Zephyr could barely open his eyes.
A cruel tyrant hung over the sand, which stretched as far as his eyes could see. He spewed all his anger with a bright light and tormented the life that was not on the sand. Sun! It was the first time Zephyr hated the sun so much.
Arcania's climate was hot and the sun had an important place. Noble families had the sun on their coats of arms and seals. The royal guards were renamed the Sun Guards. But now it was so hot, so bright, and so overwhelming that Zephyr wanted to curse.
"What's wrong with this place?"
The sun in the sky indicated that it was still on the continent. Everything felt the same, the only difference was the ocean of sand that stretched as far as the eye could see, seemingly infinite.
"Can I be in the ruins of the Auroran Empire?"
The Auroran Empire was a huge empire that ruled the entire continent centuries ago. In its thousand-year history, it had developed and strengthened every year. Although centuries had passed since its collapse, no one could come close to its majesty.
The seven kingdoms on the continent were his remnants. Even Arcania was a small noble family of the Auroran Empire at the time.
After the fall of Auroran, like everyone else, he chased his opportunity and managed to establish a great dynasty that lasted for centuries.
After the auroran collapsed, all the land became barren and everything was buried under the sand. At this time, the Auroran Desert was known as a bottomless black hole that was forbidden to enter. Because the sands had the power to exploit the magic power.
Zephyr looked at the sand and the sun, then began to walk towards the sun.
Without realizing it, hours passed, and his power slowly ran out. He was thirsty, hungry and, most importantly, exhausted. The pan was also like an egg waiting to be fried.
Zephyr walked aimlessly for hours. After a while, his feet began to move on their own, but luckily it wasn't for nothing.
A hundred and fifty meters away was a gigantic statue, half of it buried in the sand and holding a huge crown in its arms. On the crown in golden letters 'I am the king of kings...' it said. He wasn't close enough to read the rest, so he started moving toward the sculpture.
But he had gone a few meters when his eyes darkened, all the strength in his legs suddenly cut off, and his mind went bankrupt.
It was laid out on the sand.
He was able to read the last words written on the crown before his eyes closed.
'O mighty, look at what I have left behind and tremble!'
Yet there was nothing left but a half-buried statue and an ocean of sand.
---
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself on a four-meter-wide circular platform in shades of dark blue. At first he didn't understand what was happening, but because he was in a foreign environment, he picked himself up quickly.
"Where am I?"
There was a black gap in front of the circle platform. Although there was only a three-meter gap between them and another platform, this gap seemed to be infinite. He didn't know why, but with his current abilities, he seemed to be facing an abyss he would never be able to cross.
He raised his head and looked around. The circle-like circles beneath his feet were slowly gliding through the void. They were all like spectators watching Zephyr's path.
After looking at it for a moment, he realized that there were four platforms in front of him. All of them had writings in an unfamiliar language, finely embroidered carvings and patterns. At the end of the four platforms hung a huge door indicating the ending, and next to it hung the Sun and Moon, the symbol of the words 'Wisdom' and 'Power'.
'The Way of Kings!'
Suddenly, these words echoed in his mind.
"It's a path that contains the remnants of the most powerful leaders. The path that only those who have the heart and ability to lead others walk."
Wait a second, since he had stepped down this path, was he also talented?
"Me? I must be hallucinating due to thirst. That means I'm close to dying."
Zing, zing, zing!
The platform below him began to tremble. The carvings on the ground glittered slightly, and dragon icons flew around. Then they merged and formed the following words written in Arcana, the official language of Arcania.
I have witnessed that those who want to walk on the Path of Kings have tried but failed. The Way of Kings is spiritual. He cannot step into the Path of Kings, which forces him to walk this path. That is why; Some progress, some follow. Some are strong, some are weak. Some carry it, some drop it.
Words again the dragons turned and began to fly around. After wandering like a traveler who had traveled all over the world, they united again and formed a whole.
This time they created a portrait of a person. Next to it were a few sentences and a star symbol.
I am the reason why the Technocracy of Elegance, which is entitled to walk on the Path of Kings, has come to these days and has written its name in history. If you want to take my teachings and my power, prove your worth!
In portrait there was a tired old man who seemed to shoulder the burden of the whole world. Despite her smile, her tired blue eyes and wrinkled skin stained her magnificence.
What's the value? A new sentence formed as I passed through it.
A king does not act, but concludes; the prince has no greater sin than deprived ambition.
This time, Zephyr frowned. He knew what he was talking about when he said 'deprived ambition'. Although he himself remained in the palace for many years, he did not have any ambition for power. His only goal was to survive until it was time to leave the palace.
For this reason, the palace was constantly in the background and became a ghost. He had even appeared in public only a few times, immersing himself in dreams and pleasure.
Yes, the greatest sin of a prince was his lack of ambition. After all, the prince was not only himself, but he should also think of his subjects who followed him behind him.
A prince without ambition resembled a whiteborn with broken wings. Throughout history, such people have been open targets in the war of princes, and the palace has not survived.
Zephyr faced many assassinations and death threats as a child, but he managed to get away with all of them in some way. He had now left the palace, and a comfortable life awaited him in the far corner of the kingdom.
He knew that even though there was corruption, the authorities would not treat him badly. Their first goal would be to get him on their side, and Zephyr would accept it without a problem.
He might not have been a good ruler or a prince, but he would at least survive for a while.
Therefore, he did not have much ambition.
His only goal was to survive, not to become king or to go down in history.
Because it was too late for everything. He no longer had the right or the power to aim for it. During his time in the palace, he needed to form his own faction and find suitable supporters. But after his mother's death, he let go of everything and focused only on survival. Not to strengthen.
Behind the current princes and princesses were duchies and huge organization. There were plenty of connections to fund them and support them when needed. Moreover, they were all very talented. They were warriors, sorcerers, and scholars.
Zephyr was born with a fragile body. His knowledge of martial arts was none more than the theoretical training he received at the palace. He couldn't be a sorcerer, because his mother wasn't a sorcerer. The only legacy he received from him was his appearance.
Being a scholar is... Reading books didn't feel like fun at all. He would only read books to get the information he needed. Other than that, he wouldn't look at books.
So he was behind his brothers in every way.
Just today he had been caught in an ambush and dragged into distant lands. This genius showed that one of his brothers would spare nothing to eliminate the others.
"Is it on me? Or is it my brothers and sisters who want to exacerbate this war?" This thought took place in his mind. For the first time in his life, he was critically assessing his own choices.
"If I continue like this, I will not be able to complete the first year. In order to gain my territory, my brothers will want to take me under their protection or kill me. Will I surrender my life as much as I can then?" The situation began to bother him.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Alright, I want to go down in history."
He tilted his head toward the circles that floated on the side of the road and on its edges. He now understood the purpose of the road. He was there from the very beginning to show the direction he was going to.
"Please guide me!"
The platforms lit up as if to say yes.
This sight was the last thing he saw before he fainted.