The Stolen Heir’s Bond

Kael couldn't move.

The sword sat on the pedestal, waiting. Its hilt was wrapped in blackened leather, the pommel adorned with an ancient insignia—a crest that should have been lost to time.

But Kael recognized it.

Because it matched the one burned into his father's armor.

Elaria took a slow, cautious step forward. "Kael… you said this was your father's sword?"

He barely heard her. His fingers twitched at his side, drawn toward the blade by something unseen.

The magic in the room was heavy, pressing against his skin like unseen hands. It wasn't just humming around the sword—it was calling to him.

"Blood remembers. Blood returns."

Kael swallowed hard.

The whispers were speaking to him.

Elaria moved closer, her eyes darting between him and the sword. "Kael, I don't think you should—"

But he was already reaching out.

The moment his fingers brushed the hilt, power surged through him.

A blinding flash of gold light exploded from the pedestal, knocking Elaria back. Kael felt fire race up his arm, but it didn't burn. It felt like something unlocking, something awakening.

The ruins trembled. The whispers became voices—louder, stronger.

"The lost king's heir has returned!"

Kael's breath caught in his throat.

No.

That wasn't possible.

But the moment he lifted the sword from its resting place, the truth slammed into him.

This wasn't just his father's sword.

It was his.

The energy pulsing through him wasn't unfamiliar—it had been in his blood all along. He had spent his life believing he was no one, a boy raised in the shadow of a fallen name.

But he wasn't just the son of a traitor.

He was the rightful heir to a stolen throne.

The whispers faded, leaving only silence.

Kael stood there, his chest rising and falling with unsteady breaths. The golden runes on the walls had dimmed, but the sword in his grip still pulsed with power.

Elaria pushed herself up from the ground, wide-eyed. "Kael… what did you do?"

He turned to her, his knuckles white around the sword's hilt.

And for the first time, he spoke the truth aloud:

"I think I just claimed my birthright."