"F**k! Who the f**k am I?! You f**k*ng used me!"
Haedron took the gods to the meeting hall but left Luceris and Aurel outside the door to speak with them first.
Helius stepped forward, eyes burning with divine fury.
"King Haedron Thalorien of Castle Argentum, you've disobeyed our agreement. You nearly let the child of prophecy die during your illusionary sacrifice. You and your wife used us—the gods—as pawns to kill an innocent child born of my own power. How do you answer for this?"
Haedron lowered his head, voice trembling.
"Forgive me, God of Creation. My wife, Queen Virelya, said she dreamed of you—two nights before Aurel's eighteenth birthday."
Helius's voice thundered across the hall.
"Even now, you fail to see that Virelya—the woman you trusted—betrayed you all. I never appeared in her visions or dreams. She deceived you. Perhaps she had other plans."
Crixus stepped forward, barely containing his rage.
"Helius, let me kill him now. Let him pay for what he's done. That's no king. That's no father. He's a monster."
Nytheria's calm voice cut through the tension as she turned to Helius.
"We should detain him for now. The truth must be told to Aurel. We cannot just execute her father in his own castle."
Haedron sank to his knees, voice shaking.
"Please… forgive me. I was wrong. I was blind. Let me make this right. Just one chance—to give my life for Aurel. Let me help her. I beg you. And when it's over... take my life. I deserve no less."
Helius turned to Nytheria.
"Call Luceris and Aurel. And you, King—it's your duty to tell her everything. She deserves the truth, and she must hear it from her own father."
Nytheria nodded.
Stepping out of the meeting hall, her expression unreadable, her voice rang out clear and commanding.
"Aurel. Luceris. Come inside. It's time."
The two stood tense and uncertain. As Luceris moved to follow Aurel, Nytheria gently caught his arm before he crossed the threshold.
She looked at him with eyes holding centuries of sorrow and foresight. Her voice was low but firm, laced with something almost maternal.
"Child... last prince of Noctavell," she said softly. "You must look after Aurel. What she is about to learn will be too painful for a young mortal heart to bear."
Luceris stilled, breath catching in his throat.
Nytheria's fingers tightened slightly around his wrist.
"Stay by her side," she said. "Your destiny was written in the stars long before this moment."
Luceris answered, "I know my destiny well. Written or not, it's the path I'll always choose—to protect her."
Helius, Crixus and Nytheria stepped out of the meeting hall.
Aurel saw her father standing next to the window.
She asked, her voice trembling,
"What is it you haven't told me?"
Haedron sighed deeply, looking away for a moment before meeting her gaze.
"I never thought it would come to this—that you would have to know the truth about your birth. Listen carefully… nineteen years ago."
ARGENTUM ROYAL CHAMBER — NINETEEN YEARS AGO
The healer gently checked Queen Virelya's pulse.
Haedron's voice cracked with tension.
"Well? Is she pregnant?"
The healer lowered his gaze.
"I'm afraid not, my lord. The queen does not bear a child. I'm sorry… but once again, you have failed."
His adviser stepped forward quietly.
"My lord… forgive me. But you must act. Without an heir, the realm is vulnerable. Aeria is your wife's daughter—but she is not of your blood. If you do not act, she will inherit your throne."
That night, desperation overcame pride.
Haedron stood beneath the stars, alone, arms raised to the sky.
"Gods of the Moon, if you hear me—I beg you. I cannot leave this world without a legacy of my own. This kingdom is mine. I offer anything—my soul, my life. Grant me an heir. Use my wife as a vessel if you must. No matter the risk to her—I will not blame you. Give me a child, and my life is yours."
The sky roared open. Thunder split the air. A radiant figure descended on golden wings.
"I am Helius, God of Creation. I grant you a child—a child of prophecy. She will save this realm. You must not harm her. When the time comes, I will return. But if harm comes to her by your hand… I will take your life."
The night fell still.
Months later, Queen Virelya conceived. But joy never came.
Her body withered. Her skin turned ghostly pale. Sleep abandoned her. Every breath was agony.
One night, she clutched her stomach and whispered, "I can't go on. This child is killing me."
Haedron stood over her like iron.
"You will bear my child. It is your duty—as a queen. As my wife."
And so she endured.
On the night of the birth, storms tore the sky apart. Virelya screamed as lightning seared across the heavens.
Her body trembled. Her breath faded.
And then—a cry. A child was born.
Helius appeared again, shrouded in golden light.
"I grant you this child. Raise her well. She bears my power, my mark. She is your responsibility now. When the time comes, I will return, and she will face her destiny."
Virelya turned her head in disbelief. The child was not of her blood. Yet in the dim light, the infant's eyes glowed faintly, unmistakably touched by something beyond the mortal realm.
She felt nothing.
No warmth. No love. Only emptiness.
And in that void, a truth formed like ice:
She had been used. By her husband. By the gods.
From that moment on, Virelya no longer saw the gods as divine.
To her, they were monsters—dressed in light, playing gods with mortal lives.
PRESENT TIME
Haedron's voice faded, like the echo of a storm long passed.
Aurel stood frozen. Her hands trembled at her sides, fists clenched so tightly her knuckles paled.
Her lips parted—but no words came.
Then, in a voice hollow and cracked with dawning horror:
"That explains it."
A beat. Her voice sharpened, each word heavier than the last.
"Mother didn't hate me.
You made her hate me."
"Can't you see?"
"You destroyed her."
She stepped forward, trembling. Her eyes burned with grief and fury.
"And now she's gone. We don't even know where she is—if she's alive… if she ever even loved me."
Haedron's voice broke.
"Forgive me, Aurel, I—"
But she cut him off, a bitter laugh caught in her throat, drowned by sobs.
"And me?" she cried. "What about me?"
She stared down at her shaking hands like they belonged to someone else.
"What the hell am I?"
And then she screamed—ragged, guttural, full of pain.
"F**k! Who the f**k am I?! You f**k*ng used me!"
She choked on the next words, voice breaking completely.
"You never loved me … Never!"
Haedron collapsed to his knees, sobbing openly now.
"Forgive me… forgive me…"
He could say nothing else. No excuses remained. Only ruin.
Aurel turned to flee—but Luceris grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.
Tears slid down his face as he held her tightly, his voice trembling against her ear.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Luceris cradled the back of her head, pulling her closer as she shook in his arms.
His voice was soft—barely above a whisper—but it wrapped around her like armor against the world.
"Everything will be alright," he murmured, his cheek pressed to her temple.
"I'm right here."
Suddenly, the heavy doors creaked open.
Virelya stood there, tears streaming down her face.
All eyes turned toward the entrance.
Her shoulders sagged, and with a voice barely above a whisper, filled with pain, she said,
"I made a terrible mistake. Please… help me."