Iris, in a closed room with the magic mirror:
She touches the mirror. Silence envelops the space. Yet, a faint image of Fitran appears, gazing at her—not with hatred, nor with hope. It is a silent acknowledgment, as if saying: "Even you, Queen, cannot escape the voice you have rejected." This statement reflects a deep internal conflict, illustrating how thoughts and feelings are inseparable, even amidst the painful quiet.
In an instant, Iris faints.
The sky is an impossibly blue hue. There is no sun, yet light permeates the scene, adding a surreal quality to the strangeness of the situation. Iris walks soundlessly. Her dress is made of wilted flowers and melting snow—a symbol of beauty we consider eternal, yet in reality, it is fragile. With every step, she sheds memories of the past: the throne, the blood, the cheers, and the tears, forming a picture of the heavy burdens of history she carries.
Then she sees him.
Fitran stands with his back to the tranquil black lake, his body partially cloaked in shadow. Yet the gaze of his eyes reflects their entire history—and all that they never voiced.
They did not speak.
It was impossible.
The right to destroy rhetoric even reached the subconscious.
But words were not the only language.
Iris extended her hand.
Fitran did not touch it, but dreams began to tremble softly, like a heart that had just been revived.
He raised his own hand—and between them appeared a flower of black light, slowly blooming. Their ancient symbol. The symbol of "what should have been."
Iris expressed all her grievances in her heart within that dream world,
He joined Arkanum Veritas, an organization that promised to fight against corruption. However, he found himself using them as part of his education in darkness. Rivalries, betrayals, and lies haunted him, further isolating him from the people he once loved in Thirtos, including Iris, who had once inspired every word he wrote.
In a moment of reflection, Kael recalled how his colleagues had betrayed him, replacing truthful news with slander for their own gain. When his immunity was threatened, he ran, and it was here that he took a wrong path. His disappointment altered his vision: instead of fighting for the truth, he was determined to control the narrative, even if it meant going against those he loved. "I cannot allow them to control my destiny again," he thought, as the faces of those he had left behind flashed in his mind.
In his internal monologue, Kael expressed his fear of losing control. "If I fail, if they win, then what does it all mean? I will not let them destroy me again. They have autobiographed me in a false story," Kael murmured to himself, trapped between reprisal and redemption.
Kael Yuno was born amidst the hustle and bustle of Thirtos, a city renowned for its justice and freedom. However, the journalism spirit that grew within him shattered when he became a victim of the very system that was supposed to protect him. As a journalist, Kael sought to uncover the truth and elevate the voice of the people. Yet, betrayal from colleagues and the authorities' desire to conceal the truth transformed him forever.
A brief flashback highlights the pivotal moment when Kael confronted his peers, who argued that his reports posed a threat to their positions. Betrayed and ignored, he witnessed how the voice of justice could be silenced by personal interests. This incident stirred a deep pain within him, prompting him to consider that if the system was unreliable, perhaps it was time to take matters into his own hands.
After that incident, Kael swore never to be part of the corrupt system again. He joined Arkanum Veritas, a secret organization fighting against injustice, seeing it as a pathway to make the world a better place. However, in the process, he lost several people close to him, including Elena, his best friend who had always supported him. When Kael made the decision to join Arkanum, Elena, with concern equal to her love, advised him to stay on the path of truth. Yet, deep down, Kael knew that the path he had chosen would cost him valuable personal relationships.
As he found himself caught between collegial spirit and personal ambition, his internal monologue flowed: "They never understand. Maybe I'm not meant to save everyone, but I can offer them a choice. If this world cannot be mended through rightful means, is there any harm in taking another path?"
Kael felt trapped in a web of hope and fear. Fear of losing again, but also hope that he could create a better world, even if it meant fighting against those he once considered allies or friends. As the whirring sounds of the impending invasion by the Earth nation grew louder, Kael knew that the only way to protect the land he loved was to dismantle the system from within, a strategy that had always sparked debate in various contexts of revolution and social reform.
As one of the Arkanum Veritas, Kael Yuno could not accept this reality. He understood that if the Gaia nation was calm, the Earth's invasion plan would succeed. In the past, Kael was an ambitious journalist who believed in the power of truth. He had once reported on the injustices faced by the people of Thirtos, but over time, he tasted the bitter betrayal of the system he had been loyal to. One night, while exposing a scandal involving a corrupt local leader, Kael discovered that his writings had been censored. Those who were supposed to protect the citizens viewed him as a threat. In a tragic decision, his friend, an activist named Lira, was arrested and disappeared while trying to help him. This event haunted Kael; guilt and loss transformed him into the figure who now stood before a cracked mirror, wearing the old journalist's cloak that once represented the voice of the people. Now, his voice was no longer for the truth, but for a new direction.
"Kael (monologue):
"They are thirsty for certainty. It doesn't matter if it's a lie... as long as it makes them feel 'ready.' Am I betraying the truth by lying? But someone has to know, someone must speak out, especially after what happened to Lira. This is all for her."
With a cold and articulate voice, he activated the underground broadcast:
"Citizens of Thirtos... listen. I am Kael Juno, and I bring urgent news that has been concealed by the shadow government of Gaia. I must combat this lie with another lie. This is the only way."
"The Lirtos Brigade—former experimental combat units from the Fourth War—are on the move. They are headed towards this city."
"Five days. Maybe three. They are not just soldiers. They are... human weapons. Look at the emptiness in their eyes; they are also victims."
He paused, allowing fear to spread while grappling with the guilt that loomed over him.
"Rise up. Form your own defense. If we wait for the nobles, we will be sacrificed again."
Suddenly, after the calm, the voice had ignited a fire.
In the alleys: armed civilians with makeshift weapons. On the balconies: the symbols of a new faction, marked with a cross over the emblem of Gaia. In the market: wild posters declaring "Fitran created this crisis" mixed with anti-noble flyers.
Kael smiled faintly from behind his informant's mask. He was not an ally of anyone. Yet, shadows of the past haunted him—the bitterness of betrayal he experienced as a journalist. Pierced at the moment when his exclusive report was silenced for the sake of a greater political interest, he now found no place in the system he once trusted. Every fragment of this chaos was advantageous: the murkier his enemies became, the longer the war would last.
In a hidden alley, he received a thin letter. No name.
The content was only one sentence, written in blood:
"You are not the only one who can forge the truth." – F
Kael stared at the letter. A chill crept up his neck. Fitran... was still watching.
Suddenly, a memory flashed. The moment he first joined Arkanum Veritas—filled with hope, vowing to uncover the truth. In that meeting, he was imbued with the spirit to change the world, inspired by idealistic leaders who seemed to fight for justice. However, his trust shattered when the very system he defended turned out to betray him.
"Where is this?" exclaimed Kael in surprise.
"A dream," replied Fitran.
The sky no longer hangs above. It has shattered like a window thrown by the past. Light and darkness consume each other without rhythm, like two deaf poets reciting a poem without words. This is the landscape of a broken dream. The ground is made of revised history books, trampled by hesitant feet. Rivers flow with censored words, coursing from heads that once believed.
And in the midst of the buzzing silence—a figure emerges.
Kael Juno, the weaver of narratives, strides between towers of memories he built from fear. Filled with dark recollections as a journalist betrayed by the system that was meant to protect him, he dons a cloak woven from the voices of the people he has transformed. In his hand: a rhetorical pen that turns dreams into weapons.
Flashback: In the shadowy depths, Kael recalls witnessing his colleague unjustly tried, silenced by a power he could not oppose. In that moment, he swore to break through the darkness with the truth he fought for, seeking a path to the Arkanum Veritas, an organization promising protection for the voiceless. Now, he feels trapped in the same circle he once fought against.
"You came too, Fitran," he said, his voice echoing among the sleeping heads.
"I have rewritten the story of this city. They will wake up tomorrow as enemies of one another." In his mind, he replayed moments of regret from when he was in the courtroom, a supporter fighting for the truth, only to be betrayed by those he trusted.
But Fitran did not respond with words. He emerged from the gaps of silence, from a realm untouched by language. His figure was voiceless, merely an existence. He was a deafening silence, a light that did not blind— a singular focal point in a vortex that had lost its orientation. Kael felt as if he was standing before a mirror, reflecting the fears within himself.
Internal monologue: "Am I merely crafting a monster within myself? Or is this point the first step towards transforming everything?"
Kael constructs a battlefield.
He creates a thousand false Fitran, each proclaiming different and contradictory truths, causing confusion. He recalls moments spent with his friends in Thirtos, before the betrayal, when they fought with idealism to change society's perspectives. Now, all of that is lost. Then he casts these dreams into the sleep of the people:
That Fitran is a murderer.
That Fitran is a hero.
That Fitran never existed.
That Fitran is the nightmare itself.
Yet Fitran… remains silent. He touches one dream. Just one. A small child dreaming of their deceased mother. In that dream, Fitran says nothing. He merely wipes the blood from the mother's hands.
And the ripples spread. One clear dream shatters all illusions. One small truth, amidst the grand lies.
Kael gritted his teeth, remembering when he was a young journalist in Thirtos. He recalled being assigned to cover a major scandal involving high-ranking officials. His enthusiasm burned within him, hoping to uncover the truth for the sake of justice. But the betrayal of the system was painful, making him feel as if he had been slapped by the world he trusted. As he saw those who should be held accountable hiding behind lies, all of his idealism crumbled.
He sent out the "Rhetoric of Annihilation"—a spell of words that could erase the existence of ideas. Yet, Fitran silenced him… not with a spell, but with an undeniable meaning. In his mind, Kael battled his fears; he was afraid of losing everything again, just like when he was abandoned by his friends after the scandal was revealed.
"What do they call the truth?" he thought. "It's merely an illusion maintained by those in power."
"Your words have lost their form, Kael," Fitran finally spoke.
"Because not a single one of their dreams truly believes in you." This was one of many assertive statements, illustrating how trust and credibility are intertwined—a concept crucial for building relationships among people and, in this context, seeming to divide the path between desire and reality.
The sky of dreams shattered. Kael found himself ensnared in the labyrinth of his own making—trapped in the cacophony of meaningless words. Upon joining Arkanum Veritas, he felt granted a chance to amend his past mistakes, though deep within his heart, he was always accompanied by his guilt. He recalled his friend, Mira, who had fought alongside him before his betrayal; they once shared dreams of a better world, but now that world felt increasingly distant.
Fitran stood among the ruins of the shattered dream world, and from that wreckage... a new awareness was born. Kael understood that he could not return to the past; every decision he made was a noose that deepened his fear. They would awaken. Not everyone believed. But not everyone had fallen asleep again. For the first time since the massacre of the leaders, the people began to dream anew and Kael's Voice was merely a fleeting whisper.
Kael fell into an eternal slumber within words.