Chapter 8: The Divine Beast's Curse

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The night air was thick with the scent of jasmine as I paced the royal garden, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Lucien had returned to the palace after our meeting with Lord Belvane, but I couldn't shake the weight of the revelations I had just uncovered. The truth about my parents' deaths, the Empress's hidden role in the kingdom's power struggle, and the mysterious divine beast—it all seemed too much to bear.

"Your Majesty."

The familiar voice of Lucien broke my train of thought. I turned to see him standing in the moonlight, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a rare sense of urgency. His sharp eyes scanned the area before landing on me.

"Lucien," I said, stepping toward him. "What is it? Has something happened?"

He nodded gravely. "We've received a report from one of our agents. There's been a sighting of the divine beast."

I froze. The divine beast—the very creature that had been mentioned in the letter from Lord Belvane—had always been more legend than fact. The stories spoke of a majestic, godlike creature that possessed unimaginable power, a beast capable of shifting the balance of power in the kingdom. But until now, I had never believed it to be anything more than a myth.

"Where?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Deep in the forest to the north," Lucien replied. "It appears to be moving toward the capital."

I felt my heart skip a beat. The forest to the north was notorious for its dangerous terrain, filled with wild creatures and ancient magic. It was a place few dared to venture, let alone approach with the intent of finding a legendary beast.

"We need to go," I said, my mind already working through the logistics. "Prepare a group of soldiers. We leave at dawn."

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The next morning, the palace gates opened to a group of armored soldiers, their faces determined as they stood in formation. I had insisted on leading the expedition myself—this was my kingdom, my family's legacy, and I would not stand idly by while forces beyond my control threatened everything I had worked for.

Lucien stood beside me, his gaze scanning the horizon. "Are you certain about this, Your Majesty?" he asked, his voice low. "The forest is treacherous. No one who has entered has returned alive."

"I am not afraid," I replied, my eyes narrowing with resolve. "The beast may hold the key to everything. If we can find it, we can uncover the truth behind my parents' deaths and the Empress's schemes."

Lucien hesitated, but he gave a small nod, clearly not wishing to argue further. "Then let us proceed."

The journey to the northern forest was long and exhausting. As we made our way deeper into the wilderness, the atmosphere grew heavier, as though the very trees were holding their breath. The sunlight barely pierced the thick canopy above, casting the ground in eerie shadows. The air grew colder, the sounds of distant creatures reverberating in the silence.

We stopped at the edge of a clearing as the first rays of moonlight bathed the forest floor. It was here, Lucien told me, that the creature had been spotted.

The soldiers stood on edge, their weapons drawn and ready. I could feel my heart racing as I surveyed the area, but my thoughts were elsewhere. What would we find? Would it truly be the divine beast that had been mentioned in the letter? And if it was, what would that mean for me, for the kingdom?

Suddenly, there was a shift in the air, a pulse that seemed to echo through the very ground beneath our feet. The soldiers stiffened, their eyes wide with fear. Something was coming.

Out of the shadows, the divine beast emerged.

At first, I thought it was a vision—an illusion borne from my exhaustion. The creature was magnificent, its body rippling with energy. It was like nothing I had ever seen. Its fur shimmered with an ethereal light, a blend of silver and gold, and its eyes glowed with a supernatural fire.

It was impossibly large, towering over us as it stepped into the clearing. Its presence was overwhelming, almost suffocating. I felt the air grow heavier, the ground trembling beneath its paws.

"Stay calm," Lucien murmured beside me. "This is no ordinary creature. It's been said that its very presence can influence the will of men. Do not let it control you."

The beast's gaze met mine, and for a brief moment, time seemed to stand still. It was as though the creature saw deep into my soul, recognizing something within me. I could feel its power swirling around me, its aura seeping into my very bones.

But then, in the blink of an eye, it turned and disappeared into the forest, vanishing as quickly as it had come. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the ragged breathing of the soldiers.

"What just happened?" one of the soldiers whispered, his voice trembling.

Lucien turned to me, his face pale. "Your Majesty... that was the divine beast. But it was different from what we expected. It didn't attack. It only... observed you."

I was still in a daze, my heart pounding in my chest. The encounter had left me shaken, and I knew there was more to this than I could comprehend.

"What does this mean?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Lucien's eyes narrowed as he considered the question. "I don't know. But it's clear that this creature is tied to your family's fate. And somehow, it has chosen you."

The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. The divine beast had not come to kill us or to destroy the kingdom—it had come for me.

And that could only mean one thing: the kingdom's true power, the power that had been hidden for centuries, was now in my hands. I could feel the weight of it pressing down on me, the responsibility overwhelming.

But I would not back down. I would uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

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Chapter End.

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