News of the final duel spread through the Veritas headquarters like wildfire. The impossible draw became an instant legend. Aris and Viren were no longer just "the two new rookies." They now had nicknames. Some called them the "Twin Princes," others the "Blades of Ice and Fire," referring to Aris's cold fighting style and Viren's blazing one. Among the younger members, they became a new standard, a benchmark of strength that was both envied and admired.
As Aris walked through the main hall towards the medical bay for his final check-up, whispers followed his steps. The hostility that once greeted him had been replaced by reluctant nods of respect. They had seen him fight. They had seen him push Viren—the green-haired knight whose reputation for ferocity was already beginning to form—to his absolute limit. They might not like him, but they respected his strength.
Viren, on the other hand, accepted the attention with a cool indifference, though Aris could see a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. This recognition was something that had been stolen from him, and he was taking it back with the edge of his sword.
That afternoon, they were both summoned to Juro's office. The room was simple, containing only a large wooden desk cluttered with map scrolls, a messy bookshelf, and the faint smell of pipe tobacco. Juro sat behind his desk, pouring three cups of tea—a gesture that felt strangely formal.
"Sit," he said, his tone serious. "You've earned your right. Let's hear it."
He looked at Viren first. "You. One wish. What is it?"
Viren didn't hesitate for a second. He leaned forward, an intensity burning in his emerald eyes. "I want to know everything. Who framed me in Anemoria. And what really happened to my parents."
Juro was silent for a moment, sipping his tea. He then opened a drawer and pulled out a thick, worn leather folder. He pushed it across the desk.
"The answers you seek are more complicated than simple revenge, Viren," Juro said in a low voice.
Viren froze. His entire cold mask cracked in an instant, his eyes wide with shock. "What...?"
"They were players in a very dangerous game," Juro continued, ignoring Viren's shock. "Within Anemoria, there is a secret faction called the 'Circle of Silent Wind.' They believe the Goddess Ba'al has become a tyrant. After the cold war began, the goddess's demands became increasingly unreasonable—mass sacrifices, rituals that drained the life from the people, all for the sake of supremacy. Your parents were among the first to lose faith in her."
Juro leaned forward. "They pretended to join the opposition to the Circle of Silent Wind, the royal family's faction, becoming double agents, trying to destroy the conspiracy from within. But to maintain their cover, they were forced to make cruel decisions. They had to look like monsters in the eyes of the world... and in your eyes."
Viren stared blankly at Juro, his mind reeling.
"The mission you failed? It was designed by them," Juro said quietly. "Your exile? It was their way of saving you. They knew the royal family's faction was growing suspicious and would have eliminated you as the first target. They deliberately made you hate them, pushing you out of Anemoria and to the only safe place they knew—into the hands of Veritas."
Viren's jaw tightened, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the desk. His entire world, the hatred that had been his fuel for so long, shattered into pieces in an instant. "So... all of it... was a lie?"
"It was their sacrifice," Juro corrected. "Your wish was for information. I've given it. Your parents are still fighting in that viper's nest. What you do now is up to you, if you want, Veritas has a mission there."
"I... I'll take the mission to Anemoria," Viren said, his voice barely a whisper, filled with an indescribable storm of emotions.
Juro nodded, then his attention turned to Aris. "Now you. What is your wish?"
Aris took a deep breath. "I have two. First, I want you to help me understand... and control the entity inside me. I can't be a useful agent if I'm a ticking time bomb."
Juro snorted softly. "Hmmph, kid. That was already my intention. I'm not about to let an asset like you blow up in my face and disrupt my work on a mission. Helping you with that problem is part of my job. That's a given."
Juro's fingers tapped the desk. "So, what's your other wish?"
Aris looked Juro in the eye. "I want information. Information on the Divine Supremacy Alliance's latest war plans."
A thin smile played on Juro's lips. "What a coincidence," he said, pulling out another scroll. "Our intel says that the generals of Thalassos will be present to discuss new military strategies with the King in a military council. And that meeting will be held after the 'Masquerade of the Azure Moon,' an annual masked ball."
Juro looked at Aris. "This mission requires high-level infiltration. You will go undercover as the son of Baron Cord, a noble agent in Thalassos, to gain access. Your job is to confirm the rumors of that strategy and get the details. This is an intelligence gathering mission, not a fight."
Aris's mind raced. A masked ball. It was the perfect opportunity. "I'll take the mission," he said firmly.
"Good," Juro said. "But you won't go alone. A mission this important is too risky. I will accompany you, disguised as your personal guard." He paused for a moment. "And as a bonus, the guest of honor at the party is the young lady Lysandra Sylas. She could be an asset, a target, or an unnecessary complication. Don't screw it up."
The meeting ended. Aris and Viren walked out of Juro's office, each carrying the weight of their newly decided futures. They paused for a moment in the dimly lit corridor.
"So you're going back to your golden cage," Viren said, his tone cynical as ever, but now with an undercurrent of confusion and vulnerability.
"And you're going back to your viper's nest," Aris replied.
They looked at each other for a moment. There was no more blind animosity. Only a silent acknowledgment of the difficult paths that lay before each of them.
"Don't die, Prince," Viren said, before turning and walking towards the archives to study everything he could about the Circle of Silent Wind.
"You too," Aris answered quietly, before turning in the opposite direction, towards the preparation room to begin planning his mission to Thalassos.
The second volume of their lives had ended. Their paths, which had run parallel in rivalry, had now diverged, leading them back alone towards the ghosts of their pasts. The real war was just about to begin.