Chapter 47 - The Heir Who Never ExistedThe royal historians argued until sunset.
Some believed Ethan's vision was impossible.
Others insisted it confirmed the oldest prophecy in Asterwyn.
But Elara was certain of one thing.
"The boy you saw cannot be your son," she said.
Ethan folded his arms.
"I know what I saw."
"You saw a possible future. That doesn't mean it already happened."
"Then why does everyone remember things I haven't done?"
Elara placed the royal chronicle before him.
"Because Asterwyn has been rewritten more than once."
The book contained dates that contradicted one another.
One entry claimed King Aldric had ruled for thirty-six years.
Another said he had died two centuries earlier.
A third recorded the coronation of a king named Ethan.
The entries could not all be true.
Yet each bore the royal seal.
Elara explained that the kingdom existed at the intersection of several histories.
When Ethan crossed between worlds, the different histories collided.
"Some people remember one version," she said. "Others remember another."
Ethan looked toward the window.
"Then Malachar might not be lying."
"No."
"And Aldric might not be lying either."
"Exactly."
The realization disturbed him more than any monster.
If both men believed their own memories, how could Ethan know whom to trust?
That night, an unexpected visitor entered his chamber.
A girl around thirteen stood in the doorway.
She had long dark hair, a worn green cloak, and a silver necklace shaped like a crescent moon.
"My name is Mira," she said.
Ethan recognized her from the battlefield vision.
The child beside the woman in silver armor.
"You were there," he whispered.
Mira nodded.
"In a future that no longer exists."
Ethan stared at her.
"Who are you?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"You promised you'd come back for me."
Ethan struggled to breathe.
"Am I your father?"
Mira shook her head.
"No."
She approached him.
"You're my brother."
Ethan felt the room spin.
"I don't have a sister."
"You do in one of the timelines."
She placed her necklace on the table.
Inside was a tiny photograph.
Daniel Cole stood beside two children.
Ethan.
And Mira.
Then Mira whispered the words that would haunt him for days.
"Our father didn't disappear, Ethan."
"He was taken."
"By whom?"
May you like
Mira looked toward the palace doors.
"By the man who calls himself King Aldric."
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