Sons of a devil-Chapter 123: surprised councils

"That's either very cool or very cursed," Caelan muttered, already pulling on his boots.

They sprinted down to the palace library where Cain, Selene, Leo, Zara, Eira, Eren, and several guards were already gathered. The scroll lay in the center of the table, glowing faintly and sealed with an unfamiliar crest—two dragons entwined over a bleeding sun.

"I'm guessing this isn't from the kingdom's 'friendly pen pals' society," Caelan said.

"Nope," Leo muttered. "It's from the Shadow Archives. Only shows up when something big is about to change."

"Didn't the last Shadow Archive scroll announce the Great Rebellion?" Zara asked.

"And the one before that foretold Father's... downfall," Cain said grimly.

Selene stepped forward, her fingers hovering above the seal. "It's reacting to us. I can feel the pull."

The moment she touched it, the room went deathly silent. Then the scroll unfurled on its own, revealing words written in glowing red ink:

"To the Bloodborne Line: What was hidden shall rise. The forgotten prince seeks his crown. Prepare for reckoning. The serpent lives."

Everyone stood still.

"The forgotten prince?" Eira whispered.

"Another sibling?" Eren said.

"Please don't say serpent like it's poetic," Azrael Jr. grumbled. "That sounds very stab-worthy."

Rina slowly raised her hand. "I may have... um... seen a snake boy in my dream. With silver eyes. He said, and I quote, 'See you soon, cousin.'"

Everyone turned to her.

"What?!" Cain shouted.

"You didn't think to mention this?" Selene nearly facepalmed.

"I was waiting to see if it was just indigestion," Rina said defensively. "Leo fed me spicy stew the night before!"

Zara gave Leo a smirk. "You just had to experiment with fire peppers."

He shrugged. "She liked it."

Cain sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "All right. Everyone—we need to prepare. Whoever this 'forgotten prince' is... he's coming for us. We need eyes everywhere, especially in the Outlands."

Azrael Jr. turned to Rina. "This is it. Our next big mess."

Rina cracked her knuckles, grinning. "Oh, I'm so ready."

Caelan raised his sword. "Let the chaos begin."

And just like that, peace was put on pause again—for family, for legacy, and for an upcoming storm that none of them were truly prepared for.

But ready or not, the serpent prince was coming.

The glow from the scroll hadn't faded. If anything, it pulsed faster—like a heartbeat. Rina inched closer, her eyes narrowed. "Is it... breathing?"

Azrael Jr. poked it with a quill. "Nope. Just creepy."

Selene finally broke the tense silence. "We need the royal sages. If this is Shadow Archive magic, we're dealing with something older than this kingdom."

"Older than you, uncle ," Rina teased, pointing at Cain.

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Cain chuckled. "Not by much, cheeky firebug."

Just then, a scroll of different kind fluttered in through the open window and smacked Caelan directly in the face.

"Assault!" he yelled dramatically. "Scroll attack!"

Azrael Jr. snorted as he unrolled the parchment. "It's from the Outland scouts. There's movement near the Serpent's Spine mountains. Reports of... glowing silver eyes spotted at night."

Everyone went quiet again.

"Looks like snake-boy's not just a dream," Eren said grimly.

"Then let's stop dreaming and start preparing," Selene said, pulling herself into full Queen mode. "We call the council. Tonight."

Rina, however, was more interested in what was under the scroll table. She bent down and pulled out a hidden dagger—etched with the same serpent-and-sun symbol from the scroll.

"Uh, guys?" she said. "We've been infiltrated."

Leo took the dagger, inspecting it with narrowed eyes. "This... this is Vipersteel. It hasn't been forged in centuries."

Zara put an arm around Rina protectively. "That means someone already entered the palace. Someone with access."

Azrael Jr. and Caelan exchanged a look.

"The scroll wasn't delivered," Caelan said slowly. "It was planted."

Azrael Jr. swore under his breath. "We've got a traitor."

Just then, the library door creaked open and one of the maids stepped in. "Your Highnesses. The council is assembled in the war chamber. Shall I bring refreshments?"

"Just bring courage," Cain muttered.

As the family moved down the palace corridor, Eira tugged Eren's arm and whispered, "Do you think it's true? That there's a forgotten prince?"

"I don't know," Eren murmured. "But I don't like the idea of someone thinking they can steal what belongs to our bloodline."

Behind them, Rina skipped along, flame flickering off her fingers. "If he's family, I'll give him a chance. If not..." She grinned, lighting her fingertip like a match. "I've got ways."

Caelan looked at her with mock fear. "Why are all the girls in our family terrifying?"

"Because we're adorable," she chirped.

The doors to the war chamber opened—and this time, there was no joking. Around the great round table, advisors, generals, and scholars awaited.

Cain stood tall at the head. "We've survived wars. Darkness. Betrayal. But what's coming next may strike closer to home than ever before."

Selene stepped beside him. "We must be ready. For whoever the Serpent Prince is... he's no longer just a whisper."

Azrael Jr. added with a grin, "But we're not just a family. We're a chaotic dynasty of doom. And he has no idea what he's walking into."

Rina raised her hand. "Can we put that on a banner?"

And somehow, despite the storm gathering once more, laughter still echoed in the war chamber.

Because chaos was their home—and no serpent could slither through it without stepping on fire.