After Damon left for the capital, Arthur, the older brother, immersed himself in his quiet rural life. His days were filled with farming, harvesting, and caring for his mother, Elizabeth.
Despite the pain left by his younger brother's absence, Arthur tried to fill the void with work and quiet. He smiled to comfort his mother, even though his heart hadn't known peace since Damon's departure.
One quiet morning, as Elizabeth was preparing breakfast, the cloth holding it slipped into the pot. She clutched her chest, her expression convulsing with a strange, internal pain.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Arthur asked worriedly.
She looked at him with worried eyes and said, "Your brother... I sense he's in danger... You should check on him."
Arthur didn't argue. He simply nodded, his heart sharing the same concern, even if he didn't express it.
The next morning, Elizabeth packed a small bag for him. She stood by the door, her eyes shining with tears as she bid farewell to her firstborn son.
"Have a safe journey, my dear," she said in a trembling voice. "Tell your brother my love... and ask him to visit us sometimes."
Arthur smiled and patted her shoulder gently.
"I will, Mother. I promise."
Then he turned and walked down the road to the capital—unaware of what lay ahead, but guided by a heart filled with brotherly love that would never fade.
Arthur's journey was relatively short. Riding his faithful steed, he crossed the roads quickly, driven by a restless restlessness filled with longing and anxiety. The breeze whispered echoes of the memories he had left behind.
As he approached the walls of the kingdom of Neval, he was struck by its breathtaking beauty. It was unlike the simple villages he was accustomed to; Life here was full of grandeur, with strange smells and confidently dressed people walking on paved stone streets. He dismounted at the palace entrance and stood admiring the towering turrets, the royal decorations adorning the walls, and the golden statues guarding the gates. He smiled in amazement, muttering to himself,
What kind of world is this? Could my brother really live here?
Before he began his search for Damon, he decided to rest his weary body. He entered a small restaurant hidden in one of the city's alleys, where people were enjoying exotic dishes. Arthur sat down and ordered dish after dish until his stomach bulged, and he began to laugh with satisfaction.
He laughed, patting his stomach, and said,
"Your food is different... but it's very delicious!"
The restaurant owner stared at him in amazement—not only at his large appetite but also at his noble, rustic appearance, so different from the other customers.
After finishing his meal, Arthur went outside to stretch out with relief. But as he walked down a back alley, he suddenly bumped into a swiftly moving figure, like a silent shadow. A strange object fell out—a small letter sealed with wax.
Arthur quickly bent down and picked up the letter. He looked around to find the mysterious man, but he had disappeared as if the ground had swallowed him.
As he held the letter, a strange feeling stirred inside Arthur—a sense that this was no ordinary letter. He muttered to himself as he temporarily put it in his pocket, "I'll find him later. Right now, I have to find my brother."
With steady steps, he headed toward the royal palace, where he believed Damon was staying... unaware of what awaited him.
After standing for a few minutes in a quiet alleyway, Arthur felt a strong curiosity about the letter he had found. He opened it slowly, and when he saw his name written on it—"To Arthur, son of Elizabeth"—he was shocked. The letter contained such strange bits of information that he had to read it several times to fully understand it.
The most important points of the letter were:
# The warriors had become pawns in a larger game.
# News that Damon, his brother, was imprisoned in a training camp.
# The existence of a secret room within the palace, the source of the magic that controlled the soldiers' movements.
# The way to enter this room was through palace servants, who would arrive in a week.
At the end of the letter, there was a small line written in cryptic script: "Good luck."The words of the letter felt like an invitation to Arthur to embark on a dangerous adventure filled with puzzles and secrets, and he sensed that his life was about to change forever.