Ashen stirred in the massive royal bed, his eyelids heavy as lead. A deep, unnatural weakness had settled into every fiber of his body.

His muscles ached with a dull, persistent fatigue, and something far worse lingered beneath the surface, a hollow sensation, as if a vital part of his power had been violently erased or drained during the night.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was missing. His power felt muted, distant, like a once-roaring river reduced to a trickle.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his temples. The events of the previous night replayed in fragments: the impostor wearing Lumina’s face, the poisoned bowl he had only pretended to drink, the seductive struggle, and the unconscious woman still lying in the adjacent chamber under guard.

Before he could gather his thoughts, the chamber doors burst open.

Ero stormed inside, his usually composed face pale and etched with urgency. "Your Majesty! You must come at once. It’s the Crown Prince... your brother. He is suddenly back and he is gravely ill. His condition has worsened and shows no sign of improvement."

Ashen’s blood ran cold. "Alex..."

He moved despite the weakness in his limbs, dressing quickly in a simple black tunic and trousers.

His hands trembled slightly as he fastened his belt, but he pushed the discomfort aside.

Within minutes, he was striding down the dimly lit corridors toward the Crown Prince’s private wing, Ero keeping pace beside him.

The royal sickroom was oppressively quiet. Heavy velvet curtains blocked most of the sunlight, leaving the space bathed in a somber golden glow from a few enchanted lanterns.

Crown Prince Alex lay motionless on the grand bed, his once strong and vibrant face now deathly pale and sunken. Sweat glistened on his brow. His breathing came in shallow, labored rasps.

Ashen’s heart clenched at the sight. He approached the bed, eyes scanning his younger brother’s frail form.

"How did he get back!" Ashen voicehollered but no one could respond.

"My lord... we only noticed he was in the room and instantly we began taking care of him.."

"How long will he remain like this?" Ashen demanded, turning sharply to the royal physician who stood nervously beside a table covered in herbs, vials, and instruments.

He bowed deeply, his hands clasped tightly. "I... I cannot say with certainty, Your Majesty. The illness is unlike anything I have seen before. It resists every treatment we have attempted. But I hold onto hope that His Highness will recover. We are doing everything possible."

Ashen nodded curtly, though worry gnawed at his insides. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently took his brother’s hand. The skin was cold and clammy. He reached out, brushing damp strands of hair from Alex’s forehead with surprising tenderness.

"Hold on, brother," he whispered. "You have always been the stronger one between us in spirit."

After a long moment, Ashen stood. "Continue doing everything you can for him," he told the physician, voice heavy with exhaustion and concern.

The physician bowed again and turned back to his work. He lifted a small silver spoon filled with a thick, dark liquid from a bowl, preparing to administer the medicine. As the spoon hovered near Alex’s lips, something made Ashen pause mid-step toward the door.

His sharp eyes caught the change. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The moment the medicine touched the silver spoon, the metal began to tarnish rapidly. Streaks of ominous black spread across its surface like spreading venom.

"Stop!" Ashen roared.

In a blur of motion, he lunged forward, smacking the spoon violently out of the physician’s hand. It clattered to the floor.

Ashen grabbed the entire bowl and smashed it against the stone tiles, the suspicious liquid spilling everywhere. The room filled with the acrid smell of poison.

"What is this?!" Ashen snarled, rounding on the terrified physician. His fury had awakened something primal, his claws had extended fully, sharp and gleaming like obsidian blades. His eyes burned with lethal rage.

The physician stumbled backward and fell to the floor, eyes wide with shock and fear. "M...My Lord! I don’t understand what you’re talking about! That is the standard tonic Lord Drex had produced and I have been giving His Highness for days!"

"You think I am blind?" Ashen growled, towering over him. "The silver spoon turned black the instant it touched your so-called medicine. I know poison when I see it. You’re trying to kill my brother!"

The physician shook his head frantically, crawling backward. "No! I swear on my life... I would never! Please, this is a misunderstanding!"

His desperate denials only fueled Ashen’s fury. In one swift motion, Ashen grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him clear off the ground with unnatural strength despite his own weakened state.

The physician’s feet dangled helplessly as he gasped for air, face turning purple.

"You dare lie to me while my brother lies dying?" Ashen’s voice was low, deadly. His claws pricked the man’s skin, drawing tiny beads of blood.

Just then, a violent coughing fit erupted from the bed. Alex’s body convulsed, dark blood flecking his lips.

The doors flew open again. Serena, dashed inside. Her eyes widened in horror at the scene.

"My Prince!" she cried, dashing straight to Alex’s bedside. She ignored the confrontation entirely and placed both hands over his chest, channeling glowing emerald healing power into his failing body.

Ashen released the physician, who collapsed in a gasping heap, and moved to his brother’s side. Serena worked frantically, her hands glowing brighter as she poured every ounce of her power into purging the toxins and stabilizing his organs. Sweat poured down her face. Veins stood out on her neck from the strain.

"Where is Lord Drex?"

"He had gone out in search of certain herbs for the King," she replied, still trying to save Prince Alex.

"Come on... fight it!" she muttered through gritted teeth. Waves of healing energy flooded the room, knitting damaged tissue and battling the poison. For a moment, Alex’s breathing seemed to ease.

But then his body jerked violently. Serena pushed harder, her hands trembling with exhaustion.

She tried every advanced technique she knew, drawing on ancient runes, herbal infusions, and even blood-binding spells.

Nothing worked, the poison was too deep. It resisted and counterattacked, spreading faster the more she fought it.

Ashen dropped to his knees beside the bed, gripping his brother’s cold hand tightly with both of his own.

"Alex... please," he pleaded, voice breaking. "Open your eyes. Stay with me. You can’t leave me now. Not like this. Fight, damn it!"

Serena continued desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks as she poured the last of her reserves into one final, powerful surge of healing light. The room blazed with emerald radiance for several heartbeats.

It wasn’t enough.

Alex’s eyelids fluttered weakly. Slowly, painfully, they opened. His once-bright eyes were dim, clouded with approaching death.

"Ashen..." he rasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His voice was barely a whisper, yet it carried the weight of finality.

"Please... rule the realm. Lead them... as only you can. I am sorry... I couldn’t protect you... as much as I wanted to..."

His fingers tightened feebly around Ashen’s hand for one final moment.

Then, with a soft, shuddering breath, Crown Prince Alex went still.

The emerald light around Serena faded completely. She slumped forward, hands still resting on the prince’s chest, silent tears falling onto the sheets.

Ashen stared at his brother’s peaceful, lifeless face. The chamber fell into a heavy, suffocating silence broken only by the distant howl of wind outside the windows.

"No..." Ashen whispered, gripping the dead hand harder as if willing life back into it. "Alex... brother..."

Serena bowed her head, defeated. "I am so sorry, Your Highness. I did everything I could."

Ashen remained kneeling, head lowered, his claws slowly retracting. The weakness in his own body suddenly felt insignificant compared to the gaping void now carved into his soul.