Chapter 5: The Lie He Carries
The forest slowly disappeared behind them. No one spoke. The knights moved in perfect formation. They were silent. Sylas stayed quiet too; he didn’t know how to start a conversation with people he never met, or more importantly what to ask.
He realized it’s better to stay quiet until he learns more about Arthur. He doesn’t want to risk getting exposed.
But it was difficult—the more he stayed quiet, the more questions filled his head—like who were those people? Why did they kill the real Arthur?
To distract himself from everything, he scanned the area. He was in a different world. The air felt fresh. The sunlight was warm on his skin. They followed a trail, and on both sides, tall grass swayed in the wind. Flowers covered the fields, and birds flew above them.
Some people were in the fields working, while animals helped them pull carts filled with crops. The road was smooth, though some parts were muddy from animals doing their business.
Then, up ahead, he spotted a massive castle on top of a hill, surrounded by a stone wall, with a river flowing along the left side.
As they got close, someone shouted, "Sir Arthur has returned!"
The large wooden gate slowly opened. When he entered through the gate, people stood on both sides, cheering as he passed by them. Some started tearing up, some exploded with excitement. All Sylas could see in their eyes was hope. He felt something heavy pressing down on him as he passed by them.
He walked forward, back straight, trying to copy the same presence his father carried. He didn’t feel like a king... but they believed he was.
[Progress Updated: 2,000 / 25,000 Believers]
The guards guided him up the hill. More people started to gather to see their new king. He kept moving forward; he couldn’t bear to look at them. Their eyes filled with hope, and he knew he would let them all down.