Aurelius_Vesper

The sky wept in crimson.

A deep, unnatural red bled across the heavens, drowning Velmoria’s golden sunrise in an eerie, suffocating glow. The air was thick with an unshakable stillness, as if the world itself held its breath. Crowds gathered in the city streets, heads tilted upward in fearful awe at the sight of the blood-red eclipse—a celestial event unseen in Velmoria’s long history.

In the heart of the empire, within the grand halls of the Imperial Palace, the echoes of a woman’s anguished cries shattered the silence.

The Empress was in labor.

Nobles and servants alike stood frozen in the corridors, their hands clenched in prayer, their faces pale with worry. For hours, her screams had filled the palace, each one weaker than the last. The royal physicians worked desperately, but the Empress—Velmoria’s radiant star, beloved by all—was fading.

And then, silence.

The heavy stillness that followed was more terrifying than her screams.

A single cry pierced the air—the wail of a newborn.

The moment the child took his first breath, the doors to the birthing chamber burst open, and a cloaked figure stumbled forward—an old seer, his eyes wide with horror.

He raised a trembling hand toward the heavens, his voice cracking like brittle parchment.

"The sun has bled to mark his birth!" he cried. "He will be the harbinger of ruin—the flames that will consume Velmoria!"

His voice carried through the halls, past the nobles, past the gathered guards—out into the city, where the terrified people turned their eyes away from the red eclipse and toward the palace.

A prince had been born.

A cursed prince.

When The Sun Bleeds

Kaelion sat in the abandoned shrine, his back against the cold stone.

The girl watched him from the shadows, twirling a small blade between her fingers.

"You don't need strength to win," she said. "Not always."

Kaelion frowned. "Then what do I need?"

Kaelion narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

She tossed the blade into the air and caught it without looking. "There are three kinds of people in this city. The ones who control power, the ones who serve power, and the ones who are crushed by it."

"You're in the third group," she continued. "For now."

The girl smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm whatever I need to be."

Kaelion exhaled slowly. He didn't know why, but something about her words unsettled him.

She leaned forward, tapping his knee. "You want to survive? Then listen carefully. Power isn't just about fighting. It's about knowing what people want. What they fear. And how to use both."

Kaelion met her gaze. "And how do I do that?"

She tilted her head. "Let's find out."

The girl led him through the streets, stopping near a crowded alley. It was filled with merchants, gamblers, thieves—people who made a living off of deception.

She pointed to a group of three men standing near a gambling table. "Pick one."

"Pick someone to manipulate," she said simply.

Kaelion studied the men. One was short and nervous, constantly glancing around. The second was a large brute, arms crossed, watching the game with cold disinterest. The third was a well-dressed man, likely the one running the bets.

Kaelion pointed at the nervous man.

The girl smirked. "Good choice. Now, break him."

Kaelion's stomach twisted. "What?"

She leaned closer. "Make him act against his own interests. Without touching him."

Kaelion hesitated. "I don't know how—"

She nodded toward the gambling table. "He's afraid. Why?"

Kaelion watched. The man's hands twitched. His foot tapped anxiously. Every few seconds, he glanced at the large brute beside him.

"He owes money," Kaelion realized.

The girl's smirk widened. "And what does that mean?"

Kaelion's mind worked quickly. "He's desperate."

She nodded. "And desperate people make mistakes."

Kaelion thought for a moment. Then, he walked forward.

Kaelion approached the gambling table casually, pretending to be just another street kid. He stood near the nervous man, just close enough to be heard.

"I heard the big guy's getting tired of waiting for his money."

Kaelion continued, voice low. "They say he doesn't break bones. He cuts fingers first."

The man's breath quickened. His hands shook. He looked at the brute again, sweat forming on his brow.

Kaelion leaned back, saying nothing more.

A moment later—the nervous man panicked.

He threw down his last coins into the game, betting everything in a desperate attempt to win.

The large brute grabbed him immediately, dragging him away.

He had said only a few words. He had done nothing violent.

Yet, he had controlled the outcome.

She watched him with something almost like approval.

"Now you're starting to understand," she said.

Kaelion looked at the nervous man being pulled into the darkness. For the first time, he felt something other than fear.

The First Lesson in Power