Here is Chapter 35 of Melt
Chapter 35: The Spirit's Warning
The air outside the palace still quivered from the aftermath of the chaos. The courtyard, once filled with noise and fury, had now grown eerily silent—until two palace guards stumbled toward the garden wall, wide-eyed and trembling, murmuring incoherently about glowing eyes and shadows with wings.
Before their fear could travel further, Oki appeared behind them like a wisp of smoke. Her aura hummed softly, her green eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight. "You saw nothing," she whispered, touching their foreheads with two fingers.
A wave of light passed through the guards, and within seconds, their memories dissolved. They blinked, confused, then looked around in silence, unable to recall what had driven them to fear.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the palace, in a locked and dim chamber laced with magical runes, the king stirred. He'd been hidden away for days, the truth of his disappearance buried beneath the queen's deceitful spell. The place reeked of old betrayal, and his strength had been slowly fading.
A flash of emerald light sliced through the darkness. Oki stepped through, her figure wrapped in mist. Without a word, she snapped the restraints with a flick of her fingers and lifted the weakened king.
"Where… am I?" the king muttered.
"You've been... misplaced," Oki replied, gently. "But there's no time to explain. Your son needs you—more now than ever."
Just as the shadows began to close in again, she vanished with the king in her arms, reappearing in a private chamber above. She set him down, and for a moment, her eyes flickered with something soft and sorrowful.
"He will crumble without you," she said. "Don't let history repeat itself."
The wind howled outside.
In the sky above the palace, a brilliant shimmer of white light suddenly appeared. A spirit descended—elegant, proud, and radiant in moon-silver robes. Queen Elira's soul, untethered from time, hovered in silence. Her eyes, filled with pain and wisdom, found the queen alone in her secret chamber.
"You've stolen long enough," Elira's voice echoed like thunder and whispers all at once. "But even your deepest lies cannot hold back what is meant to rise."
The new queen fell to her knees, unable to speak. Elira's spirit leaned in close, her presence suffocating and divine.
"You'll pay for what you've buried. My son's fire will awaken, and your throne will become ash."
And just as quickly, she vanished, leaving the queen pale and shaking.
That night, as the people of the kingdom debated Oki's role and whispered cruelly about her disappearance, Prince Kimo stood silently on his balcony, watching. He heard them. Every word. Every doubt.
And yet… he said nothing.
Because deep down, something was rising inside him. Something powerful. Something ancient.
And soon, the truth would no longer stay buried.
To be continued...