Kael's past.

A castle engulfed in flames. Soldiers storming the gates. A woman—Kael's mother—holding him as a child, her face streaked with soot and tears.

And standing in the midst of the chaos, his father, wielding a sword wreathed in dark fire.

Kael felt like the ground had been ripped from beneath him. "No…"

The vision changed again, showing a group of men—clad in the colors of the current king—dragging his father to the ground, forcing him to his knees. A blade pressed to his throat.

But instead of dying…

He vanished.

The vision flickered, and the man on the throne leaned forward. "I was not killed that night, Kael. I was erased."

Kael's breath came in sharp, shallow bursts. His entire life—he had been told his father had died in a rebellion. That he had been a traitor. But now…

"You're lying," Kael hissed. His hand was back on his sword hilt, though he didn't draw it.

His father exhaled slowly. "If you believe that, then why does your blood still call to mine?"

Elaria grabbed Kael's wrist this time, forcing him to look at her. "Kael, this is dangerous. This magic—it's old. Too old. We shouldn't trust it."

The vision flickered, and Kael's father's gaze shifted to Elaria. "You."

Elaria stiffened.

"The girl beside you… she is more than she appears." His voice was softer now, almost… curious. "The Fates would not have placed her at your side if she were not meant to be there."

Kael frowned, glancing at her. "What does that mean?"

Elaria swallowed hard. "I don't know." But the look in her eyes said she wasn't sure that was true.

The vision inside the archway began to flicker again, like a candle guttering in the wind. Kael's father's expression darkened. "The magic is fading. I cannot hold this connection much longer."

Kael's chest tightened. He still had too many questions. "Where are you?"

A long silence.

Then—

"Closer than you think."

And with those final words, the vision shattered. The light in the archway faded, and the cavern was silent once more.

Kael stood motionless, his mind reeling. His father was alive. And more than that—his entire past was a lie.

Elaria exhaled shakily. "Kael… what do we do now?"

He didn't answer at first. But then, his grip on his sword tightened.

"We find him."

And with that, they turned toward the unknown.