Chapter 2 - The Silver Blood
The metallic silver liquid shimmered against the cold marble floor, casting an eerie glow on Kaelen's pale face.
He quickly pulled his royal cape from his shoulders and wrapped it tightly around Elara, hiding the bizarre blood from the screaming crowd.
"Guards, secure the room!" the prince roared, his voice cutting through the panic like a whip.
He scooped Elara into his arms, surprisingly easily despite her sturdy build, and ran toward the hidden door behind the throne.
The assassin lay dead on the floor, having bitten a poison capsule the moment the royal guards surrounded him.
Kaelen kicked the secret door shut, plunging them into the damp, dark corridors of the palace catacombs.
Elara coughed violently, her silver blood staining the expensive velvet of the prince's cape.
"Hold on, just stay with me," Kaelen urged, his breath ragged as he carried her deeper into the shadows.
"Why... why did you save me?" Elara managed to whisper, the pain burning fiercely in her chest.
"Because the frame was never a test of beauty, Elara," he replied, laying her down gently on a stone altar in a hidden chamber.
He grabbed a series of strange, glowing vials from a shelf and began mixing them together.
"The frame was a blood-reader, designed to find the last living descendant of the forgotten gods."
Elara's eyes widened in disbelief as the prince poured the glowing mixture over her fatal wound.
Instantly, the flesh began to knit itself back together, the silver blood receding as if sucked back into her veins.
"My father's kingdom is cursed, built on dark magic that requires a celestial sacrifice every century," Kaelen explained quickly.
He looked deeply into her eyes, his expression a mix of desperate hope and profound sorrow.
"I have been searching for you for three years so that I could hide you from the King."
Elara sat up, testing her newly healed chest, completely bewildered by the sudden revelation.
"If the King finds out you have celestial silver blood, he will drain you dry to grant himself immortality," Kaelen warned.
Suddenly, the heavy iron door of the secret chamber exploded inward with a deafening crash.
Through the dust and debris walked King Roland, flanked by his most elite and ruthless executioners.
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The King smiled wickedly as he looked at the glowing silver droplets remaining on the floor.
"I always knew you were a traitor, my son, but bringing the sacrifice directly to my altar is quite convenient," the King hissed.
