A New Prophecy
The Seer was summoned under moonlight.
Wrapped in twilight-blue robes, the ancient oracle stood in the sacred chamber beneath the palace — where threads of fate shimmered like woven light between the marble pillars.
Kael stood at Elara's side, her hand gently resting over her swollen belly. Eryan clutched her other hand, golden eyes wide with curiosity.
The Seer touched the Queen's wrist and inhaled sharply.
> Her voice dropped into a trance.
Her eyes turned silver-white.
And then, she spoke:
> "Born of Fire and Shadow,
A child between worlds.
She shall heal with her hands,
And destroy with her heart.
Blood of Light,
Soul of Night,
The Starborn Queen shall rise when the skies fall."
A hush swept the chamber.
Elara blinked, heart pounding.
Kael's brow furrowed, but he said nothing. He simply turned to Elara, and their fingers interlocked in silent understanding.
They had no illusions.
This child was going to change the world.
---
A Sibling's Joy
When the day came, the entire palace held its breath.
Kael paced like a caged storm outside the birthing room, his composure cracking for the first time since the war.
Eryan waited beside him, holding his father's black-gloved hand.
Hours later, a soft cry broke through the silence.
A voice both strong and delicate — a cry that shimmered with a strange, comforting warmth.
> The child was born.
A girl.
Tiny fists wrapped in glowing shadows.
Golden runes blooming faintly on her skin.
Kael entered the room first.
Elara, pale but radiant, cradled the child against her chest. Her smile was tired, joyful, and full of wonder.
"She's perfect," Elara whispered.
Kael sat beside her, stunned into stillness.
> "She looks like you," Elara added.
"But she feels… like all of us."
Eryan tiptoed in, staring at the tiny form in his mother's arms.
"Can I hold her?"
Elara nodded. "Gently."
He took his sister into his arms, eyes glowing brighter than ever before.
"She's warm," he said with a grin. "Like magic."
---
The End of the Beginning
The next day, the entire kingdom celebrated.
From the silver peaks of the Cloudspire Mountains to the floating lanterns over the capital, the people cheered the birth of Princess Aerys of House Sol'Vire — the child of the Lightbringer and the Shadow King.
Kael stood on the palace balcony with Elara and both children, cloaks whipping in the wind.
He looked down at the people, then at the small girl in his arms.
Elara glanced at him. "You're thinking."
"I always do."
"What now?" she asked.
Kael smiled — a rare, soft thing. "Now… we teach her the truth."
Elara leaned her head on his shoulder. "That love can grow in the darkest places."
"And that she is the legacy of two worlds," Kael added. "And will never be afraid of either."
The clouds parted.
And the first sunrise in years bathed the kingdom in gold and silver light.
---
End of Volume One
> "Crown of Light and Shadow" returns in Volume Two:
"Daughter of the Falling Star"
— Where the children of prophecy rise,
and a forgotten darkness awakens beneath the sky.
---