"Silver, before I tell you the reasons, promise me you won't ask for more details," the princess said. Her eyes were heavy with guilt, It left me with no choice but to accept her condition, even though I knew I would be at a disadvantage without the full truth.
"The Kingdom of Eldora has a scroll," she continued softly. "A scroll that allows one to summon an army of the dead. We… want to use that army for our personal reasons." She lowered her head in shame, bowing slightly. Behind her, I noticed the prince standing in silence, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his gaze unreadable.
I heard faint voices outside. Curious, I stepped into the hallway and looked around. No one was there. Just as I thought I was imagining it, I glanced upward. My eyes widened—hanging from the slab above were the prince, Silver, and the princess. They quickly dropped down the moment they realized I had caught them.
"Why are you all here outside my room?" I demanded.
Silver scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "We just came to check on you, but the door was locked. So, we thought about using the window instead. Now that we see you're fine, we should head back. Goodnight, Winter."
"Fine?" My knees buckled, and I fell to the floor, my fist slamming against the cold stone tiles. "Doing fine—you think I'm doing fine!" My voice cracked with rage.
Tears blurred my vision as I punched the floor again. "Right now… I'm afraid that if I sleep, I'll wake up in that white hell again. That everything here is just another dream!" My voice echoed down the hallway.
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Just… leave me alone for now." I turned away, retreating into my room and shutting the window tight.
The others left quietly. The princess went to her room, the prince to his. I walked silently and when I opened the door to my own room, I froze.
Athena and Kite were inside—hands locked around each other's throats, eyes burning with anger. They didn't notice me at first, but the moment they did, both let go quickly. Athena stormed past me without a word, disappearing into the corridor. Kite stared after her, his jaw tight, then glanced at me.
"Don't ask anything. This is our personal matter." His voice was low and final.
He turned away, collapsed onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over himself. I stood there for a moment, unsure, then sat on my own bed.
"Kite," I called softly. He didn't reply. His breathing grew steady—already asleep.
I whispered to myself, " I'll tell you everything tomorrow what happed just now ."
And I too drifted into uneasy sleep.
**
In the morning, we all gathered at the table for breakfast. Plates were set, food was warm, yet one chair remained empty. We waited in silence, watching that empty seat, expecting it to be filled any moment. But the person meant to sit there never came.
The twins, impatient as always, eventually started eating, their chatter echoing faintly in the quiet hall.
Then, without a word, the prince stood. He picked up a plate, placed some food on it with careful hands, and began walking away. His steps were steady, purposeful.
We exchanged glances and followed him.
Down the corridor, his footsteps didn't falter. Finally, he stopped in front of Winter's room. With the plate balanced in one hand, he knocked firmly on the door.
Once. Twice. Again.
"Winter," the prince called, his voice calm yet carrying a commanding edge.
No answer.
He knocked again, louder this time, repeating Winter's name. Still silence.
Beside him, one of the generals leaned close, whispering something in his ear. Their voices were too low for us to catch, but the prince's expression didn't change. He stood there patiently, food in hand, waiting for a response that never came.
At last, the door creaked open.
We rushed forward, but froze at the sight of the woman standing there. She moved aside silently, allowing us to enter.
Inside, Winter sat leaning against the wall, a blanket draped over his lower body. His face was blank, expressionless, his eyes dull and lifeless. He looked like an empty shell.
The prince set the food in his hands. Winter blinked slowly, then began to eat—but clumsily. Whenever he tried to use his left hand, the food slipped, falling onto the sheets. He continued anyway, slow and detached.
Athena broke the silence, her voice sharp. "Who is this woman? And why is she in Winter's room?"
The woman turned her head toward us. Her smile was cold, unsettling. A chill crawled up my spine. Instinctively, all of us shifted into a fighting stance.
But before anything could happen, the princess spoke with a serious expression. "Mother. Don't scare them."
We froze. Mother? Our eyes darted between the princess and the woman. Now that we looked closely—the resemblance was clear.
The queen.
The woman ignored us. She walked over to Winter, pulling a book from her pocket dimension. She whispered words we couldn't hear, her hand hovering over his head. Slowly, Winter's body relaxed. His eyes closed. He fell into deep sleep.
Without a word, she turned to leave. But before stepping out, she paused. Her voice was cold and sharp.
"Don't call me mother—you are no child of mine."
And with that, she was gone.
***
When Winter finally woke, he was different. The lifelessness in his eyes had vanished. When we asked what happened, he only said:
"She used her bloodline magic on me. Made my mind feel like years had passed."
That same evening, during dinner, the prince spoke. His voice cut through the room like steel.
"Winter, we don't have many days left. From now on, we'll fast-forward everything—your training, your manners, all of it."
Those words echoed in my mind as the fight began.
The prince's fist came at me in a flash. Silver intercepted, swinging a powerful kick—but the prince raised his arm, blocking it with ease. The sound of bone against flesh echoed like a drum.
Kite darted in, lightning sparking at his fingertips, but a sudden burst of wind erupted from the prince. It slammed into both of them, sending them flying like broken dolls across the floor.
The prince turned, his eyes glowing faintly. Calm, unshaken.
Then his kick landed in my stomach. I crossed my arms just in time, but the impact still sent me skidding across the ground.
Gritting my teeth, I shaped the air into a spear and hurled it at him. The prince simply raised his hand—the spear dissolved midair like smoke.
"Pathetic," he said coldly.
The air shifted.
Pressure crushed down on me. Invisible chains of wind coiled around my body, lifting me off the ground. Silver and Kite were caught too, dragged into the air. With a flick of his wrist, the prince slammed all three of us together, bones rattling on impact.
I screamed, forcing blades of wind to tear at the bindings. Every movement was pain, every breath a struggle. His control was absolute. But inch by inch, I cut through.
Finally, the bindings shattered. I dropped to the floor, panting.
For the first time, the prince's expression changed. Not fear, not anger—just calm acknowledgment. A glint in his eye.
The real fight was only starting.
The ground trembled. Earth surged upward, forming towering giants of stone. Dozens of them. They surrounded us in a circle, fists the size of boulders.
Silver, Kite, and I shared the same thought, exhaling in frustration. Together, we cast wind spells, rising into the air. But the giants leaped after us, their massive hands slaming us back down. I hit the ground hard, as then a fist nearly crushing me.
Rage boiled in my chest. My teleport spell burned in my mind, but I remembered—the prince forbade me from using it. My blood pounded, anger clawing at me.
Then, it happened.
I roared, slicing clean through a giant's arm with a surge of power as I look at silver and kite they also have crushed the two giants . Silver crushed another, Kite electrocuted two at once. One by one, we tore through them until nothing remained but rubble.
We charged at the prince together. But he vanished beneath the ground—only to emerge right behind me. His strike came fast, but this time I saw it. I blocked and countered with a kick, but he caught it easily.
Winter and Kite combined their spells—water and lightning. A deadly torrent crashed toward him. The prince smirked and pulled me into the attack, using my body as a shield. I screamed, the energy burning through me. My vision dimmed as I collapsed.
The prince advanced. His fire spell burst forth toward Kite, who barely countered with water. The clash hissed, steam flooding the air. But before Kite could recover, the prince appeared behind him. Electricity exploded from his palm, coursing through Kite's body until he fell limp.
Silver stood alone. He fought hard, blade and wind against bare hands—but the prince was relentless. Blow after blow landed, breaking his guard, bruising his body, until finally Silver too collapsed.
The prince stood over us, dusting off his clothes and face as though nothing had happened. His calm remained unbroken.
"You three have finally reached the awakened level. Your mana flows differently now, your bodies move with a new strength, and even your eyes carry the sharpness of someone who has stepped beyond the ordinary A rankers now you three have finally reached the S rankers few more days of training with me and your three would be close to a general in power .