CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 49: PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST (24)

The child tried to leave the study room while lifting the edge of his robe slightly so it would not make any sound as he approached the door.

He kept glancing behind him from time to time to make sure the tutor was still busy flipping through the massive books on the table.

But the moment the young prince placed his hand on the handle and grabbed it,

the tutor closed the book immediately.

"Your Highness, what were you trying to do a moment ago, should I inform Her Majesty the Queen that you are attempting to escape your lessons again"

The young prince sat down instantly.

His back was straighter than necessary, and an awkward smile appeared on his face as he scratched the back of his head with his fingers.

"I only wanted to stretch my legs. Sitting like this for hours is exhausting, you know."

The tutor raised an eyebrow. He had heard this excuse a thousand times and was tired of it.

But in the end, he returned to his desk and motioned for him to sit.

The prince sat in his place, let out a long sigh, then tried to focus, though he was shaking his legs nervously as he attempted to do so.

It did not take long before the purple glow returned from the masked man’s eye.

The scene around Orion and the masked man shifted once more.

This time the prince appeared at roughly the same age, training with the same boy.

The two wooden swords clashed, and the prince laughed as he stepped back twice to avoid a strike coming from the other boy.

The other boy was calmer and more disciplined, attacking with different techniques, each one precise.

Then the scenes began to follow one another rapidly, without stopping, and with each shift the purple light pulsed from the masked man’s exposed eye.

The prince running in the garden, shouting with excitement.

Then standing in a formal meeting, nearly falling asleep while listening to long speeches.

Then sitting at a massive banquet table, behaving with forced etiquette in front of the nobles.

Then returning to his study room after midnight, his head dropping onto the books from exhaustion.

The images shifted too quickly.

And Orion stood motionless, staring at every scene with completely empty eyes.

As if he could see everything in front of him but could not touch any of it.

Meanwhile the masked man grew more exhausted. His shoulder trembled slightly with every pulse of light coming from his eye.

And with every image, the faint glow around his eye intensified.

But he did not stop. He pushed with everything he had left to show as much as he could.

The light surged again, and the scene changed once more.

The prince was now fifteen years old.

He was on a hunting trip, running alongside the same boy who had now grown into a stronger young man.

They were on their horses, the wind on their faces, and the forest stretching toward the distant horizon.

They were hunting wolf-like creatures, much larger and bulkier than ordinary wolves.

Their fur was dark, and their eyes glowed red.

One of the wolves lunged toward the prince at full speed.

"Your Highness, watch out!"

Darin shouted as he tightened the reins of his horse.

But the prince laughed while lifting his long sword.

"Do not worry about that, Darin. I am an expert in hunting now."

"Her Majesty will be furious if anything happens to you."

"As I told you before, nothing will happen this time. I have experience, do I not"

But before he could finish his sentence, his horse stumbled over a root on the ground and he fell hard.

Before he could get up, the wolves jumped at him, their fangs just a breath away from his neck.

Darin leaped from his horse without a moment of hesitation.

He struck the first wolf before it reached the prince.

Then turned to block the second and third, his movements quick and incredibly precise.

The prince lay on the ground staring at him with wide eyes.

Orion, watching, felt a sharp sting deep in his chest.

The name Darin made a storm of emotions rise within him.

Many memories began to surface, torn and distorted, but all of them held that name, all of them held that face.

The purple glow surged again and the scene shifted.

Now they stood inside a dark cell.

Darin was bound behind the bars with long chains, sitting on the floor with his head lowered.

The prince snuck into the narrow corridor, glancing left and right before approaching the bars.

"Darin, I will get you out of here. Do not worry. I will speak to Her Majesty and she will release you immediately."

Darin lifted his head and approached the bars.

"No, Your Highness. That was my failure because I allowed you to get hurt."

The prince cut him off, clearly agitated.

"Can you stop repeating the stupid words the captain of the knights keeps saying That was not your fault, not even a little. It is entirely my fault. Without you, I would be dead right now."

The scene shifted again with the light from the masked man’s eye.

The prince appeared once more, now standing before the king inside a vast chamber, its ceiling high and its walls covered with banners.

The prince tried to speak but was taken off guard by the king’s voice.

"Speak your request immediately."

The prince swallowed hard, then spoke firmly, even though his hands were trembling.

"Your Majesty, I want you to release Darin from the prison. Everything that happened was my fault. He had nothing to do with it. He is the only reason I survived."

The prince stood there unsettled.

His hands were clasped in front of him in an attempt to calm the subtle trembling in his fingers.

He tried to lift his head to look the king directly in the eyes, but he did it very slowly.

The king sighed heavily.

"Do you understand the amount of disappointment you have brought me with your actions"

He said it in a very low voice.

"If you had died during that hunt, do you realize what would have happened to me To your mother To the entire kingdom after losing its only heir"

The prince opened his mouth.

"I..."

But the king cut him off.

"No, you do not understand." He covered his face with his hands. "If you understood, you would not do these foolish things. Not once, but many times before. And this time you dragged Darin into it with you."

The king gripped the arm of his chair tightly, then stood.

After that, he turned toward the prince, but not to face him directly.

He looked at him from the corner of his eye, a short glance that held disappointment deeper than any shouting could carry.

Then the king left the room while the prince remained alone.

He stood in the middle of the chamber, staring at the empty chair where the king had been sitting moments earlier.