They threw me into a pit of lions…
Because of a mark I never asked for.
The chains around my wrists burned as they shoved me forward. My body slammed into the sand below, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.
Above me, thousands watched.
Cheering.
Screaming.
Waiting.
"Kill the abomination!"
"Let the cursed child die!"
Their voices crashed over me like waves, full of hatred I didn't understand.
I coughed, forcing myself onto my knees. Blood dripped from my lip onto the golden sand, staining it darker… like it didn't belong there.
Like I didn't belong here.
I looked up.
High above the arena walls, seated on a throne carved from black stone, was the man who had ordered my death.
My father.
Or at least… the man who was supposed to be.
His expression didn't change as our eyes met. No anger. No sorrow.
Just… nothing.
Like I was never his to begin with.
My chest tightened.
I didn't understand.
Why?
What did I do wrong?
My fingers clenched into fists as the chains rattled softly. The metal bit into my skin, but the pain barely registered.
Because something worse was coming.
A low growl echoed through the pit.
Then another.
And another.
Slowly, I turned.
They emerged from the shadows one by one massive, golden-eyed beasts with muscles rippling beneath their fur. Their paws sank into the sand as they circled me, silent and deliberate.
Hungry.
Patient.
Waiting.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
This was it.
This was how I died.
Not as a prince.
Not as a son.
But as a monster they never wanted.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
Mother…
Her voice echoed faintly in my memory, soft yet heavy with something I never fully understood.
"You are not like them."
At the time, I thought it was comfort.
Now… it felt like a warning.
Because I remembered something else.
Something she whispered when she thought I was asleep.
"A child born of darkness and light… will either save this world… or burn it to ash."
My chest tightened.
Darkness… and light.
I didn't understand what it meant.
I still didn't.
But they did.
That's why they feared me.
That's why they wanted me dead.
A sudden snarl snapped me back to reality.
One of the lions stepped forward.
Closer.
Its massive body loomed over me, its golden eyes locked onto mine. I could feel its breath haot, heavy, reeking of blood and death.
My body refused to move.
Fear rooted me to the ground.
This was the end.
The lion tensed.
Muscles coiled.
Then
It lunged.
I flinched, shutting my eyes as the world seemed to collapse in that single moment
But the impact never came.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Slowly… I opened my eyes.
The lion stood inches away from me.
Frozen.
Its claws dug into the sand, its body trembling violently as if fighting against something unseen.
Then… it lowered its head.
And bowed.
"…Kneel."
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
But it wasn't just a word.
It was a command.
And the world obeyed.
My breath caught in my throat.
"…What?"
A ripple spread through the arena.
The crowd fell silent.
The other lions stopped circling.
One by one… they lowered themselves.
Bowing.
To me.
My heart pounded violently.
This wasn't possible.
I didn't understand what was happening
Then suddenly
Pain.
A sharp, burning pain exploded from my chest.
I gasped, collapsing forward as something beneath my skin ignited. Heat spread through my veins like fire, tearing through my body from the inside.
"Aaaahh!"
I clutched my chest, screaming as the mark revealed itself.
It burned through my skin, dark and radiant at the same time. A symbol I had never seen before… yet somehow felt like it had always been there.
The air around me changed.
Heavier.
Darker.
Alive.
High above, the man on the throne finally moved.
For the first time… his expression cracked.
Shock.
Fear.
"…Impossible," he whispered.
But I didn't hear him.
Because something else did.
A voice.
Deep.
Ancient.
Not from the outside…
But from within me.
"So… they tried to kill you before you awakened."
My entire body went still.
My breathing slowed.
The pain faded… replaced by something far more terrifying.
Power.
Raw. Endless. Watching.
The voice echoed again, colder this time.
"How amusing."
A chill ran down my spine.
"…Who are you?" I thought, my mind trembling.
A pause.
Then
A quiet, dangerous whisper.
"I am what they feared you would become."
The mark pulsed.
The lions pressed deeper into the ground.
And above me
The sky began to darken.
As if the world itself…
Was bowing too.