CHAPTER 7 – The Boy Who Never Grew Older
Emily couldn't move.
The silver-eyed boy stood only a few feet away, smiling as though they had known each other forever.
"You've been... waiting for me?" she whispered.
The boy nodded.
"For exactly three thousand years."
Emily shook her head.
"That's impossible."
"It should be," the boy replied softly. "But time doesn't flow here the way it does in your world."
The ancient city around them glowed beneath an unfamiliar sky. Hundreds of white snakes watched silently from rooftops and marble pillars, yet none showed the slightest sign of aggression.
The Guardian lowered its massive head beside the boy.
"My name is Kael," the child said. "I was the last prince of Aserath."
Emily stared at him.
"Prince?"
Kael slowly looked toward the endless city.
"Three thousand years ago, greedy men came here searching for the Crystal Heart."
"They wanted its power."
"My father refused."
"So they slaughtered everyone."
Emily felt a knot form in her stomach.
"But... you're alive."
Kael gave a sad smile.
"No."
"I died that night."
Emily's heart stopped.
"The Guardian refused to let the royal bloodline disappear."
"It bound my soul to this city."
"I cannot grow."
"I cannot leave."
"I cannot die."
Emily looked into his silver eyes.
For the first time, she noticed something heartbreaking.
Behind the smile...
...was the loneliness of a child who had spent thousands of years completely alone.
A tear rolled down Kael's face.
"I've watched kingdoms rise and fall."
"I've watched deserts swallow empires."
"I've watched every person who entered this place die."
"But none of them were you."
The Guardian's voice echoed inside Emily's mind.
"Your blood carries the promise of the First Protector."
Emily frowned.
"My blood?"
The Guardian slowly nodded.
Three glowing symbols appeared on Emily's wrist.
She gasped.
The markings looked ancient...
...yet they had always been there.
Only invisible.
Kael gently touched the glowing symbols.
"They've awakened."
Emily's breathing became uneven.
"My grandmother..."
She suddenly remembered the strange necklace her grandmother had given her before she died.
"Never throw this away," she had whispered.
"One day, it will lead you home."
Emily's eyes widened.
The necklace.
She reached into her backpack.
It was gone.
Then a loud laugh echoed across the ancient city.
Colonel Hayes slowly stepped from the shadows.
In his hand...
...was Emily's necklace.
"I've been looking for this my entire life."
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"And thanks to you..."
"I finally found it."
