The valley echoed with the clang of steel.
Sweat dripped down Aelric's brow as he watched two militia boys spar in the muddy clearing. Their movements were clumsy, uneven. One slipped and landed face-first in a puddle.
Lyria sighed. "At this rate, they'll stab themselves before the Empire gets here."
Caelum paced along the line of recruits, smacking shoulders with the flat of his blade. "You want to live? Then move like you mean it!"
They were making progress—but it was slow.
Aelric stepped forward. "Form up! Shields left, spears right!"
The rebels stumbled into place.
> [System Notification: Tactical Drill – Basic Formation Unlocked]
You are now able to organize units in real combat formations.
Leadership Efficiency: +5%
Aelric smiled grimly. One step closer.
That night, as the rebels gathered around cookfires, Aelric stood by himself atop a hill, watching stars push through the fog.
His fingers traced the runes on the Oathsworn's hilt.
The blade felt heavier every day.
Then Lyria approached, holding a sealed letter. The wax bore no crest—only a single crimson feather.
"This was left at the edge of camp. No tracks. No aura."
Aelric opened it.
The paper was aged and soft. The handwriting… elegant but sharp.
> To the Last Vaelion,
Your father did not die in the rebellion.
He was betrayed by a man he called brother.
If you wish to know the truth, come to the ruins of Viremont, before the Blood Moon rises. Bring no knights. Trust no one.
– A Friend of the Flame
Aelric read the note three times.
Then once more.
He handed it silently to Caelum, who read it and cursed under his breath.
"I knew it," the old knight growled. "I knew Kaelen was too good a man to fall to rebels alone."
Lyria frowned. "It could be bait."
"Or a spark," Aelric said. "And I'm not letting this trail go cold."
The next morning, he called the rebels together.
"I'll be gone for a few days. Caelum commands until I return. Drill every hour. Prepare for siege."
Lyria crossed her arms. "You think I'm letting you ride alone?"
Aelric smirked. "I don't want you to. But you need to stay."
He looked her dead in the eye.
"I trust you."
That made her pause.
Then she nodded. "Come back with answers."
He gripped the sword hilt.
"Or not at all."
As Aelric rode westward beneath the gray sky, he couldn't shake the words in the letter.
> He was betrayed by a man he called brother.
If it was true, then everything—his grief, his vengeance, his destiny—would be changed.
Not just by monsters.
But by men.
And in the ruined cathedral of Viremont, something stirred.
A candle lit itself in the dark.
And a voice whispered:
> "Come, little heir. Let's see what truths you can stomach."