The pain was fleeting. One moment, Arian Valen was gasping for breath beneath the crushing weight of his failure, and the next, he was falling—down, down into an abyss without end. There was no light, no sound, only a cold that gnawed at his bones.
Then, a heartbeat.
And another.
A ragged breath tore through his lungs as Arian jolted awake. The scent of jasmine incense mingled with the iron tang of blood. Heavy silk curtains swayed in the breeze from an open balcony, revealing crimson banners fluttering beneath the noonday sun. Gold-etched walls shimmered, adorned with portraits of emperors long dead.
But this wasn't the sterile hospital room where he had last closed his eyes.
Where… am I?
Before confusion could root itself, a sharp knock echoed through the chamber doors.
"Your Highness, are you well?" A voice trembled beyond the door.
Arian blinked. Your Highness?
Memories not his own clawed into his mind. Sword clashes in grand arenas, whispered conspiracies in shadowed halls, the weight of a crown never meant for him. He saw flashes of a boy—arrogant, reckless—mocked as the "Third Feather," the forgotten prince trailing behind two elder brothers.
But that boy was gone.
And in his place stood Arian Valen, or… was it now Arian Dravon, third prince of the Empire of Solthar?
He slowly moved to the edge of the bed, noticing slender hands calloused from swordplay. A polished mirror nearby reflected sharp amber eyes beneath tousled black hair, a face both regal and unfamiliar.
So, I've been given another life… as a prince.
But not just any prince. A forgotten shadow in the gilded palace, overshadowed by a war-hero eldest brother and a cunning second born.
Fate was cruel, but it was also generous.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"If I must rise again, I'll do so from the ashes."
He stood, steadying himself.
"Enter."
The doors creaked open, revealing a nervous attendant bowing deeply.
"Your Highness, the council summons you. There's… troubling news."
Of course there is.
Arian adjusted the silk robe hanging loosely on his shoulders. Whatever this world intended for him, he would not drift in its current. No longer a pawn, no longer forgotten.
This time, he would carve his name into history.
Let the empire tremble.
The third prince had awakened.