CHAPTER 11 – Embers of a Broken Oath
EXT. ROYAL CREMATION GROUND – DUSK
The orange sun sinks behind the hills, casting a bloody hue across the land.
Smoke rises.
Kael stands silent, watching the last embers devour Reyden's body. His face is blank, devoid of life. His eyes—red, swollen, leaking silent tears—stare at the flames as if trying to pull his brother back.
The priest chants the final rites, but Kael doesn't hear. His world is mute. Only the crackling fire and the weight of a broken world press against him.
Kael (softly)
"…Big brother…"
His fists tighten.
The last of Reyden burns into ash.
Something inside Kael does too.
---
EXT. ABANDONED GUILD HOUSE – NIGHT
A worn-out banner flutters in the cold breeze.
The Lion's Fang Guild.
Once proud, now faded.
Kael approaches the old guild hall, his steps heavy, shoulders slumped. He stops before the wooden gate, hesitating—afraid, maybe, to open another door that could break him more.
From inside, laughter and mugs clinking.
A small party. Remnants of a better time.
Kael gathers his broken courage and pushes the door open.
---
INT. GUILD HALL – CONTINUOUS
Three figures sit at a battered round table:
Garron – Reyden's oldest friend, a battle-scarred warrior in full worn armor.
Lyra – a gentle female healer, her golden hair tucked in a loose braid.
Fenric – a sly beast tamer, with a sleeping miniature wyvern curled on his lap.
The moment Kael steps in, silence falls.
They turn.
Shock flashes across their faces.
Garron (standing up)
"Kael?! By the gods, you're alive!"
He rushes to him, gripping Kael's shoulders.
Garron (grinning)
"You stubborn fool. Where's Reyden? He's not one to leave his little brother behind—"
He freezes.
Kael doesn't lift his head.
His lips tremble.
A single tear rolls down his cheek.
Kael (whispering, broken)
"…Big brother… isn't here anymore…"
The room stills.
The laughter, the warmth—it dies instantly.
Lyra (voice cracking)
"No… no, no, don't say that…"
She stumbles forward, hands over her mouth.
Tears burst from her eyes like a dam breaking.
Lyra (sobbing)
"He can't be… he promised me—he promised all of us—!"
Fenric drops his mug. It shatters.
Garron (in disbelief)
"…What happened, Kael?"
Kael finally lifts his head, eyes blank, hollow.
Kael (monotone)
"…He entered the Princess's Contest. Fought against Valeria… lost. She offered him a Knight's Mark."
He pauses, his voice catching.
Kael (gritting his teeth)
"…Then three Royal Knights came. Took us into the Wildwood. Ambushed us. Reyden… he… he stayed behind. He fought them alone… to let me escape…"
Silence.
Pure, deafening.
Lyra collapses onto a bench, wailing.
Fenric curses under his breath, punching the table hard enough to split the wood.
Garron stands frozen, his hand trembling over his sword hilt.
Then—
Random Guild Member (muttering)
"…It was bound to happen. The moment he chose to fight her, his fate was sealed."
The words hang in the air like poison.
Garron's eyes flare.
He storms across the room and grabs the man by the collar, slamming him against a pillar.
Garron (snarling)
"What the hell are you saying?!"
The man shrugs off his grip, wiping his mouth.
Random Member (coldly)
"You know what I mean. No one survives her contest. No one ever has. You all know it."
Kael's head snaps up.
He blinks slowly.
His breathing slows, his fists clenching.
Kael (low, dangerous)
"…What do you mean… 'no one'?"
The random member looks around, then sighs.
Random Member (grimly)
"You haven't heard the stories, have you?
Anyone who dares fight the Princess… they all end up dead. Disappeared. Quietly erased."
Garron (bitterly)
"He's telling the truth, Kael."
Garron sits heavily, like the weight of history crushed him.
Garron (gritting his teeth)
"Every year, someone challenges her. Every year, they vanish. Nobody talks about it openly. Because the royal family makes sure we don't."
Kael's hands tremble, nails digging into his palms.
Kael (barely audible)
"…Why? Why would she kill them…?"
Fenric (voice low)
"There's an old story. About the Queen's death… and the Princess's curse."
Lyra wipes her tears, whispering between sobs:
Lyra
"…Long ago, before the kingdom grew strong… the Queen—Valeria's mother—was… defiled by a band of mercenaries. Strong warriors who mocked the crown."
Fenric nods grimly.
Fenric
"After that, the Princess changed. She started despising strength.
The Contest? It's not to choose a husband."
He looks straight at Kael.
Fenric (coldly)
"It's a hunting ground. To lure strong men—and kill them."
Silence.
Only the wind outside howls against the battered windows.
Kael feels his soul crack again.
Reyden's smiling face flashes in his mind.
The way he had laughed, called him "little brother", ruffled his hair.
Gone.
All because of a cursed royal.
A monster hiding behind a crown.
Kael's fists slam into the table, splintering the wood.
Everyone flinches.
Kael (whispering in pure rage)
"…I'll kill her."
They all stare at him.
Garron (worried)
"Kael… don't."
Kael (growling)
"No. I swear it. I'll kill her. I'll burn her throne. I'll tear apart this kingdom if I have to."
His eyes gleam—not with tears—but with pure, undiluted hatred.
Kael (gritting his teeth)
"She stole everything from me."
Lyra (pleading)
"Please Kael… she's not human anymore. She's a monster raised in blood and sorrow. You can't—"
Kael (cutting her off, feral)
"Then I'll become a monster worse than her."
He storms out of the guild, the door slamming behind him.
The cold night swallows him whole.
Only his vow echoes in the silent hall.
Kael (voice fading)
"I'll destroy her. I'll destroy them all."
---
[END OF CHAPTER 11]