In the quiet town of Riverfall lived a sixteen-year-old boy named Leo Carter.
Leo had one problem.
He hated ordinary life.
School felt like a cage. Homework felt like chains. Even weekends felt predictable. He wanted storms, jungles, hidden maps, ancient secrets—anything but routine.
People called him a dreamer.
He preferred the word explorer.
One afternoon, while cleaning his late uncle's old bookstore, Leo found something strange hidden inside a dusty atlas.
A folded parchment.
Old. Fragile. Real.
On it were three words written in bold ink:
"To the Next King."
Below that, a map.
And in the corner, a symbol of a crown made of fire.
Leo's heart raced.
"This is it," he whispered.
His ordinary life was over.