✴️ Phase 1 – A Day Not Named After Me
The sound of drums was not beating,Nor were banners raised,But something in the air told the child that this day… was not like any other.
Kalidor opened his eyes early,Without anyone waking him.No one whispered his name,Nor was the fireplace lit as Merik usually did.
The silence… was uncomfortable.
He sat on his bed without moving,His eyes following the light filtering through the frosted glass shards.The light was not warm,But cold, sticky… as if carrying something that did not belong to it.
From his window, he saw the lower courtyard moving:Servants running,Trays carefully carried,Candles lit even though it was morning,And windows that had never been opened before… were now open.
He rose from the bed,Dressed slowly,Then stood before the small mirror on the wall —Not to look at his face,But to see if his reflection was still there.
It was.
But it looked weaker than usual.
In the corridor leading to the outer hall,A maid he had never seen before passed by,Carrying a cloth colored in gold —And when she looked at him, she did not stop,But smiled briefly,And whispered softly:
"Oh… Didn't they tell you the East Wing is closed to children today?"
He did not answer her.Nor did he understand why she did not mention his name.
In the great hall, he saw the old guard "Yurin" standing like a statue.He always greeted him with a slight nod…But this time, he did not move.
He wanted to say something,But Yurin raised his hand without turning,And motioned him back to the Grey Wing.
He stepped back two steps,Then looked around.
All doors were opening in the opposite direction.
All eyes were watching something unseen.
When he returned to his room,The fireplace was off,And the window still open.
And Merik… was not there.
He did not know what it meant for a day to be special.But for the first time,He understoodThat the castle, with all that was inside,Had started to move around something new…And not around him.
Phase 2 – Candles That Do Not Belong to Me
An hour or two had passed since he woke,And Merik had not appeared.
He searched for her in the usual corridor,Then in the small laundry room where she brushed his hair on gray mornings.She was not there either.
The castle, as he saw it, did not seem disturbed…But it was quieter than usual.
There is a kind of silence that does not mean peace,But means something important is being prepared —In a place he is not allowed to reach.
A new scent spread in the corridors…The smell of crushed herbs used in incense,And another scent of flowers that do not grow in their region.
When he approached the corridor leading to the Golden Wing —The area he had been told repeatedly: "You don't need it, it is empty now." —He saw it open,For the first time in months.
But he barely stepped toward it…When a maid in a light linen dress approached him,Her hair up as if coming from a party without music.
He did not know her.
She stood before him quietly, then said:
"Return to your wing, young master.There are those who do not like their rituals interrupted."
She said it as if it were a small mistake… to be corrected gently.Then she quietly closed the door behind her,Leaving Kalidor alone in the corridor.
He did not understand what she meant by "rituals."But the word echoed in his head,As if it was bigger than him.
On the way back, he noticed something new in the upper hall:Four blue candles, placed at equal distances,Lit by themselves… and melting slowly.
He thought candles were lit only to announce death,But one servant — an old man who did not speak much —Had told him a year ago that some candles are lit for birth too.
He pondered this,Then felt something in his chest retract inward…As if his heart had stumbled a step.
When he returned to his room,The fireplace was lit —But it was not him who lit it.
He found pieces of cut bread on the table,And beside it, a cup of warm drink.
But what caught his attention…Was that the plate was not as usual.It was not the white porcelain Merik was careful about.But a different type — darker, heavier, and without her mark.
He sat before the food,Then did not eat.
He felt that he… belonged perfectly,But the place did not resemble itself.
Outside the window,He saw a strange-faced woman walking toward the back gate,Carrying a small box,And a medical badge on her chest.
When she opened the gate,Rila, daughter of Marno, came out,Whispering something to that woman,Then laughed.A laugh he did not hear clearly…But it was not directed at him.
For the first time,Kalidor understood that some candles are not lit for him… and will never be lit.
Phase 3 – A Face Not Made for Me
In the evening,The movement in the corridors calmed.But the silence was not relief…It was anticipation — for something that truly happened and needed to be touched.
Kalidor could not sleep.He sat by the window, watching the lamps still lit upstairs,Those that were usually not lit at this time.
And when the footsteps faded,And the guards withdrew from the middle door,He stepped out of his wing cautiously,And quietly ascended toward the corridor that had been forbidden since his first days.
He reached the Golden Wing.
It was not closed this time,But half open,As if someone had left it on purpose… or forgot to return it to its normal state.
He approached more,Placed his palm on the wood,Then pushed gently… but the door did not move.
It was locked from the inside.
But through the gap, he saw something.
Inside the room he was not allowed to enter,Five servants gathered around a small bed,In its center a soft light, unlike candles,Nor the fire of the fireplaces.
He saw a small hand waving in the air,And a round, calm face,Not crying… nor moving much.
One servant whispered:
"How beautiful she is… as if she was created from the dawn itself."
Then he heard another voice — feminine, elegant, artificially warm:
"The covenant has begun again."
He knew that face was unknown to him.That hand would not wave to him.That the light did not come for him…But because someone decided that what was dark… no longer deserved to wait.
He stood still,Hearing only words repeated:
"Light, light… how you are light."
"She resembles the lady perfectly."
"Even her silence is more beautiful than others' cries."
He felt something move inside him,As if his heart suddenly changed shape,And became smaller…Or too big for him to bear.
He whispered to himself, without knowing why:
"I did not cry when I was born."
"Was that a mistake?"
Before turning back,He saw a new person enter the room —A dark-skinned woman, with sharp features, carrying a small bottle and a pillow.
He did not see her face well,But the servants left her a place in the circle of light.
Kalidor returned silently,Untouched,Unasked,Unseen.
On his way to his wing,He found Merik standing in the shadow, near the stone stairs.
She said nothing to him.But her eyes were full… as if they were lost.
For the first time,She did not approach him.Did not touch his shoulder.Nor turned her face to see him disappear.
He passed quietly.And climbed silently.
And in his heart, something like a confession…But without words:
"That face… was not made for me."
Phase 4 – Cracks in the Frame
The next day, the window drapes in the Grey Wing were replaced.This was not usual,Nor important…But Merik stared at the new curtains for a long time,Then said:
"Olive color… this means the beginning of a new administration."
He did not understand.
But she seemed to know exactly what it meant.
That morning, he sat in the small hall,Twisting his fingers around a glass of cold milk he hadn't finished,And when the internal guard entered, all servants stood silently.
With him entered a tall man, with a trimmed mustache, and a metallic sound in his steps,Followed by two young women, wearing the same dark grey dress.Their steps were parallel,Same height, same arm movement,As if they were one image reflected in two different mirrors.
They stopped at the door,And the older one spoke first:
"Lisa daughter of Al Halim, seven years old."
"Lina daughter of Al Halim, four years old."
"Apprentice maids, candidates for the long formation project."
She said the sentence as if it was training.Maybe it was.
Kalidor watched Merik,She stood at the edge,Her eyes moving between the twins and the tall man silently.
Then the older woman added:
"They will stay for training until further orders."
She looked at Kalidor sharply, then smiled faintly:
"You may continue playing in your wing, young master.We will manage here."
Kalidor stood uncertain,And Merik approached him carefully,Touching his arm.
"Play quietly.Everything will be as before."
He did not believe her.
Phase 5 – The Long Shadow
That evening, the sun sank behind the mountains,And shadows began to crawl on the walls.
Kalidor sat by the fireplace,Watching the flames flicker,When a shadow crossed the door silently.
It was the tall man from before,The one who spoke of "the long formation project."
Kalidor felt his heart beat faster,But he said nothing.
The man sat beside him,And said quietly:
"The world is changing, young master.Not all will survive the change."
Kalidor looked at him, confused.
The man continued:
"You have a role greater than you think.But it is time to wake."
The boy's eyes widened.
The man rose,And left without another word.
Kalidor was left with the firelight,And the feeling that a new light had come after him…A light that did not belong to his name.
End of Chapter Five.