The forest clearing was silent when the royal soldiers arrived.
Torchlight flickered between the tall trees as armored men spread across the area, searching every shadow.
At their center stood the ruler of the Eagle Kingdom.
King Aedric.
His sharp golden eyes quickly found the boy lying on the ground.
"Kael."
The prince slowly opened his eyes as strong hands lifted him up.
"Father…"
For a brief moment the king pulled his son close, relief washing across his face. But the expression quickly disappeared, replaced by the cold composure of a king.
"You are safe now."
Kael looked around weakly.
"The assassins…"
"They are gone," the king said firmly.
Kael hesitated before speaking again.
"There was someone else."
The king's gaze sharpened.
"Who?"
"A girl."
The soldiers nearby exchanged curious looks.
Kael struggled to remember.
"She helped me… I think."
The king knelt slightly so he could look directly at his son.
"Did you see her face?"
"No," Kael answered slowly.
"She covered it… but I saw her eyes."
"What color?"
Kael blinked as the memory returned.
"Silver."
For a brief moment the king went completely still.
Silver eyes.
A rare trait among the Serpent bloodline.
His mind immediately connected the thought to the assassins who had attacked the royal family earlier that night.
His voice turned cold.
"Search the forest."
The soldiers immediately spread out through the trees.
But the girl was already gone.
Hidden deep within the forest shadows, Naisha watched everything.
She held her younger brother close behind a thick tree as the soldiers searched nearby.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She had only tried to help the wounded boy.
She had not known he was the prince.
And she certainly had not expected the king himself to appear.
Her brother whispered nervously, "Naisha… who are they?"
She pulled him closer.
"Soldiers."
"Are they bad?"
Naisha hesitated.
Then she looked again toward the royal banners shining in the torchlight.
"Yes," she said quietly.
"We have to leave."
The two children slipped deeper into the forest before the soldiers could notice them.
The following day the Eagle Kingdom erupted with anger.
News of the assassination attempt spread rapidly through the royal court.
The attackers belonged to the secret faction known as The Crimson Talons.
But rumour began to twist the truth.
The assassins had been seen near serpent territory.
That single rumor was enough.
Grief over Queen Ariella's death had already filled the king with rage.
Now suspicion hardened his heart.
Inside the royal war chamber, the king stood before his commanders.
"Your Majesty," one general said carefully, "there is no proof the serpent clans were involved."
The king's eyes darkened.
"My son saw one."
The generals fell silent.
"A serpent child helped him," the king continued coldly.
"Which means the assassins were hiding among them."
The room grew tense.
The king turned toward the window overlooking the capital city.
"My queen is dead."
His voice was quiet but filled with fury.
"Someone will answer for it."
Then he gave the order that would change everything.
"March to the serpent settlement."
The generals hesitated.
But none of them dared question the king.
"Burn it."
Meanwhile Prince Kael returned to the palace.
His life changed immediately.
The king ordered the palace guards to begin the prince's training at once.
Every morning before sunrise Kael was dragged from his bed.
He ran across the castle walls until exhaustion blurred his vision.
He trained with swords until his hands blistered.
He fought experienced soldiers while his father watched silently from above.
Kael slowly began to believe something terrible.
His father no longer cared about him.
The king had become cold and distant.
But every night, long after the palace had fallen silent, King Aedric sat alone at his desk.
Before him lay a leather-bound journal.
He opened it slowly.
"Ariella," he wrote.
"My queen… I failed to protect you."
His hand trembled slightly.
"Our son nearly died tonight."
He paused before writing the next line.
"He spoke of a girl with silver eyes."
The king stared at the words.
"If the serpents truly helped the assassins…"
"…then I will make sure they never threaten our kingdom again."
He closed the journal slowly.
The candle beside him flickered in the darkness.
Far away in the mountains stood the forgotten Temple of Vishraka.
Broken pillars leaned under centuries of wind and rain. Ancient carvings of serpents and eagles twisted across the temple walls.
Most people avoided this place.
They believed the temple held knowledge that should never be uncovered.
Only one man lived there now.
Priest Devyash.
The old priest stood before the temple's cracked altar, tracing the ancient carvings with his fingers.
Much of the prophecy carved there had been destroyed long ago.
Large sections of the stone were missing.
That was why it was called the Unknown Prophecy.
But a few lines still remained.
The priest whispered them softly into the silent temple.
"When the Serpent of silver eyes rises from the ashes…"
"…and the Eagle crowned in blood claims the sky…"
He stopped.
The next lines were broken away from the stone.
Lost.
Unknown.
The priest slowly closed his eyes.
Two children had crossed paths the previous night.
An eagle prince.
And a serpent girl.
The old man felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.
Because the prophecy never said what would happen when they met again.
Only that the world would never be the same.