CHAPTER 67
The wind had quieted, but the forest still breathed with ancient magic as Silas and Karsen made their way down the mossy trail leading away from the ruined seal.
Silas walked calmly beside him, hands in his coat pockets, his gaze steady on the path ahead. "You're just jumpy. Too much ghost stories from the academy."
Silas frowned. "That was a moth. They eat cloth. I value my coat."
They shared a laugh but halfway through the winding path, Karsen suddenly stopped.
Silas halted as well, confused.
Then Karsen suddenly unsheathed his sword in one smooth motion and pointed it directly at Silas.
Silas froze.
'Did he... already know?'
Karsen's face was unreadable for a beat.
Then he grinned. "Ah.. my bad. Felt something nasty in the air. Like... a glare that wants me dead."
He looked around theatrically, then lowered the blade.
Silas forced a chuckle, tension ebbing slightly.
But Karsen wasn't done.
Silas blinked. "What?"
Karsen gasped, stepping back with exaggerated horror. "You DID do it!"
Silas tensed again.
Silas blinked. "What?"
Karsen gagged. "Ugh. Gross. No wonder the air smelled weird. Honestly, Silas-"
But this time, there was no smile. He faced Silas squarely, eyes focused, voice calm.
The laughter in Silas's throat died.
Karsen didn't move. His grip on his blade was loose, but his stance said otherwise.
Silas exhaled slowly... and then..
He laughed.
But it wasn't light. It cracked and spiraled-loud, unhinged, echoing in the trees.
Dark mana pulsed from beneath his coat, slamming into the ground and twisting the space around them. A shimmering black barrier surged up, sealing the path and trapping Karsen inside.
Mana cracked across the stone beneath their feet as Silas raised a hand, his aura shifting-no longer the Silas everyone knew.
Not a healer. Not a companion.
Karsen raised his blade again, eyes narrowing-not with fear, but with hurt.
Silas let out another laugh, deadly and rising like a tide. "And miss this grand betrayal? Never."
The air split as Silas launched forward, shadows twisting like vines around his limbs. Karsen barely managed to raise his blade in time, steel clashing with a flash of corrupted mana.
Sparks flew.
The tremor beneath their feet wasn't just from their powers-it was from something breaking.
Silas sneered, "I woke up."
Karsen surged forward again, sword flashing with raw light, but Silas countered, weaving through the arc with unnatural grace-magic enhancing his speed. His dagger clanged against Karsen's blade, sparks raining between them.
They circled each other.
A silence settled for a moment.
Memory broke through like light through stained glass.
Karsen's chest clenched.
Another memory.
The night it rained, and they sat beneath the old bridge near the academy gates, soaked to the bone, sharing stolen pastries and stupid stories.
Silas had been the first to offer his coat when Karsen caught a cold the next day.
"Don't say anything," Silas muttered, shoving it at him. "Just take it."
"Aww, I knew you loved me."
"I said shut up."
Their laughter echoed through time.
And again-
A duel between them during training.
"You never do," Silas smirked. "And that's why I'll win."
They both lost. And laughed until their ribs hurt.
The present snapped back with a roar.
Silas summoned chains of magic from the ground, dark and humming with chaotic mana. Karsen's aura flared bright gold as he broke through them, sword shining like a sun defying eclipse.
He rushed forward.
Their blades met again-this time, Karsen overpowering Silas, driving him back.
His eyes-wide, hurt, desperate.
Karsen crashed against the ruin wall, blood on his lip, breathing ragged.
Silas walked forward, slow. Controlled. "I was never your brother. I walked beside you because I had to. That's it."
Karsen stood shakily.
Eyes never looking away.
And softly, achingly, he said, "You're lying."
Silas stilled.
The barrier cracked-Karsen's aura breaking through at last.
Yellow light wrapped around him, defiant.
Karsen ran through the chaos, slashing through Silas's magic like it was smoke.
Their weapons clashed again.
This time, Karsen held him close, face inches from Silas's. "If there's even one part of you left that remembers me-then fight it."
Silas grinned, manic, shaking. "You don't understand, Karsen. I've seen the truth. This world doesn't need bonds. It needs power."
For the first time, Silas faltered.
Something flickered behind his eyes.
Hurt.
Remorse.
And then.. it was gone.
He snapped his fingers, and shadows swallowed him whole, retreating into the fractured ruin.
Karsen, panting, lowered his sword.. eyes filled with pain.
But his hand tightened on the hilt.
.............
The sun had not yet dipped, but the sky was already painted in the dim hues of violet and amber-warning signs of what was to come.
Sorayael stood in the circular nexus chamber of the old outpost they stopped in-ancient runes embedded into the stone walls flickering faintly with her mana signature as she activated the seal of transmission.
Golden light flared softly.
With practiced hands, she drew the rune-line and reached out to each of them.
To: Zarethian and Ravelia: "The Emperor plans to move before moonrise. Be cautious. Send your update."
To: Celene and Valen: "Accelerate your sweep. We need to confirm the seal is untouched. Use concealment spells if there's movement."
To: Zacchaeus and Kieran: "Double-check the perimeter. If anything feels wrong-trust your instinct. I'll handle the next step."
To: Silas and Karsen: "Send confirmation. Report secured."
She waited. Three pulses returned. One did not.
Sorayael frowned slightly... but she moved on, thinking it might be a delay from Silas and Karsen's region. Nothing in her heart stirred.. yet.
She looked toward the setting sun through the circular window. Its rays bled across the horizon like a wound.
Then a whisper suddenly crossed her mind.
"The truths are close to you. Find that person and he will tell you thr truths you want to unconver."
Velthira's voice. Whispered within her mind, wrapped in fragments of echo and stardust.
Sorayael's brows furrowed.
She clenched her jaw.
There were many truths she sought-about her mother, the Emperor, the constellation summoning, even Velthira's fragmented soul. And now, something stirred-like a thread tugging at her from afar.
Then the realization came.
'The academy..'
Her breath hitched.
She turned to the Grand Duke, who had just returned from securing their last point of contact.
The Grand Duke tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head "No, there's just something I need to seek to the Academy."
'I had a feeling someone holds the truth there.'
The Grand Duke's expression darkened. "You'll go alone?"
The Grand Duke's eyes lingered on her for a long moment.
Then, he gave a single nod. "Don't be reckless."
A faint smile tugged at Sorayael's lips. "When have I ever?"
He snorted lightly. "Do you want that alphabetically or chronologically?"
She chuckled-brief, but genuine.
Then she stepped back and activated the portal seal for the Academy. The sigil beneath her feet bloomed like a flower of starlight.
Before she vanished, she whispered under her breath: