CHAPTER 2 :THE BIRTHDAY OF THEM

Another stormy night covered the kingdom in darkness.

Rain poured relentlessly from the sky, and the wind howled through the palace halls as if warning everyone that something extraordinary was about to happen.

From inside the royal chambers came the agonizing cries of a woman.

Queen Claire was giving birth.

"My Queen, please... push harder!" the royal midwife urged.

"I... can't!" Claire cried, tears streaming down her face. "Ahhh!"

Outside the chamber, King Adrian paced back and forth. Every scream from his wife pierced his heart.

He wanted nothing more than to be by her side, but tradition forbade it.

Please, let Claire and our children be safe, he prayed silently.

Then, after what felt like an eternity...

A baby's cry echoed through the room.

Then another.

And another.

"They're boys!" the midwife announced joyfully. "Three healthy princes!"

The king rushed inside.

Queen Claire lay exhausted against her pillows, her face pale and covered in sweat. Despite her exhaustion, she smiled as she cradled two of the newborn princes. The third rested peacefully in the midwife's arms.

"May I hold him?" King Adrian asked softly.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the midwife replied, placing the baby gently into his arms.

The moment the tiny prince touched his father's hands, a strange warmth spread through the king's heart.

He smiled.

"He looks just like me," he whispered with a chuckle. "But he has his mother's beautiful eyes."

For a brief moment, the room was filled with peace.

Then the king's smile faded.

He looked at Queen Claire with sadness in his eyes.

"My love... I'm sorry."

Claire already knew what he meant.

"I know," she whispered, fighting back tears. "Please... just give me a few more minutes with our sons."

The king nodded.

Their love had broken an ancient law.

And now, their children would pay the price.

When the time came, three royal guardians entered the room.

Queen Claire held her sons tightly before kissing each of them goodbye.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as the guardians carried the babies away.

The eldest prince would be taken to the Realm of Darkness.

The second prince would be raised in the Realm of Light.

The youngest prince would journey to the Realm of Life.

Separated from birth, each prince would grow up unaware that he had two brothers.

One day, when their hidden powers awakened, destiny would bring them together once more.

But whether they would save the kingdoms...

...or destroy them...

remained a mystery.

Queen Claire remained frozen on the bed long after the guardians had disappeared. The nursery that had been filled with the cries of newborns was now painfully silent.

"I didn't even get to watch them sleep," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I didn't get to sing them a lullaby or tell them how much I love them."

King Adrian walked over and gently held her hand.

"They will be safe," he said, though he wasn't sure if he believed his own words. "The guardians have sworn to protect them until the day their powers awaken."

Claire looked at him with tear-filled eyes.

"But what if they forget us?" she asked. "What if they grow up believing we abandoned them?"

The king lowered his head. That question had haunted him ever since the prophecy was revealed.

"They may forget our faces," he said quietly, "but they will always carry our blood... and our love."

At that moment, the palace doors burst open.

An old woman dressed in a dark cloak entered the royal chamber. Her silver hair flowed over her shoulders, and she carried an ancient staff carved with glowing symbols.

Everyone in the room immediately bowed.

"The High Oracle," one of the maidens whispered.

The Oracle stepped closer to the king and queen, her expression grave.

"The prophecy has begun," she said. "The princes have left the palace, but their journey has only just started."

"What do you mean?" King Adrian asked.

"The day will come when the three princes meet three extraordinary sisters," the Oracle replied. "Their destinies are tied together by an ancient curse older than this kingdom itself."

Queen Claire wiped away her tears.

"Will our sons return to us?"

The Oracle closed her eyes for a moment.

"I cannot answer that," she said softly. "The future is hidden. I see love, sacrifice, betrayal... and a great darkness rising. Only when the six destinies become one will the truth be revealed."

The room fell silent.

Outside, lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

Far away, in three different directions, the newborn princes were carried toward their separate destinies.

None of them knew they had brothers.

None of them knew that one day, their paths would cross with three sisters who shared a single body.

And when that day came...

The fate of every kingdom would change forever.

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