The city awoke to a sun pulsing with life, casting golden rays that painted a mysterious charm upon its dark stone buildings. The streets were still quiet, yet something in the air hinted that this day… would not be like the others.
Kara opened Daniel's room door with the grace of a cat used to sneaking around, her eyes bearing a royal command for an early wake-up. Daniel, as always, lay on his stomach, wearing nothing but short black shorts, breathing deeply as though his sleep belonged to another world.
But as she approached, he opened his eyes drowsily and said:
"It's time, isn't it?"
Kara nodded quietly, and Daniel rose without hesitation, heading to his private bath.
Half an hour passed. Daniel emerged with damp hair, a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked like someone who had just stepped out of a watery battle. Kara stood waiting, holding his training clothes, her eyes carrying both gratitude and fear. She knew that this moment, though seemingly simple, could change everything.
In a wide stone yard inside Kryos Castle, training dummies, wooden swords, and worn-out armor were scattered like relics of a forgotten war. Soldiers posted at each corner were alert not for danger, but to witness… the "miracle."
Daniel entered the yard, followed by Kara's shadow, dressed in her official maid uniform. His eyes scanned the place: swords, dummies, shields... He chose a short, double-edged iron sword, light in weight, its handle rough and wrapped in leather as coarse as hate. He gripped it tightly, swung it once, and felt a strange harmony as though he had never been a stranger to this world.
He began training… no warm-up, no instructions, no ceremony.
The soldiers turned their eyes to him, disbelief coloring their faces. The prince who had always dodged training with mock illness and laziness… was now wielding a sword like he had been born into battle. And without warm-up?! A physical disaster in the making.
In one corner, two soldiers watched with half-smiles:
"Marco, how long do you think he'll last?"
"Five minutes… tops. I bet you a hundred silver coins."
The other chuckled and replied:
"You underestimate the prince. I'll wager on ten minutes. The sword is light he might surprise us."
Marco shook his head mockingly:
"Ten minutes? You're generous. Don't forget, his only experience is with a pen!"
His comrade responded with a wicked grin:
"Then, if I win, let me sleep with your slave girl… the one you brag about."
Marco burst into laughter and replied:
"Deal. But don't cry when she turns you into her slave!"
The minutes passed… then more… until the time crossed half an hour.
And the prince… was still training.
He didn't stop. He didn't tire. He didn't falter. His body moved with a strange rhythm, his muscles working as if they remembered something… something older than ink, older than dreams.
Then came footsteps. Heavy. Nearing. Daniel did not look up. But the guards did.
Max entered, followed by Elena and Alex, trailed by their personal trainers. Their steps were confident, their gazes sharp. When they saw Daniel, they froze. How? Why was he here?!
He ignored them completely, as if they didn't exist. That alone was enough to ignite anger in their hearts especially Max.
Max stepped forward, but a hand stopped him. It was his trainer's hand.
Darius. A young man in his twenties, with green hair and yellow eyes, harboring a grudge no one could miss. Darius loved Kara… but she saw no one but Daniel. And that alone could turn love… into poison.
Darius approached Daniel with a gaze that blended hate and amusement, and said mockingly:
"Good morning, Prince Kryos. I didn't know the sun could rise from the west!"
The nearby soldiers laughed out loud, as if they'd finally found a prey for their ridicule. But Daniel… didn't even flinch. He kept swinging his sword like a man dancing alone, in a battle only he could hear.
Darius realized that being ignored… was more painful than insult.
Then his eyes caught Kara, standing a few meters away. He turned toward her and smirked slyly:
"Dear Kara, surely you know that personal servants of royal sons and daughters are forbidden from entering the training yard? That's a clear violation… punishable by confinement."
Kara gasped, nearly stepping back. But her eyes quickly turned to Daniel, as if waiting for a signal… yet none came. He kept training, as if nothing was happening.
Darius knew he had struck a nerve, and his grin widened. But he didn't know that the wind was carrying a new beast his way.
Heavy steps. A silent roar.
Everyone turned.
Marcus.
The Commander of Knights in the Kingdom of Urok.
His stature towered like a beast's, his muscles explosive, his hair snow-white not the peaceful kind and his eyes green like a wild storm. His voice… didn't need volume to terrify.
He stopped before Daniel, who still smiled while spinning his sword through the air like a feather of chaos.
Marcus spoke with a devilish grin:
"Prince Daniel, according to royal family law… you are sentenced to one month in Kaliris prison."
Gasps broke out.
Kaliris?! The prison no one leaves… alive?!
The words hit like a bomb. Silence reigned.
But Daniel… was still swinging the sword.
Then, slowly… he turned.
And smiled.