šø Return to Verdantia
By the time they arrived at the capital gates, the skies were soft with evening gold.
Verdantia had changed.
Not in size. Not in power.
But in spirit.
Children played in fountains carved from the ruins of old statues.
Merchants shouted prices from stalls rebuilt with wood once scorched by war.
For the first time in decadesā¦
The kingdom smiled.
The people didn't bow in fear.
They waved.
And some whispered, "There he isā¦"
Not the Demon King.
But the one who saved them from Ashura.
š° Seraphina Guides Him Silently
They didn't speak much on the way in.
She just walked beside him, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Up the stairs of the old royal tower, now fully restored.
Through the corridor he once stormed through in rage, now covered in ivy and lanterns.
At the end of the hallā
Double doors opened.
š The Throne Room, Rebuilt
He froze.
Inside stood the royal chamber, rebuilt from ash and memory.
The windows were wide, letting in sun and sky.
No soldiers.
No chains.
No blood on the floor.
Only one thing stood at the centerā
A new throne.
Smaller. Simpler. No spikes. No skulls. No ancient bloodlines carved into its base.
Just a single black flame etched into the stone ā his new symbol.
The symbol of a man who lost everythingā¦ and chose to return.
š„ The People Who Waited
Queen Alira was there ā dressed in white and gold, not as a queen, but as a guest.
Prince Marcus stood to the side, holding a document, smiling faintly.
And a dozen citizens ā elders, children, farmers ā all chosen to witness.
Seraphina turned to him.
"You don't have to take the throne."
"But Verdantia needs a face."
"Someone who doesn't rule with fear."
"Someone who reminds them what hope looks like."
š He Walks Alone
He stepped forward, slow, quiet.
He touched the throne ā fingers trailing along the etched flame.
It was cold.
Not cruel.
"This isn't the throne I built in hate."
"This is the one they built in hope."
He sat down.
The room didn't erupt.
No grand music.
Just silence.
And peace.
š A Voice Breaks the Quiet
Queen Alira stepped forward, placing a hand over her heart.
"The King has returned."
"Not the one we feared."
"The one we needed."