The Enchanted Prince in Search of Salvation

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The rain of Miravale had been falling continuously for three nights. The streets shone like wet mirrors, and the water lilies on the canals held their flower heads steadfastly above the water. Between the old half-timbered houses and the towering towers moved a small figure, its eyes shimmering golden in the lantern light: a frog-creature, wrapped in a cloak, the lantern clutched close to its chest. But in his heart, he carried not only light—he carried a secret. His name was Prince Elrian. Once he was the heir to the kingdom of Miravale, known for his wisdom and kindness. But many years ago, he had broken a promise he should never have broken. In the castle gardens, he swore eternal loyalty to a mysterious enchantress—and forgot her when he gave his word to another heart. The punishment was terrible: She placed a curse on him, transforming him into a creature between man and beast, a guardian of the light, condemned to wander through rain and darkness every night. "Your salvation," she had hissed, "lies not in power, not in crowns. It lies in the courage to conquer the darkness within." Since then, Elrian had been searching. He wasn't looking for riches or victories, but for that one moment that could break the curse. For many years, he had believed a princess must redeem him. But the years had taught him that salvation wasn't always the hand of another, but often his own. That evening, his path led him to the edge of the canal. There, where the water lilies floated like tiny stars in the water, his lantern flickered restlessly. "Something is approaching," he murmured. From the water rose a shadow—the figure of a man, formed from black rain, with eyes as empty as the night sky. It was no stranger. It was himself—the reflection of his guilt, formed from the magic that had bound him for years. "You cannot escape me," whispered the shadow's voice. "I am your betrayal, your broken word. As long as you deny me, you will remain in this form." Elrian knelt, held the lantern to his chest, and closed his eyes. For the first time, he answered not with defensiveness, but with truth. "Yes," he said, "I have failed. I have hurt a heart that trusted me. I have lost myself." The heartlight in the lantern glowed brighter, as if it wanted to pierce the darkness. The shadow trembled, dissolving like mist in the morning wind. Elrian felt the spell stirring within him, as if every fiber of his skin longed to breathe freely again. But the curse was not yet fully broken—for redemption was not a single moment, but a path. The rain subsided, and the towers of Miravale gleamed in the gentle light of the lanterns. Elrian rose. He was still trapped in the form of the frog creature, but he now knew: Every step he took in truth and humility brought him closer to freedom. And so he continued his search, night after night, with the lantern in his hand – no longer just as a guardian of the light, but as a prince on the path to salvation.