You believe the king has two sons.
That's the tale that's been told.
But the reality? The king had a third.
Sebastian—born in darkness, his mother a noblewoman the royals never legitimized. She died in childbed. And when they beheld the dark magic in his eyes, they dubbed him cursed. Unholy. A shame.
So the king made a decision. He hid the child. Removed his name. Kept him locked in an abandoned tower, hidden from the world, where he would never be discovered. No crown. No family. Only a shadow of what he might have been.
He grew up in isolation. Cold, aloof. But deep inside, he was just. broken. Lonely. Tormented by questions he was never permitted to ask.
They believe he doesn't exist.
They think the past won’t return.
But darkness remembers.
And so does he.