Empyreal, Book 1

Chapter 10

The wooden floorboards creaked as Helena entered the room, clutching two steaming mugs. "Drink this," she said, passing them each a mug. "It will restore your energy and prepare you for what's to come."

Max sniffed at the murky liquid, unable to identify the blend of herbs and spices that gave it an earthy aroma. But he trusted Helena, and if she said it would help, then he would drink without hesitation.

Kai did the same, and within moments, warmth spread through Max's body as his fatigue faded away. He felt stronger and more alert, his senses heightened in a way that seemed to reach beyond the physical plane.

A slow, knowing smile spread across Helena's face. "It is time," she said softly.

"It's time you learned the truth about who you really are," she said, as she shifted uncomfortably.

Kai furrowed his brow in confusion. "I don't understand. I'm a Moonstone Guardian, like you."

Helena shook her head slowly. "There's more, Kai. You are the rightful heir to the Empyreal Realm. You are King Alaric's son."

Kai jolted upright, shock etched across his features. His mind reeled as he tried to comprehend Helena's words. The Empyreal Realm? King Alaric's son? Him?

Helena gazed at Kai steadily, her brown eyes filled with purpose. "When darkness consumed King Alaric, you were given to your adoptive parents for safekeeping. But the royal blood flows through your veins, Kai. You are the heir to the lunar throne."

Kai's pulse thundered in his ears. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, exhaling a shaky breath. This changed everything. The truth of his identity glimmered just out of reach, a piece to the puzzle he never knew was missing. Helena's revelation stirred something within him, a faint flicker of buried memories, murky and distant.

He met Helena's earnest eyes. "I have a brother, don't I?"

"Yes," Helena nodded.

Kai gazed out the window at the glinting stars as he grappled with his swirling thoughts.

Kai's mind raced as he tried to process this revelation about his true lineage. He turned back to Helena, brows furrowed.

"My parents...my real parents," he began hesitantly. "What happened to them? Why was I sent away?"

Helena's expression grew solemn. She clasped her hands before speaking.

"It is said that your father, King Alaric, possessed extraordinary power - power over the very forces of the moon itself. But such magic attracts danger."

Helena's voice dropped into a hushed whisper. "There are those who seek to claim the lunar gifts for themselves. Dark forces moved against the king. When the shadow fell upon the realm, you were smuggled away for your own protection."

Kai swallowed hard, imagining the father he never knew embroiled in such peril.

Helena's words stirred a deep longing within him.

The bloodline of the moon kings flows through your veins. When the shadow passes, you will ascend your rightful throne."

Kai sat in silence, the weight of his destiny settling upon his shoulders.

His eyes drifted down to the intricate tattoo on his forearm - the ornate skeleton key that had marked him since his eighth birthday. He traced his fingers over the swirling lines absently.

"This symbol..." he said quietly. "You told me once it held great meaning."

Helena nodded, her expression growing more intense. She leaned in closer to Kai.

"That key unlocks far more than any door, Kai. It is the key to the Earthsong."

Kai's pulse quickened at her words. For so long he had wondered about the mysterious marking.

Helena clasped Kai's hand firmly, as if to steady him.

Kai took a deep breath, trying to absorb Helena's words. He had always known he was different, marked for something much greater than just a moonstone guardian. But to learn he was heir to an entire realm - it was almost too much.

"My father..." he began hesitantly. "You said he was King Alaric? What happened to him? And my mother?"

Sadness clouded Helena's eyes. "They were noble and just rulers. But when the Darkness came, it consumed everything. Alaric stayed behind to give your mother time to escape with you."

Kai pictured his parents' faces, blurred by the passage of years. They had loved him so deeply, even though he wasn't truly theirs.

"So, I have a brother too?" Excitement sparked through Kai's veins. All his life he had longed for family beyond the guardians.

Helena nodded. "Yes. But he does not know of you.

Kai's mind swirled with questions, and he could sense Helena hadn't told him all she knew. His fingers traced the tattooed key again.

He looked up and met Helena's eyes, "Who is it?"

Helena hung her head and uttered, "Malachi."

Kai's eyes went wide, his face draining of color. "No. No, that's not possible." He backed away shaking his head. "He can't be my brother!"

Kai's breath came in short, panicked gasps as he turned to Helena. "Is there...is there darkness in me too?" His voice cracked, fear and despair warring in his eyes.

Helena gazed at him solemnly. "Darkness lives within us all, child. But you have a choice to embrace the light or give in to the shadows."

Kai's shoulders slumped as he absorbed her words. A shiver ran through him. Whatever darkness lay inside, he would not become like his supposed brother. He would find the light - no matter what it took.

Helena let out a weary sigh, her eyes filled with sadness as she looked upon Kai.

"Malachi was not always as he is now," she began softly. "Once, long ago, he was just a boy - your brother. But when the darkness took your father, Alaric, Malachi was left behind. Abandoned."

Kai stared at her, stunned into silence. Helena's gaze was distant, lost in memory.

"He had to fend for himself, just a child alone in a dangerous world. It hardened his heart, forced him to do terrible things to survive." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And the darkness that corrupted your father slowly corrupted Malachi as well, twisting him into what he has become."

Kai's chest ached, the truth hitting him like a blow. His supposed brother left alone and unprotected as a child. It was no wonder the shadows had consumed him.

Helena refocused on Kai, her eyes glistening. "But you, Kai - you still have a chance. The light still lives within you. Do not let anger or fear guide you down Malachi's path."

Kai swallowed hard. He may not know this Malachi, but no child should suffer that fate.

Quietly, he asked "Is there any hope for him at all? Can he still find the light?"

Helena smiled sadly. "I do not know, child. Perhaps you are the only one who can lead him back from the darkness now."