Morning light spilled across the training courtyard as I tightened the straps of my small travel bag.
Rex sat beside me, golden fur glowing in the early sun, tail flicking with restless energy.
"Ready?" I asked.
The little lion cub gave a low, eager rumble.
"Yeah," I murmured. "Me too."
The night before had been a storm of thoughts.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the Silent Veil—thick mist, twisted trees, and a glowing stone hidden somewhere in the endless white.
Now, standing on the edge of my first true journey, the palace felt… different.
Bigger, heavier.
Like it was trying to hold me back.
I shook the thought away.
This wasn't about running from the palace.
This was about stepping beyond it.
Before leaving, I slipped into the palace library again.
The book Gemstones of the Legend lay exactly where I'd left it.
I opened to the page on the Aura Stone, scanning every line again.
"Silent Veil… border of the western mountain range… travelers lost to shifting time…" I muttered.
"Still reading that cursed thing?" a voice said behind me.
I nearly jumped.
Howard Rufer, my advisor, stood in the doorway with arms crossed.
His sharp eyes were half hidden by glasses, and his coat carried the faint scent of ink and leather.
"Howard!" I blurted.
I'd hoped to leave without him noticing.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You're planning something, aren't you."
"…Maybe," I admitted.
Howard walked closer, gaze hard but not unkind.
"You're six, Adrian. Princes your age should be memorizing geography, not chasing fairy tales."
I tightened my grip on the book.
"It's not a fairy tale. If the Aura Stone exists, it could awaken potential. I need to see it myself."
Howard sighed.
"Potential isn't found in stones. It's earned."
"That's exactly why I have to go," I said quickly.
"I'm not looking for easy power. I just… I need to prove to myself that I can take a step on my own."
His eyes softened slightly, but his tone stayed firm.
"Your father knows?"
"Yes. He said he won't cage me."
Howard tapped the cover of the book.
"If you're going, you'll need more than determination. The Veil is dangerous. Take a map. Mark your path. And—"
He pulled a small silver whistle from his pocket and pressed it into my hand.
"If things turn bad, blow this. I'll find you."
I blinked, surprised.
"You're… letting me go?"
"I'm not letting you," he corrected.
"I'm making sure you come back alive."
I couldn't stop the small smile that spread across my face.
"Thank you, Howard."
"Don't thank me yet," he muttered.
"Come back with all your limbs, then we'll talk."
By late morning, Rex and I were at the palace gates.
The guards bowed as I approached, but I kept my hood low.
My parents had agreed not to announce my journey—fewer eyes meant fewer questions.
"Heading out, Your Highness?" one guard asked carefully.
"Just… exploring the western trails," I said with my best innocent smile.
He hesitated, then stepped aside.
"Be careful. The western winds are tricky this time of year."
"I will," I promised.
The gates creaked open.
Beyond them stretched a dirt road leading to rolling hills and forests bathed in mist.
My heart beat faster.
"Let's go, Rex."
The cub bounded forward, golden fur bright against the gray morning.
Hours passed as we crossed winding paths and mossy fields.
The further west we went, the heavier the air felt.
By afternoon, a thin fog began to curl around the trees.
"This must be the edge of the Veil," I whispered.
Rex stopped beside me, ears twitching.
The forest ahead was thick with mist, the kind that swallowed sound and light.
Even the birds had gone silent.
I tightened the strap of my bag.
"Once we enter, there's no turning back."
Rex gave a determined growl.
"Alright," I said. "Together."
The mist was colder than I expected.
It wrapped around us like damp silk, muffling every step.
I could barely see more than a few feet ahead.
"Stay close, Rex," I murmured.
He brushed against my leg, warm and steady.
We walked for what felt like hours.
But when I checked the small hourglass in my bag, only minutes had passed.
Time really is strange here.
At one point, I thought I heard footsteps behind us.
I spun around—nothing.
Only mist, endless and shifting.
"Okay," I said softly, more to keep myself calm than anything.
"Let's think. The book said the Aura Stone reacts to pure intent. Maybe… maybe it shows itself if we don't force it."
Rex tilted his head, eyes gleaming faintly in the fog.
"Alright," I said, exhaling.
"No chasing. We walk. We stay steady."
We pressed on.
The mist thickened, shapes forming and dissolving at the edge of vision.
At times I thought I saw glowing lights—then they vanished.
My chest tightened, but I kept walking.
One step.
Then another.
Finally, after what felt like both moments and forever, the mist thinned.
A faint glow shimmered ahead.
"There," I breathed.
We emerged into a clearing unlike anything I'd ever seen.
The ground sparkled faintly, like stars trapped in dew.
At the center stood a stone pedestal, ancient and cracked.
And floating just above it…
A crystal the color of dawn.
The Aura Stone.
It pulsed with soft light, like a heartbeat.
Warm.
Alive.
I stepped forward slowly, Rex at my side.
"It's real," I whispered.
"All this time… it's real."
The stone's glow brightened as I approached.
I felt a gentle hum in the air, a rhythm that matched my own heartbeat.
I hesitated.
The legends had warned: Those who touch it may awaken their deepest potential… or be lost within its endless light.
I glanced at Rex.
His golden eyes met mine, steady and sure.
"This is why we came," I said.
I reached out.
The instant my fingers brushed the surface, warmth flooded through me.
Not painful—just overwhelming.
Memories flashed in an instant: my parents' smiles, Howard's strict advice, the laughter of my friends from the guild, the cheers of people I'd yet to meet.
The stone pulsed again.
Then a quiet voice—not words, but a feeling—echoed in my chest.
Your path is yours alone.
Strength is not given.
It is chosen.
The warmth surged, then gently faded.
The stone's glow softened until it was no brighter than moonlight.
When I finally pulled my hand away, a faint mark glimmered on my palm—a small, star-shaped sigil of pale gold.
I exhaled shakily.
"…I'm still me."
Rex purred, rubbing against my leg.
"Yeah," I said softly.
"I think it accepted us."
As the glow faded, the mist around the clearing began to shift, parting to reveal a narrow trail back through the forest.
I looked once more at the stone.
It remained floating, calm and eternal.
"Thank you," I whispered.
Then I turned to Rex.
"Let's go home."
He let out a soft roar, tail swishing.
Together, we stepped back into the Silent Veil—
but this time, the fog felt lighter, almost guiding us forward.
Hours later, when the first warm rays of sunset broke through the trees, I realized we had crossed the Veil.
The palace spires glimmered faintly in the distance.
I tightened the strap of my bag, feeling the faint warmth of the mark on my palm.
"I did it," I murmured.
"Not as a prince… but as Adrian."
Rex let out a proud growl, leaping ahead.
For the first time, I truly felt it.
The world was vast, dangerous, and full of mysteries.
But with each step I took on my own, I was no longer just a boy chasing legends.
I was someone shaping my own.
And this was only the beginning.