Wrath of Arthur: The Cursed Bloodline

Arthur arrived at the towering gates of Valoria Kingdom, walking side by side with his Voltren the black horse. The beast walking calmly now, its once-injured leg moving without a trace of pain. Arthur looked up at the familiar gates and let out a small, crooked smile as a memory came to him

"Even if you don't find what you're looking for… you'll always have a place here,"Sir Vale had said, just before Arthur left for Cravendorn.

As Arthur stepped into the capital, the streets buzzed with even more life than usual—crowds, banners, travellers. Then it hit him. Today marked the beginning of the Senior Division enrolment at the Valorian Capital Academy. Young men and women from across the kingdom had flooded the city, all hoping to earn their place among Valoria's elite.

As he made his way through the crowd, a sudden commotion ahead caught his attention—a loud thud, gasps, and a rising cloud of dust. Arthur moved closer, narrowing his eyes.

In the centre of the ruckus stood a young noblewoman, around his age, dressed in a sharp, embroidered travel coat marked. She stood infront of two scared thieves, her expression burning with fury. In her hand was sheathed sword

"You commoners are all the same," she snapped, stepping closer to one thief who was groaning and trying to crawl back. The other had already fled.

She raised the sword high, her stance perfect and focused—ready to bring it down with a blow that could crush a skull.

People around gasped but did nothing.

Arthur moved in an instant.

Clang!

He crouched low beside the thief, pivoting into the space between him and the raging noblewoman. His sword is in reverse grip, his forearm braced firm and steady. The flat of his blade ran from the edge of his wrist up along his body—a perfect shield against the descending strike. The noblewoman's sheathed blade clashed against Arthur's defence.He didn't flinch.

His voice cut through the air, calm but sharp.

"That's enough."

The crowd held its breath. The woman blinked, jolted from her fury for just a moment. She looked at him.

Boots thundered in.Two city guards pushed past the crowd, grabbing the dazed thief by the arms and hauling him up.

The noblewoman sighed as if this entire interruption was beneath her. She casually pulled back her blade.

Then she looked down at Arthur, her expression unreadable—cold, composed.

She said in a low voice:

"Next time… my sword won't stop. It'll go through both of you."

She turned on her heel and walked away, her cloak fluttering behind her with each elegant, confident step. Her long dark hair followed the motion.

Arthur stood back up slowly, his grip relaxing.

The thief looked up at him, grateful, before being dragged off by the guards. Arthur's gaze stayed locked on the woman's back, watching her disappear into people.

"Well," he muttered under his breath, "That was close".

After the tension of the encounter faded, Arthur gave one last glance back at her walking, then quietly turned to his horse, the two of them moved on.

The capital was bustling.

He made his way to Sir Vale's office, tucked near the central district. But the place was empty.

"Sir Vale?" a young assistant said. "He left early. I think he went to meet the Head of Academy."

Arthur nodded and headed to the academy.

Again, no luck.

"He left a while ago," someone said. "Something urgent came from the palace. He's probably there."

A sigh escaped Arthur. He scratched the side of his neck and turned toward their usual food stall, the little corner place near the outer palace wall. A humble joint Vale always preferred, despite his status.

It was nearly midday when Arthur finally saw a familiar figure emerge from the towering gates of the palace.

Sir Vale, dressed in his trainer attire, walked with a calm but stern air—his brows slightly furrowed, as if something weighed on him.

Arthur stood casually on the side of the road, with one hand holding the rope tied to his horse. He said nothing. Just waited.

It took a second, but when Vale's eyes landed on Arthur, his demeanor changed.

A smile broke through that tough mask.

"Arthur," Vale said, approaching. "You're back."He gave a nod, but then his eyes dropped to the horse beside him—and widened."…Is that… a Veltron?"

Arthur gave a slight grin. "Yeah. It's a long story."

Vale stepped closer, almost in disbelief. "A real Veltron. I've only seen a couple in my life—and mostly in chains. You… tamed one?"

Arthur patted the horse's neck. "Tame? He's kind of a buddy now."

Vale let out a quiet laugh, impressed. "You've really become a master to a Veltron, good job. He looks young—but with proper care… he's going to grow into a wild beast. Strong and Loyal."

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, about that. I don't really have a place to keep him. Honestly, I planned to set him free, but he won't leave my side. So I was wondering…"

he paused.

"…Would you let him stay in your horse yard? I'll clean the yard, stables and feed, him and the other horses you keep—every evening."

Vale raised a brow. Then smirked. "You don't need to do all that."

Arthur was about to speak, but Vale added, smiling cheekily—

"But since you offered… Deal."

They both chuckled, and the Veltron gave a short, low whinny like it understood it had found its home.

Vale placed a hand on his shoulder. "Glad you made it back safely."

He stepped back, hands behind his back, eyes curious.

"So… how were your travels?"

A quiet moment passed before Vale asked, more gently, "Did you find them?"

Arthur looked away for a second, down at the necklace now hanging in the new leather locket across his chest. He took a breath and replied—

"I found… something."

Vale nodded slowly.

Arthur gently reached, take out the small leather locket."I wanted to show you this," he said, holding it out to Vale. "Maybe you'd recognize something."

He opened it, revealing the marble stone within. As Arthur whispered, the subtle glimmer returned—projecting the soft, glowing image of his parents and himself as a baby, huddled together in a warm, long-lost memory.

Vale leaned forward, studying the vision closely. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully."Hmm... your father's attire... doesn't match anything I've seen from any of the known kingdoms."He tilted his head. "Could be something foreign... But we can't draw conclusions based on clothing alone."

He leaned back and gave Arthur a small, reassuring smile."Still—that's one step closer, isn't it? Seems your journey wasn't a waste after all."

Arthur nodded slowly. For a moment, he considered telling Vale everything—about the strange surge of power, the reddish figure, the black and red mist back in Eindale. But looking at Vale's face, that same thoughtful, distant expression he saw earlier returned.

Instead, Arthur asked, "Is everything alright with the palace? You looked... concerned before."

Vale paused, then sighed."There's an issue. Distant, for now. But we'll need to be ready for."He looked directly into Arthur's eyes."You need to train harder, young man."

Arthur nodded, firm and quiet.

They stopped at their usual food stall near the palace as the sun began to dip. The familiar smell of roasted meat and spiced broth wrapped around them like a memory. Once the food arrived, they began eating, talking lightly—until Vale, mid-bite, asked:

"Did you submit your enrollment application for the senior division?"

Vale looked at him with a slow blink."They only select a limited number of candidates applied. Application closes today."

Arthur froze, then slowly turned to look at the horizon—the sun halfway down already.

"…Oh no."

He leapt up, nearly knocking over his chair."See you, Sir Vale!!"

Vale chuckled as Arthur ran to his horse, quickly climbed up, and galloped off toward the academy, the orange-gold sunset blazing behind him like fire.