"Marny, Neco. Do you believe that the third prince is dead?"
Marny: "No, well...he didn't show up..."
Marny: "I have a feeling that he's alive."
Neco: "Me too! I feel the same."
Wayla: "Well, the rumors say he's a prodigy. Do you really think he would be dead? I mean, he's not called the young Monarch Before His Time for nothing."
"As you know, I'm not from around here, so I partially know a thing or two. Does he deserve what happened to him? Do people hate him?"
Marny: "No, he doesn't. I believe he will bring the kingdom to greater heights."
Neco: "He doesn't deserve it, though only a handful of people talked to him."
Wayla: "In my opinion, he doesn't. He treated peasants, commoners, and nobles on equal standing, though he didn't make friends with people outside the castle."
"Why not?"
Wayla: "It's said that he sees them as people who just try to use him for their own good."
~Iris: "I didn't tell her about our background."~
~"Oh...I see."~
~Iris: "Should we reveal our real identity?"~
~"Although they don't seem like bad people, we won't. Not yet."~
Knock...KNOCK...KNOCK
Marny: "I'll open it."
Messenger from the Guild: "Hi, I hereby carry a message from the king."
Marny: "From the king?"
We all gathered by the door.
Messenger from the Guild: "It's as follows: The Arc party is to be summoned to the royal palace and be granted an audience with the king."
Wayla: "Whaaaat? Us? Now?"
"We accept the invitation."
"We'll go right away."
Guild messenger: "I'll inform the Guild Master then."
And after he left, they all started yapping at me.
Wayla: "Why did you say now? We don't have enough time to prepare!"
"No need to prepare yourselves."
Vera (Iris): "We'll go in our adventurer suits."
Neco: "Did you lose your mind? It's the king!"
Vera (Iris): "No, I didn't—it's still up there. Please rest assured and leave it to our leader. Right, Reven?"
"Yup, leave it all to me."
We arrived at the royal palace and entered the chamber.
The chamber opened like the inside of a colossal geode, its walls formed from shimmering stone that shifted color with the movement of light. Instead of torches, floating orbs of pale fire drifted lazily near the ceiling, casting soft illumination that never flickered. The air carried a faint hum, as if the room itself was breathing.
King Arlond: "Bring them in!!"
We entered and knelt like loyal knights.
King Arlond: "Raise your heads. You're the party who defeated the dungeon break led by the S-rank demon Donal."
"We are honored by your praise."
King Arlond: "Reven, the one who put down Donal, I shall honor you with the title of 'He Who Rose Before Dawn.' And you, Vera—'The Flame Vanquisher.' And Wayla—'The Aquatic Dancer.'"
Looks like the chairman of the association is also here—Chival.
"My king...or should I say, long time no see, Dad."
King Arlond: "Dad? Raidan?"
Iris and I stood up, fire and lightning erupting from us as we removed our disguise.
Wayla: "Whaaaat? You're the 3rd prince? Forgive us if we've been rude to you!"
"Don't fuss about it. I'm the Monarch Before His Time, He Who Rose Before Dawn—Raidan!"
Iris: "I'm the Flame Vanquisher, Iris!"
Queen Alicia gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. For a moment, she stood frozen, eyes wide with disbelief. Then, without a word, she ran.
Her heels echoed against the stone floor as she crossed the chamber in a blur of royal silks, tears already streaming down her face.
"Raidan...Iris..."
She reached them and threw her arms around both, pulling them into a desperate embrace. Her voice cracked as she spoke.
"It's really you...it's really you..."
King Arlond rose from his throne, his composure finally breaking. His stern expression softened, and for the first time in months, his shoulders sagged with relief. He descended the steps slowly, deliberately, as if afraid that moving too fast would shatter the moment.
"My son..." His voice was quiet, almost fragile. "You've returned."
Raidan felt the weight of everything crash down at once—the exile, the dungeon break, the demon, the nights spent wondering if he'd ever stand in this hall again. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay steady.
"I never left, Father. Not really."
Arlond stopped before him, then placed a firm hand on Raidan's shoulder. His grip tightened, and for just a second, the king allowed himself to be a father again.
"You've grown stronger."
"I had to."
From the side entrance, hurried footsteps approached.
"Brother?!"
Arthur burst into the chamber, still in his training gear, sword half-drawn. His eyes scanned the room frantically before locking onto Raidan. His expression shifted from confusion to shock to pure, unfiltered joy.
"You're alive! You're actually—" He didn't finish. He crossed the distance in three long strides and grabbed Raidan by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?! Mother cried every night! Father wouldn't sleep! And I—"
Arthur stopped, jaw tightening. Then, without warning, he pulled Raidan into a crushing hug.
"Don't you ever disappear like that again."
Raidan grinned despite himself. "Missed you too, Arthur."
"Raidan...?"
A softer voice came from the doorway.
Elilia stood there, eyes already red, hands trembling as she gripped the edge of her dress. She looked like she didn't dare believe it.
"Is it...is it really you?"
Raidan turned, and his expression softened completely.
"Hey, Elilia."
That was all it took.
She ran.
Tears spilled freely as she collided with him, arms wrapping around his waist as she buried her face in his chest. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.
"I thought...I thought you were gone forever..."
Raidan rested a hand gently on her head. "I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."
Iris watched from the side, her own eyes stinging. She wiped them quickly before anyone could notice.
Queen Alicia pulled her into the embrace as well. "You too, Iris. You've both been so brave."
The room fell into a rare, quiet warmth. The kind that only comes when something broken is finally made whole again.
King Arlond cleared his throat, composing himself once more. But when he spoke, his voice carried something it hadn't in months—hope.
"Welcome home, my children."
Chival stepped forward, breaking the emotional moment with his usual energy.
"Arlond, I should announce the return of the prince sentenced to be fallen."
"You're talking too casually, you know—he's my dad."
King Arlond: "Chival, the chairman, and I were childhood friends."
"Oh, I see. So how are you going to announce it?"
Chival grinned, already pulling out a rolled parchment from his coat.
"That's easy. I will put posters around the city and add a section in the new newspaper that says as follows: 'The prince sentenced to be fallen, the Monarch Before His Time, He Who Rose Before Dawn, Raidan the 3rd Prince, and The Flame Vanquisher, Iris, have arisen once again!!!!'"
Iris smirked. "Yeah, you're good at this."
Chival winked. "I've had practice."
Wayla, Marny, and Neco stood off to the side, still processing everything.
Marny leaned toward Neco, whispering. "We've been traveling with royalty this whole time..."
Neco muttered back. "And we made him carry supplies."
Wayla just smiled, arms crossed. "I knew there was something special about him."
Raidan turned back to his companions, his expression genuine.
"Wayla, Marny, Neco—thank you. For treating me like a person, not a prince. For fighting beside me. For trusting me."
Wayla stepped forward, bowing her head slightly. "It was our honor, Milord. Or...should I still call you Reven?"
Raidan laughed. "Reven's fine. At least when we're on missions."
King Arlond raised his hand, his voice carrying authority once more.
"Let it be known across the kingdom—Raidan, the third prince, has returned. And with him, a new era begins."
Outside the palace, the city buzzed with energy as Chival's messengers spread the word. Posters were pinned to every corner. Newsboys shouted in the streets.
"Extra! Extra! The fallen prince has returned!"
"Raidan the Monarch is alive!"
"The Arc party saved the capital!"
In taverns, markets, and homes across the kingdom, people stopped what they were doing. Some cheered. Some cried. Others simply stared in disbelief.
But one thing was certain.
The kingdom had its prince back.
And this time, he wasn't alone.
That evening, the Arc party gathered in a private chamber within the palace. The weight of the day had finally settled, and for the first time in weeks, they could breathe.
Raidan stood by the window, looking out over the capital. Fires from celebrating crowds dotted the streets below. He could hear faint music and laughter carrying on the wind.
Iris walked up beside him, crossing her arms.
"Feels weird, doesn't it?"
"What does?"
"Being home."
Raidan nodded slowly. "Yeah. But it doesn't feel like before."
"Good," Iris said firmly. "Because you're not the same person you were before."
He glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Neither are you."
She grinned. "Obviously. I'm way stronger now."
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment.
Then Raidan spoke, quieter this time.
"We've got a long road ahead."
Iris nodded. "Finding the other Arcs. Building the party. Dealing with the Emberstalkers."
"Yeah."
"But we've got this." She bumped his shoulder lightly. "We always do."
Raidan turned away from the window, looking at his companions—Wayla, Marny, Neco—all resting, talking, finally at ease.
"Yeah," he said. "We do."
And for the first time since his exile, Raidan felt something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time.
Hope.
The journey was far from over.
But the Monarch Before His Time had finally come home.
And the world would never be the same.