Cursed Mark: Rise of the Forgotten Prince

The Night of Reckoning

The moon hung high, a silver eye peering through the blackened sky, casting its pale glow over the palace grounds. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, cold stone, and the distant whispers of a kingdom that had long forgotten me.

Yet tonight, they would remember.

I moved like a shadow through the forbidden corridors, my steps light, deliberate. Every flickering torch and shifting patrol route had been etched into my memory. This was not the first time Kael Veylan had walked these paths.

But this time, he did not walk them to die.

In the novel, Kael had come here once before—the night he was cast aside. He had fled in despair, his body weakened by years of neglect, his mind shattered by the weight of failure. He had sought solitude, a corner of the palace where he could disappear without protest, without notice.

But I was not that Kael.

I was here for power.

To rise.

And for that, I needed to reach the ruins.

---

The Seal of Damnation

The pristine marble of the palace gave way to ancient, forgotten ruins—a hidden wound buried beneath the kingdom's splendor. Once, this place had been a temple, a sacred ground where knowledge and power coalesced. Now, it was little more than a mausoleum for secrets.

And at its heart lay the thing I sought.

I came to a stop before an archway of crumbling stone. Vines curled around the shattered pillars, their thorns slick with moisture. The air inside was thick—too thick—as though the very walls were holding their breath, waiting.

My pulse quickened.

I pressed my hand against the cold stone, the rough surface biting into my skin.

The Cursed Mark reacted immediately.

A sharp, searing pain tore through me as crimson veins spread across my arm, pulsing with raw, untamed energy. My vision blurred, my breath hitched. Then—

A deep tremor shook the ground.

A sound like grinding stone echoed through the chamber as ancient runes lit up, twisting and shifting beneath my feet, whispering incantations long lost to time.

Then, a voice—low, ancient, and amused—spoke.

"Who dares disturb my slumber?"

The weight of it was suffocating. My knees threatened to buckle, my lungs burned, but I refused to kneel.

"I do," I said, my voice steady. Unshaken.

A pause.

Then, laughter—deep, guttural, resonating in my bones.

"Ah… a cursed one. How fitting."

The shadows thickened, swirling into a massive clawed hand that reached toward me.

I did not move.

I could not show weakness.

"Do you seek power?" The voice slithered into my thoughts.

I exhaled slowly. The wrong answer could mean death.

"I seek survival."

Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. Then, the voice rumbled once more.

"Then let us make a deal, little prince."

---

The Bargain of the Marked

From the abyss of darkness, a figure emerged.

It was tall, draped in tattered robes, its form shifting like smoke yet carrying the weight of something ancient. Something that should not exist.

It was neither human nor beast.

It was something far, far worse.

"I can grant you strength," it whispered, voice like rusted metal scraping against stone. "But power is never free."

My fingers curled into fists.

"I know the cost."

The entity chuckled, circling me like a predator savoring its prey.

"Oh? Do you?" It leaned closer, though its hood obscured its face. Yet I could feel its grin, sharp and knowing.

"The Mark you bear is no mere curse, little prince."

My breath caught in my throat.

"It is a key."

A key?

To what?

"Unlock it, and you will no longer be the weak prince they mock. But beware…"

The air turned cold. A weight pressed against my chest.

"Every power comes with a price."

I knew this. I had always known this.

Yet, I did not hesitate.

"I accept."

The entity let out a low, satisfied laugh.

"Then let us begin."

---

The Awakening of the Mark

Pain.

Raw, searing, merciless pain tore through my body as the entity raised its clawed hand, pressing its palm against my chest. The Cursed Mark ignited, veins of crimson light threading through my skin, branding me from the inside out.

I barely held back a scream as visions ripped through my mind.

A battlefield, soaked in blood.

A throne of shadows, its ruler unseen.

Chains—cold, iron chains—coiling around my body, dragging me toward an abyss that had no end.

I gasped, collapsing to my knees.

The Mark was awakening.

And it was hungry.

The entity loomed over me, its voice like a blade against my soul.

"Choose, little prince. Will you break… or will you rise?"

Through the agony, through the haze of fire burning beneath my skin, I forced a smirk.

"I will rise."

The shadows shuddered, as if delighted.

"Then take your first step… into the abyss."

The magic circle beneath me exploded with crimson light, engulfing me in darkness.

And in that moment—

Something shifted.

A power long buried in my blood had finally begun to awaken.

---

A New Dawn

The first rays of dawn filtered through the chamber's broken walls, painting the ruins in hues of gold and scarlet.

I opened my eyes.

The pain was gone.

The Mark no longer burned.

Instead, it pulsed—not with suffering, but with something new.

Something alive.

I lifted my hand, watching as tendrils of dark energy flickered along my fingertips, obeying my will. My heart pounded in my chest, but it was not from fear.

It was from exhilaration.

For the first time since arriving in this world… I felt hope.

The Royal Examination was today.

And this time—

I would not be the weakest.

I would make them remember my name.

---

End of Chapter 2