The guards stared in disbelief. Kael stood there, bare-chested under the dim light, the marks of resurrection faintly glowing along his skin. He did not tremble. He did not breathe with effort. He only watched them, calm as a statue.
Equito lifted her hand slowly, commanding the soldiers to stay back. They obeyed, uncertain whether the figure before them was man or spirit. The silence stretched, broken only by the faint hum of the magic embedded in the sanctum walls.
Kael turned his head toward Equito. His expression had not changed since he woke. His eyes carried no heat, no hatred, no gratitude. "He called me his son," Kael said, voice quiet enough that only she could hear. "But I do not remember him."
Equito stepped closer, her armor whispering against itself. "You will, in time. Memory is not always the first thing to return."
Kael looked down at his hands again. "Then what is?"
"Instinct," she said.
He studied her face for a long moment. "You believe that."
"I have seen men lose everything but still fight," Equito answered. "Even without memory, they still know how to survive."
Kael blinked once. "I fought you."
"Yes."
"I lost."
"Yes."
"Then I survived."
Equito's throat tightened. "You did."
He nodded slowly, as if satisfied with the logic. The priests dared not move, still watching in awe as faint streaks of red light crawled under Kael's skin, tracing the lines of his veins like molten silver.
The guards shifted uneasily. One of them whispered a prayer, another backed toward the doors. Equito straightened and gave a sharp signal. "Bring the king."
The youngest guard turned and ran from the chamber.
Kael sat down on the edge of the slab, his back straight. He stared at the floor, at the reflection of the candlelight trembling on the polished stone. "You think I am a blessing," he said. "But you are afraid I am not."
Equito said nothing.
Kael's tone remained calm. "The priests fear me. The guards do too. You are the only one who does not hide it."
"I am a knight," she said. "I have no right to hide from what I am told to face."
Kael looked at her again, tilting his head slightly, studying the way her eyes held steady. "You killed me," he said.
Equito's voice came out quieter. "I did."
He waited for her to continue, but when she did not, he asked, "Did it hurt you?"
The question caught her off guard. "It was my duty," she answered after a pause.
"That is not what I asked."
Equito's eyes flickered. "Yes."
Kael stood again. His shadow stretched long across the floor, distorted by the uneven light. "Then we are both cursed by duty," he said.
The sound of boots echoed through the corridor outside. The doors opened once more, and the king entered, flanked by royal guards and his personal magus. He froze when he saw Kael standing upright, alive and still.
The king's voice was hoarse. "Leave us."
The room emptied quickly. Only Kael, the king, and Equito remained.
The king approached slowly, every movement weighted with disbelief and fear. "You live," he said.
Kael met his gaze. "So they tell me."
The king's eyes searched his son's face for something familiar, but the warmth he wanted was gone. Kael's face was calm, emotionless, like an empty vessel that still remembered how to breathe.
"I am your father," the king said. "Do you remember?"
Kael blinked once. "No. But you carry the same blood."
The king hesitated. "Do you know who you are?"
"I am told I am your son."
"That is not an answer," the king said.
"It is all I have."
Equito watched quietly, her armor gleaming faintly in the candlelight. The king's hands trembled, the reality of what stood before him breaking something inside that had been held together by hope alone.
Kael tilted his head again, his voice soft, almost curious. "You do not seem happy that I live."
The king's breath caught. "I do not know what you are."
Kael looked down, touching the scar along his chest, now faded to a faint white line. "Neither do I."
The king straightened his shoulders. "Then we will find out. You will stay here, under guard, until we do."
Kael's tone remained even. "I understand."
He looked up toward the high stained glass window, light spilling across the room like thin rivers of color. "You have built this place well," he said. "Strong walls. Many secrets."
The king frowned. "Why would you say that?"
Kael turned back to him. "Because the world outside has none."
The words hung in the air like a prophecy.