The King Sentenced Me to the Beasts, but the Lion Remembered My Sacrifice
Previously: Cast into the colosseum to be devoured by a monstrous black lion, young Leo prepared for the worst—until a single scar on his arm changed the course of history.
The Secret of the Scar
The colosseum erupted into a frenzy of shouting and pointing. King Robert stood up, his face pale with a mixture of rage and fear. He gestured wildly to his personal guard, demanding they silence the crowd and execute the prisoner immediately. But the massive black lion, sensing its companion's danger, positioned itself protectively over Leo, baring its fangs and letting out a warning growl that kept the guards at bay.
High Cleric Thomas raised his hands, calling for order. His voice, amplified by the arena's stone acoustics, commanded attention.
"If this man is indeed the legendary savior who slew the Shadow Dragon," Thomas proclaimed, "then the law demands we hear his testimony before the gods."
Leo stood up, his hand resting on the lion's thick, dark mane. He looked directly at the royal balcony, his voice steady and clear. He explained how, two years ago in the forbidden valley, King Robert had fled the battle in cowardice, leaving his regiment to die. Leo had fought the beast alone, surviving only because this very lion—then a cub trapped by the dragon's dark magic—had been freed by Leo's hand. The scar on his arm was the mark of that fateful battle, a bond forged in blood and fire.
The crowd gasped as the truth laid bare the king’s cowardice. Robert, backed into a corner, drew his ceremonial sword, shouting that Leo was a sorcerer who had bewitched the beast. He ordered his elite knights to charge the arena, desperate to cover up his treasonous past before the rebellion could ignite.
”He ordered his elite knights to charge the arena, desperate to cover up his treasonous past before the rebellion could ignite.