The silence was broken only by the steady echo of Caelmir's footsteps.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Each step carried him deeper into the heart of the Celestial Palace.
He walked with his back straight and his gaze fixed ahead, doing everything he could to maintain the calm expected of a Crownveil prince.
But beneath that composed exterior, his heart was restless.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
The sensation had been growing stronger ever since he entered the ceremonial wing. It was the same uneasiness that had followed him from his nightmare, that same invisible pressure sitting heavily against his chest.
He tried to ignore it.
Today was supposed to be a celebration.
A moment of glory.
The beginning of his path as a cultivator.
Yet every instinct he possessed told him that something was terribly wrong.
The palace corridors stretched endlessly before him.
Ivory marble walls rose on either side, decorated with intricate golden patterns that depicted the history of the Crownveil dynasty. Enchanted torches burned within crystal sconces, their flames emitting a soft golden light that danced across the polished surfaces.
The ceilings seemed impossibly high, almost as though they had been built to touch the heavens.
Massive columns supported them, each one engraved with ancient symbols whose meanings had been lost to ordinary people centuries ago.
Frescoes covered entire sections of the walls.
They depicted the legendary battles of Celestia's first kings.
The founding of the kingdom.
The great wars against the demon tribes.
The conquest of the northern territories.
The first appearance of the Celestial Dragon.
Every painting told a story.
Every statue represented a hero.
Every stone seemed to whisper of a thousand years of history.
Everything here was majestic.
Untouchable.
Eternal.
Or so it seemed.
Caelmir glanced at one of the enormous murals as he passed.
It depicted the first King of Celestia standing above an army of thousands, a golden sword raised toward the heavens.
The king's expression was one of absolute confidence.
Caelmir smiled faintly.
I wonder if he ever felt nervous before his Awakening.
Probably not.
The first Crownveil king had probably been the type of person who woke up at five in the morning, trained for six hours, conquered a kingdom before breakfast, and then spent the afternoon reading ancient cultivation manuals.
Unlike Caelmir.
He sighed.
"Why couldn't I have inherited that part?"
His voice disappeared into the corridor.
For a moment, he was alone.
Then another pair of doors opened.
Light flooded the corridor.
And suddenly—
Voices.
Hundreds of them.
Caelmir stepped through.
The sight before him made him pause for half a second.
The corridor opened into an enormous ceremonial hall.
Nobles stood along both sides.
Dukes and marquises wore extravagant silk robes decorated with family crests.
Knights stood proudly in polished armor.
Servants remained along the walls, silent and respectful.
Even several elderly Elders had come personally to witness the ceremony.
The moment Caelmir appeared, every conversation stopped.
Every eye turned toward him.
He felt the weight of their gazes.
But there was something strange about them.
There was no fear.
No doubt.
No hostility.
Only expectation.
Hope.
"Prince Caelmir!"
A voice suddenly called from the crowd.
Caelmir looked toward the speaker.
An old nobleman was smiling.
"You will succeed!"
Another voice followed.
"Awaken a powerful blessing, Your Highness!"
"Show them the strength of House Crownveil!"
"You are the chosen one!"
"May the heavens bless you!"
The encouragement spread through the hall.
One voice became ten.
Ten became a hundred.
Soon, the entire hall was filled with cheers.
The sound rose like a wave.
Caelmir kept walking.
He didn't stop.
He didn't wave.
He simply continued toward the sanctuary.
Yet every word followed him.
You will succeed.
You are the chosen one.
Show us your strength.
The pressure became heavier with every step.
These people believed in him.
They expected something from him.
They believed that because he was a Crownveil, greatness was already guaranteed.
Caelmir had never cared much about expectations.
Normally, he would have laughed.
Made a joke.
Perhaps waved dramatically at the crowd.
But today, he couldn't.
Something about their confidence unsettled him.
Because he suddenly remembered his nightmare.
The same palace.
The same people.
Except they had all been dead.
His fingers curled slightly.
No.
He pushed the thought away.
That was just a dream.
Nothing more.
He continued forward.
At the end of the hall stood the sanctuary.
Its doors were enormous.
Unlike the rest of the palace, they were made from a dark metallic material that seemed to absorb the light around them.
Ancient symbols had been carved into the surface.
Some Caelmir recognized.
Others he had never seen before.
Standing before the doors was an elderly man wearing long white ceremonial robes.
The Priest of Awakening.
He stood perfectly still, his hands hidden inside his sleeves.
His face was calm.
Almost unnaturally calm.
His eyes followed Caelmir as he approached.
"You have finally arrived."
His voice was quiet.
Yet somehow, Caelmir heard every word clearly despite the crowd behind him.
Caelmir stopped.
He looked at the priest.
"I am ready."
The priest studied him.
Not his clothes.
Not his face.
His eyes.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then the priest slowly nodded.
"Very well."
He turned toward the enormous doors.
"Enter."
Caelmir took a breath.
The priest raised one hand.
"And let the Matrix reveal what you are destined to become."
The ancient symbols engraved on the doors suddenly illuminated.
Golden lines spread across the metal like veins.
A deep vibration shook the floor.
Grrrrrrr...
The doors began to open.
Caelmir stepped forward.
One foot.
Then another.
The moment he crossed the threshold—
Everything changed.
The voices vanished.
The warmth disappeared.
The light disappeared.
Even the feeling of the palace seemed to disappear.
The doors closed behind him with a deep metallic boom.
BOOM.
Caelmir turned around.
Nothing.
No guards.
No priest.
No nobles.
Only silence.
He slowly looked forward.
The sanctuary was enormous.
A perfectly circular chamber stretched around him.
Its walls were black, covered in ancient inscriptions that glowed faintly blue.
The floor was so smooth that it looked like a black mirror.
At the center of the chamber stood the Matrix.
Caelmir stared.
For the first time that day, he forgot about his nightmare.
The thing was enormous.
A gigantic circular structure made of ancient metal floated several meters above the ground.
Countless rings rotated around its core.
Strange symbols moved across its surface.
Blue and golden energy flowed through it like blood through veins.
And at its center—
Something pulsed.
Slowly.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Like a gigantic heart.
Caelmir swallowed.
"So this is the Matrix..."
He had heard stories about it all his life.
The ancient artifact responsible for awakening the potential of the people of Celestia.
Nobody knew exactly who had created it.
Some claimed it had been left behind by the gods.
Others believed it was an ancient creation of a civilization far more advanced than the modern kingdoms.
Whatever its origin, one thing was certain.
The Matrix never lied.
It could measure one's compatibility.
Determine one's innate potential.
Analyze one's soul.
And reveal the path that awaited them.
Caelmir slowly approached.
The closer he came, the stronger the vibration became.
His hair moved despite there being no wind.
His skin prickled.
Then—
BOOM!
A flash of light erupted from the Matrix.
Caelmir instinctively raised his arm to protect his eyes.
Too late.
A beam of pure energy descended upon him.
It enveloped his entire body.
For one terrifying instant, he felt as though something had entered his mind.
His memories flashed before him.
His childhood.
His parents.
Célénia.
Maverick.
The palace.
His training.
His mistakes.
His laughter.
His fears.
Even memories he had forgotten.
Nothing remained hidden.
Caelmir tried to move.
He couldn't.
He tried to speak.
His voice wouldn't come.
Then a voice echoed through the chamber.
It did not come from the Matrix.
It came from everywhere.
From the walls.
The floor.
The air.
Inside his own mind.
"Analysis in progress."
Caelmir's eyes widened.
Fragments of his memories appeared around him.
Thousands of glowing images floated through the darkness.
His birth.
His childhood.
His first sword.
His first injury.
His first argument with Célénia.
The strawberry pie incident.
Everything.
Then another voice.
"Biological compatibility: validated."
A pause.
The Matrix pulsed.
"Soul compatibility: validated."
Another pause.
The energy intensified.
Caelmir's breathing became heavier.
Then came the words that made his entire body freeze.
"Status: Chosen."
Silence.
Caelmir's pupils contracted.
"Chosen...?"
He didn't understand.
Chosen for what?
Before he could think further, the chamber trembled.
The Matrix suddenly released an enormous surge of energy.
The light became blinding.
Then—
Everything stopped.
No sound.
No movement.
No heartbeat.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Caelmir floated inside an endless white void.
There was nothing beneath his feet.
Nothing above him.
Nothing around him.
Then the voice returned.
This time, it sounded different.
Colder.
More mechanical.
Almost emotionless.
"Mission assigned."
Caelmir's heart began to pound.
"Mission?"
The void trembled.
Words appeared before him.
And Caelmir stared at them.
Unable to understand what he was seeing.
"Primary Objective: Survive the imminent genocide."
Silence.
Caelmir didn't move.
For several seconds, his mind simply refused to process the sentence.
Then—
"What?"
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
He stared at the words again.
SURVIVE THE IMMINENT GENOCIDE.
His expression slowly changed.
A genocide?
What genocide?
Who was going to be killed?
Who was responsible?
And why was he being told to survive?
His heart began beating faster.
"This isn't funny."
Nothing answered.
"What's going on?"
Silence.
"Why are you telling me this?"
The words remained unchanged.
Caelmir's breathing became shallow.
The nightmare returned to his mind.
The blood.
The corpses.
The burning palace.
The screams.
His mother's face.
His father's throne.
The mysterious figure.
His stomach tightened.
"No..."
He shook his head.
"That's impossible."
He had thought it was a dream.
But what if it wasn't?
What if—
BOOM!
The ground shook violently.
Caelmir's eyes widened.
Another explosion followed.
BOOOOOOM!
The white void shattered.
Reality returned.
Caelmir suddenly found himself standing inside the Matrix chamber.
But something was different.
He could hear screams.
Distant at first.
Then closer.
Louder.
Real.
"What the—"
Another explosion rocked the sanctuary.
The walls trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Caelmir looked around.
"What is happening?"
Then he heard it.
A scream.
Not from the Matrix.
From outside.
Someone was screaming in agony.
Caelmir's blood ran cold.
The Matrix flashed once.
"Mission initiated."
Then—
A force struck him.
Invisible.
Overwhelming.
Caelmir was thrown backward.
"What?!"
He didn't even have time to react.
The doors of the sanctuary exploded outward.
BOOOOOOM!
Caelmir was launched through them.
His body slammed violently against the marble floor.
BANG!
Pain shot through his back.
The air was knocked from his lungs.
He coughed.
"What the hell..."
For a few seconds, everything was blurry.
Then his vision cleared.
And Caelmir froze.
The peaceful palace he had entered only minutes earlier was gone.
Completely gone.
Chaos had swallowed everything.
Soldiers sprinted through the corridors.
Some carried weapons.
Others carried wounded comrades.
Armor clashed against armor.
Orders were shouted from every direction.
"Protect the eastern wing!"
"Seal the gates!"
"Get the wounded to the medical chamber!"
"Where are the Paladins?!"
"We've lost the western ramparts!"
"Don't let them reach the royal wing!"
Panic had replaced discipline.
Caelmir slowly pushed himself upright.
His breathing became heavier.
"What happened...?"
A soldier ran past him.
Another stumbled forward with blood pouring from his shoulder.
Two knights carried a wounded man between them.
The smell reached Caelmir.
Smoke.
Blood.
Burning metal.
His heart sank.
Then he noticed the light.
Beyond the shattered arches of the palace, the sky was glowing.
Not orange.
Not red.
Gold.
Pure, brilliant gold.
Caelmir slowly stood.
He walked toward the broken archway.
And what he saw beyond it made his blood run cold.
The Celestial Palace was burning.
But these weren't ordinary flames.
They were golden.
Radiant.
Almost beautiful.
They consumed everything they touched.
Stone melted.
Metal warped.
Trees disappeared beneath waves of fire.
A section of the palace collapsed in the distance.
BOOOOM!
The explosion sent burning debris into the sky.
Caelmir stepped backward.
His pupils trembled.
"No..."
Then he heard it.
A roar.
Deep.
Massive.
Inhuman.
The entire palace seemed to tremble beneath the sound.
Every soldier in the corridor froze.
Caelmir slowly raised his head.
Above the burning palace, something moved through the smoke.
A gigantic silhouette.
Wings.
Scales.
A long serpentine body.
Two enormous golden eyes opened within the clouds.
Caelmir's breath stopped.
His childhood stories came flooding back.
Ancient creatures.
Beings that had once ruled the skies.
Creatures powerful enough to destroy kingdoms.
He stared at the enormous silhouette.
His lips parted.
"...Dragons."
The word escaped him.
Barely audible.
Another roar shook the heavens.
This time, the windows shattered.
Caelmir instinctively covered his face as shards of glass flew through the corridor.
Somewhere behind him, soldiers screamed.
Some ran.
Others raised their weapons toward the sky despite knowing they had no chance.
Caelmir looked around.
The people who had been cheering for him minutes ago were now fighting for their lives.
The palace that had stood for a thousand years was burning.
And suddenly—
He remembered the Matrix.
Survive the imminent genocide.
His hands slowly clenched.
His heart hammered against his chest.
The nightmare.
The blood.
The corpses.
The destroyed palace.
The mysterious figure.
None of it had been random.
It had been a warning.
A warning he had ignored.
Caelmir stared at the burning horizon.
For the first time in his life, he felt genuine fear.
Not fear of disappointing his father.
Not fear of the Elders.
Not fear of losing to Maverick.
Something far more primal.
The fear of death.
He swallowed.
"Where are my parents?"
No one answered.
His gaze moved toward the royal wing.
Another explosion erupted.
The tower above it collapsed.
Caelmir's eyes widened.
"Mother..."
He immediately took a step forward.
Then another.
A soldier grabbed his arm.
"Your Highness! You can't go there!"
Caelmir turned.
"Let go."
"The royal family is being evacuated!"
"Where is my father?"
"I don't know!"
"And my mother?"
"I don't know!"
The soldier's voice cracked.
"We're losing the palace!"
Caelmir stared at him.
The soldier was trembling.
A Crownveil knight.
A trained warrior.
Trembling.
That was when Caelmir understood the scale of what was happening.
This wasn't an attack.
It wasn't a rebellion.
It wasn't a battle.
It was a massacre.
The sky burned above him.
The dragons roared.
The palace collapsed.
And somewhere deep within his mind, the Matrix's cold voice repeated the same words.
Survive.
Caelmir looked toward the burning horizon.
His fear slowly hardened into determination.
He didn't know why he had been chosen.
He didn't know what power had awakened inside him.
He didn't know who was responsible for the attack.
But one thing was certain.
He would find out.
Because if the Matrix was telling the truth—
then this was only the beginning.
And his trial...
had just begun.