Chapter 98 Chapter 98

Chapter 98 Chapter 98

The King's POV

The moment the Heart cracked...

I knew.

Not because I saw him.

Because I felt him.

For seven thousand years, I believed Sol had died.

I mourned him.

I blamed myself.

I carried that guilt through every battle, every decision, every century of imprisonment.

And now...

He stood inside the Palace of Creation.

Alive.

Or something that looked alive.

I slowly lowered my sword.

Azrael watched me carefully.
"So..."
he said quietly.

"You finally remember."

I didn't answer.

My eyes never left the palace.

Sol...

My brother.

My shadow.

My greatest failure.

Sable's POV

The golden crack spread across the Heart like a lightning trapped beneath glass.
The palace trembled violently, dust fell from the ceiling while the glowing runes on the walls flickered irregularly.

Sol smiled.
"You see?"

He rested his hand gently against the Heart.
"It remembers me."

Leonidas stepped in front of me.
"Move away from it."

Sol laughed softly.
"You remind me of someone."

His silver eyes met Leonidas's.

"He once stood exactly where you are."

The First Prince tightened his grip on his sword.
"Stop playing games."

"I've never been playing."

Sol looked at him.
"Hello, Aster."

Pain crossed the Prince's face.
"I buried you."

"You buried my body."

Sol's smile faded.
"But not my soul."

Leonidas' POV

I attacked.

There was no warning, no speech and no hesitation, my sword just flashed toward Sol's chest but instead it passed straight through him.
Not flesh.
Not shadow.
Light.

His body dissolved into silver particles before reforming a few steps away from he stood before.

He sighed.
"Violence."

"It really is humanity's favorite language."

Marcus would have liked him.
Right before trying to kill him again.
I shifted into my wolf as a deep growl echoed through the chamber.

Sol looked genuinely impressed.
"A true Alpha."

Then he looked toward Sable.
"And a Queen who chose love over destiny."

His expression softened.
"Perhaps...there is hope after all."

None of this made sense.

If he believed in hope...

Why crack the Heart?

Aster's POV

I couldn't breathe.

Sol...

My younger brother.

The child who used to hide behind me whenever storms frightened him.

The boy who dreamed of becoming a healer instead of a prince.

The gentle soul who cried whenever birds were injured.

How had he become this?

"Why?"

The word barely escaped my lips.

He looked at me with sadness.
"You really don't remember."

"I remember your funeral."

"You remember the lie."

Silence.

Then...

He pointed toward the cracked Heart.
"The truth is inside."

Noctis' POV

No.

No.

No.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

The Heart couldn't reveal the complete truth.

Not yet.

Some memories were too dangerous.

Too painful.

Too destructive.

If everyone remembered the past at once...
History might repeat itself before anyone could stop it.

I raced toward the palace and Cassian followed.
Behind us, the King finally moved.
Not toward Azrael.
Toward Sol yet Azrael made no attempt to stop him.

That alone terrified me.

Azrael's POV

Excellent.

Exactly as planned.

They believed Sol was my ally.

How wonderfully predictable.

He never was.

He never will be.

Sol belongs to only one thing.

The truth.

And truth destroys more kingdoms than hatred ever could.

I watched the King run toward the palace with desperation.

After seven thousand years...

He was finally afraid.

Of memory.

Sable's POV

The crack in the Heart widened and the Golden light from it poured into the chamber.

The light touched me first and my body froze.
The throne erupted, suddenly I wasn't standing in the palace anymore.
I saw myself in a peaceful garden with three children.

Aster.

Sol.

And...

Me.

No...

Not me.

Sera.

We were older now.

Teenagers.

Sol laughed as he handed Sera a flower crown.

"You'll be the greatest Queen."

Sera smiled.
"Only if you both stay beside me."

Aster grinned.
"Always."

Sol nodded.
"I promise."

The three siblings embraced.

The memory shifted to night.
The palace was burning.
People screamed, blood stained white marble while Sera searched desperately through smoke.

"Aster!"

No answer.

"Sol!"

Then...

She found him.

Sol knelt in the throne room covered in blood which was not his own.
The First King lay motionless beside him.

The First Queen.

Gone.

The royal guards.

Dead.

Sol looked up.
His silver eyes were empty.

"I didn't..."

His voice broke.
"...I couldn't save them."

Behind him...

A figure disappeared into the flames.

Its face hidden.

The memory shattered before Sera could see who it was.
I collapsed onto the palace floor gasping and crying.

"No..."

The massacre...
Sol hadn't caused it rather he survived it.

Someone else had.

Someone hidden.

Someone erased.

Leonidas caught me before I hit the ground.
"What did you see?"

I looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
"Sol..."

I struggled to breathe.
"...is innocent."

The chamber fell silent.

The First Prince stared at me.
"What?"

"He didn't kill them."

Sol slowly closed his eyes.
For the first time, I saw tears rolled down his face.

"Someone finally remembers."

Before anyone could speak, the palace doors burst open and the King rushed inside.
His eyes roamed around and immediately found Sol.
For several long seconds neither brother moved until the King whispered,

"I failed you."

Sol looked at him.
"No."

His voice trembled.
"They wanted you to believe that."

The cracked Heart pulsed violently. Another memory threatened to emerge but before it could—a chilling laugh echoed through the chamber.
The flames in every torch turned black while the temperature dropped as a shadow slowly rose from beneath the Heart itself.

A figure wrapped in living darkness emerged, his face hidden beneath a hood with only his glowing crimson eyes that could be seen.
He looked at the gathered brothers, then at Sable and finally, he smiled.

"So..."

His voice sounded ancient.
"...you've remembered the wrong murderer."

The hooded figure spread his arms.

"Then I suppose it's time I introduced myself."

The shadows that was behind him twisted into the shape of a broken crown.
Even Azrael, watching from outside the palace, frowned.
And for the first time since the war began...

The Judge whispered a name with genuine concern.

"Moros..."