Chapter 79: The Weight of the Crown

Third person's POV

The Sacred Hall had fallen into a heavy silence. The golden glyphs on the floor glowed faintly, casting eerie patterns along the stone walls.

The weight of the Verdant Sage's words lingered in the air.

"If you seek the truth, you must first prove your bonds," Eldrin had said.

"Power alone means nothing if you stand alone. Your unity will be tested, your resolve challenged. If you falter, you will not receive the answers you seek."

Selene, Axel, Tyra, and Khael stood side by side, their expressions hardened with determination. They had come this far together, but now they would have to face something unknown—something meant to tear them apart.

The Sage lifted his staff. The carvings along its wooden length pulsed, and the air grew thick with magic.

"You will each be tested. Your fears, your weaknesses, your strengths, and most of all—your trust in each other. Let the trials begin."

The stone beneath them trembled. Glowing vines erupted from the floor, twisting into intricate symbols. Mist coiled around them, a thick fog that obscured their surroundings.

One by one, they vanished.

And the trials began.

When the mist cleared, Selene found herself standing in an eerily familiar place—the great throne room of Eldoria.

Or what used to be Eldoria.

The grand marble pillars had crumbled, and shattered stained-glass windows let in beams of dim, golden light. Dust filled the air, swirling around broken banners that hung in tatters from the ceiling.

The throne, once a symbol of Eldoria's strength, stood at the far end of the hall, cracked and weathered with age.

And on it sat… herself.

Selene stiffened, her heart pounding.

The woman on the throne was identical to her—same long black hair, same nearly white eyes. But there was something different.

This other Selene wore an elaborate black gown, woven with golden embroidery, and atop her head rested a fractured crown.

Her expression was cold. Distant.

"You were never meant to lead," the other Selene said, her voice a chilling whisper.

"You were never born for it."

Selene clenched her fists. "That doesn't matter."

The illusion stood from the throne and took slow steps toward her, heels clicking against the cracked floor.

"You think you can rule just because you choose to? Eldoria was doomed long before you returned. You cannot fix what is already broken."

"I have to." Selene's voice was steady, but her chest ached.

"My people—"

"Your…. people?" The other Selene tilted her head.

"Would you sacrifice them for the sake of your duty? Would you let your friends die just to keep the kingdom standing?"

Images flickered around her like shattered reflections.

Axel, bloodied and struggling.Tyra, her sword broken, her armor torn.Khael, flames surrounding him, his body trembling.

Selene felt the air leave her lungs.

The illusion smiled. "The weight of the crown is heavy, Selene. So choose."

Her kingdom.Or them.

It wasn't a fair choice.

It was never a fair choice.

But deep down, she already knew the answer.

Selene raised her head, her silver eyes gleaming.

"Eldoria is not a throne," she said.

"It is the people who believe in it. My kingdom does not stand alone—I do not stand alone."

Light erupted from beneath her feet. The golden vines coiled upward, wrapping around the illusion.

The other Selene's eyes widened as cracks formed along her body, splintering like broken glass before she shattered into mist.

The ruined throne room faded, and Selene stood alone in the golden light.

She had passed.

When Axel opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an open field bathed in twilight.

The sky stretched endlessly above him, painted in deep hues of violet and gold, as if frozen in an eternal sunset.

The air smelled of rain, though no storm came.

And before him stood a familiar figure.

Aldric.

The old mage's robes were the same as he remembered—deep blue, lined with silver runes that shimmered under the fading light.

His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… they held something heavy.

Axel's breath caught. His throat tightened.

"You're not real," he said immediately. "This is just part of the trial."

Aldric smiled, but there was sorrow in it.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps I am the part of you that still seeks answers."

Axel swallowed. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "What do you want from me?"

Aldric took a slow step forward. "Why do you fight, Axel?"

Axel stiffened. It was a question he had asked himself countless times. "To protect Selene. To stop the catastrophe. To—"

"Lies."

Axel flinched.

"You fight because you are afraid." Aldric's voice was gentle, but the words struck deep.

Axel's heart pounded.

"You fear losing them the way you lost me," Aldric continued.

"You refuse to accept that sometimes… you cannot save everyone."

Axel gritted his teeth.

"I won't let it happen again," he muttered. "I won't let her die."

Aldric's expression softened. "Then do not fight alone."

Axel's breath hitched.

"You have never been alone," Aldric said.

"Yet you keep carrying the burden as if it belongs to you alone."

Axel felt something shift deep inside him.

His shoulders, always tense, felt lighter.

The sky brightened, the twilight fading into dawn.

The chains of his past had finally been broken.

Tyra stood in a vast coliseum, surrounded by shadows. They whispered to her, faceless figures shifting through the mist.

Then, from the fog, a familiar figure emerged.

Khael.

But his eyes were dull. His fire—gone.

"You couldn't protect me," the illusion whispered.

Tyra's grip on her sword tightened.

"This is just a trick," she muttered. "You're not real."

The illusion took a step closer. "Isn't this your greatest fear?"

Tyra exhaled sharply. It was. She had spent her life protecting others, believing in her own strength. But deep down, she feared that one day, her strength wouldn't be enough.

But then…

She thought of the real Khael. The stubborn, fiery boy who always had something to say.

She thought of Selene, who carried burdens too heavy for one person.

She thought of Axel, who fought with everything he had for those he loved.

And she knew.

"I don't fight alone," she whispered.

"And I never have."

Her sword gleamed, cutting through the illusion. The mist vanished, and Tyra stood victorious.

Khael stood at the center of a raging inferno.

His own flames.

They roared around him, wild and uncontrolled, consuming everything in their path.

Eldrin's voice echoed through the fire. "You burn too wildly."

Khael gritted his teeth. "I never asked for this power!"

"But you have it," Eldrin replied.

"And if you cannot control it, you will destroy those around you."

Khael closed his eyes. Took a breath.

And remembered—

Fire wasn't just destruction.

It was warmth. It was light. It was his will.

The flames around him slowly receded, no longer wild, but controlled.

Eldrin gave a slow nod. "Perhaps you are not as hopeless as I thought."

The fire faded.

The trial had ended.

When they returned to reality, Eldrin regarded them with quiet approval.

"You have proven yourselves," he said.

The golden glow of the trial chamber slowly faded, leaving only the dim light of enchanted lanterns flickering along the moss-covered walls.

The air was heavy with the weight of everything they had just endured, their bodies still tense from the trials.

Yet, there was something else now—a new sense of understanding between them, as if the invisible walls that had once separated their struggles had begun to crumble.

Eldrin, the Verdant Sage, stood before them, his gaze lingering on each of them as if assessing something deeper than just their strength.

Then, with a slow nod, he turned away and walked toward the center of the chamber, his staff tapping softly against the stone floor.

"You have proven yourselves," he finally said, his voice no longer carrying the cold, testing edge from before.

"But your journey is far from over."

Selene, still catching her breath from her trial, straightened.

"Then tell us the truth. Why has Viridwyn remained without a ruler for so long? Why have you hidden yourselves from the world?"

Eldrin exhaled, as if the weight of centuries sat upon his shoulders.

"Viridwyn was once like Eldoria," he began, his voice distant, like one recalling a memory from another lifetime.

"A kingdom of prosperity, of wisdom, of harmony with the land. But unlike Eldoria, we did not hold power in our rulers. We held it in something far older—something far wiser than any of us."

He turned to face them once more, his piercing green eyes darkened with something unreadable.

"You have heard the stories, I assume. Faelar must have told you what little he knew."

Axel crossed his arms. "He mentioned a sacred tree—one that holds the kingdom's memories."

Eldrin nodded. "The Whispering Eldertree. An ancient being, its roots intertwined with the very foundation of Viridwyn. Some believe it to be a sibling of the Heart of Eldoria, a fragment of the same primordial force that once nurtured both lands."

Selene felt her breath hitch. A sibling to the Heart of Eldoria? Could that truly be possible?

"It is no mere legend," Eldrin continued.

"The Eldertree remembers. It holds the truths of our past, the warnings of our future. It is the true heart of this kingdom—not a mortal ruler.

That is why there has been no king, no queen, no sovereign in Viridwyn for centuries."

Tyra frowned. "Then why do the people follow you?"

Eldrin let out a dry chuckle. "Because someone must listen to the tree. Someone must interpret its wisdom and carry out its will. I am not a ruler—I am merely its voice."

Khael tilted his head. "So you're, what? A tree whisperer?"

The old Sage shot him a look, unimpressed.

"A guardian of its wisdom."

Khael shrugged. "Same thing."

Tyra elbowed him before he could say anything else.

Selene, however, was still caught on something else he had said.

"Then you are saying… the answers we seek will not come from you."

Eldrin nodded solemnly. "No. They will come from the Eldertree itself."

A hush fell over the room. The thought of speaking to something so ancient, so powerful—it sent a shiver down Selene's spine.

"Then we will go to it," Axel said firmly.

"Where is it?"

Eldrin studied them for a moment longer before he finally gestured for them to follow.

"Come. The path is not far, but tread with care. The tree speaks only to those it deems worthy. And if it finds you lacking… it will not grant you an audience at all."

To be continued.