All eyes were fixed on one place — Noa.
He knelt there, breathing heavily, his clothes torn, blood seeping from his hands.
Silence reigned over the courtyard. Then, from among the crowd, a voice rose:
> "He failed… the prince has fallen."
Murmurs spread. Some laughed; others shook their heads in pity.
The ancient dragon elders furrowed their brows — all Noa received from them was cold silence. Yet their faces clearly showed satisfaction.
Then the Emperor's voice thundered through the air like lightning:
> "The trial is over! The prince has proven himself unworthy of inheritance! From this day forward, he is no longer part of the royal family!"
The square fell silent once more. The weight of those words pressed down like iron chains.
Noa slowly raised his head. There was no hatred or rage on his face — only exhaustion and an unbreakable resolve etched into his features.
He trembled as he rose from his knees. His body was weak, yet his eyes still burned with an undying flame.
> "I…" he said quietly but clearly. "I have been defeated… just as everyone expected."
Inside, Noa cursed himself: Damn it… what a disgrace. I couldn't even defeat an ordinary beast. Is this truly all I amount to?
The crowd fell into an eerie silence. No one had ever heard a prince openly admit defeat. Yet Noa offered no excuses.
> "But," he said, clenching his fists until they cracked, "I will not surrender. Today I fell — but tomorrow I will rise again. I will prove myself not through brute strength… but through mind and truth."
Whispers rippled through the crowd once more. Some mocked him, others admired his courage. The Emperor's gaze remained as cold as frost.
> "Words mean nothing," Zagn said with contempt. "A weak heart has no value. From this day forward, you are no longer my prince."
Those words pierced like a blade. Noa closed his eyes as pain spread through his body — yet it was not physical pain that hurt most; the agony radiated from his heart. He had long grown used to the cold shoulders of the people and the servants, but now even his father had turned away.
Damn it… I've even lost my father. He truly despises me now, he thought.
---
As he walked out of the courtyard, a boy ran toward him — the son of a servant, tears streaming down his face. He grabbed Noa's hand tightly.
> "Your Highness! Please, don't go! They're wrong! You are strong!"
The crowd gasped. Someone tried to pull the boy away, but Noa held his hand and gave a faint smile.
> "Don't cry, little one. Yes, I lost… but this is not the end. I will return."
The boy sobbed. Noa gently stroked his hair.
> "I will never harm you or our people. I will come back — and when I do, everyone will respect me."
His words echoed across the square.
Some laughed mockingly.
> "Respect you? Ha! What a joke!"
Zagn watched him — in Noa's eyes there was neither darkness nor hatred.
Only an unquenchable light burned.
---
That night, in the palace garden, he met his mother. Tears shimmered in Arya's eyes.
> "Noa… my son. Why has it come to this?"
Noa tried to smile, but couldn't.
> "Mother, I will endure. I will prove myself — for you, and for Father."
Arya gripped his hand tightly, her voice trembling:
> "You will always be my pride, Noa. Your heart is pure — and that purity is completely absent in this palace. I believe in you."
Then she took a small silver seal from her robes and placed it in his palm.
> "This is your inheritance. Only a pure heart can awaken it.
But to use it… you must accept its opposite."
The moment the seal touched Noa's palm, it melted into his hand. Noa stared at his palm in shock.
What just happened? he thought, then looked up at his mother.
> "I will return, Mother. For you… and for the Empire."
---
At dawn, the Emperor issued his final decree.
Noa was stripped of all titles, erased from the royal registry, and exiled to the northern frontier — as nothing more than an ordinary border guard.
Yet before leaving, he made a silent vow in his heart:
> I will return. For my mother's tears. For my father's wrath.
For the people's scorn.
One day… they will respect me.