The Everhour Chamber
King Vareth's voice echoed through the chamber, heavy with a quiet authority. "…Which is the Aurum Fortuna?" His question lingered in the air like a weight none wished to carry.
Thorn exhaled sharply, his frustration breaking through the solemn stillness. "That… that rune stone should not even exist." His hands curled into fists against the table. "There were only a handful in the past, yet now they are appearing in numbers. How is that even possible?" His gaze shifted to Raizen, sharp and unyielding, as though the very silence of the man was an admission of guilt.
Morganna spoke next, her voice steady, her composure a striking counterpoint to Thorn's agitation. "The Aurum Fortuna is no mere relic. It is a curse wrapped in promise. Its gift is twofold, yes… immeasurable wealth and influence, but at a price so insidious it devours its wielder. The mana it unleashes lures followers like moths drawn to an eternal flame, and the promise of prosperity blinds them. Yet with each treasure gained, corruption festers deeper, hollowing the soul until nothing remains but an empty husk driven only by hunger for more."
The chamber fell silent for a moment. Subaru's expression revealed nothing, though his eyes betrayed a depth of thought. Such power… Seems like Greed is Truly involved with the convenant…but what will he be gaining?
Vaelorian shifted uncomfortably, breaking the stillness. "The best course is to recall what has already been spoken of. We discussed this before, did we not? The matter was tied to the Imperial Kingdom. It was Duke Ryuu who once held it."
"Yes," King Vareth murmured, his frown deepening as his voice turned grave. "We did speak of this. Yet Raizen dismissed the concern entirely, for he believed the Aurum Fortuna could never be forged anew or imitated."
Subaru finally spoke, his tone low and cutting, like steel drawn from a sheath. "But it was discovered in the Dwarven Kingdom. The very land abundant in minerals. And it seemed to have been placed there as if meant to be found."
Thorn's jaw tightened. "Found there, yes. But it has not left their kingdom." His words held defiance, though even he seemed unconvinced.
Morganna's eyes narrowed, her voice carrying a quiet suspicion that slid through the room like a shadow. "And how certain are you that it truly remains within their borders?"
Thorn forced his anger down, though his voice trembled with the effort. "The Aurum Fortuna is a rune stone of avarice, as you yourself have confirmed. Tell me then, why would they guard it and choose to share its riches with others?"
"Hmm…" Subaru leaned back, his tone thoughtful, almost dangerous in its calm. "You are not wrong. Yet the Dwarven Kingdom can still be compromised. There are always hands eager to profit, even if it damns an entire nation or kingdom."
Vaelorian opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, the Saintess's voice broke through, clear and serene. It filled the chamber with a soothing cadence, like light filtering through stained glass. "Let us not rush to cast blame upon the Dwarven Kingdom. They stand already on the brink of ruin, their burdens heavier than most could bear."
Her words settled the room, and Vaelorian nodded slowly. "She speaks truth. The Dwarves face trials enough. Perhaps our focus should not linger on fault, but on why it was unearthed there in the first place. As Thorn said, what reason would their king have to offer the rune stone to another? We all know his nature. So why would he ever choose to share it?"
Subaru's gaze sharpened as it fixed on Raizen. His words carried the sting of accusation. "Raizen, you have sat in silence long enough. Or is it that you will not speak because you already know? One of your councils sows chaos among the kingdoms… all except the Dwarven Kingdom. Do you refuse to admit it?"
King Vareth leaned forward, breaking the tension before it snapped. "What was the name of the duke?"
Thorn's lips parted, but he said nothing. Vareth's memory served him without aid. His voice was grim when he spoke again. "Ah, yes… Duke Yuzuru, the manufacturer."
Raizen released a slow, heavy sigh, the sound echoing through the chamber like the groan of an old tree bending in a storm. "What Duke Yuzuru does… or what he may yet be doing… I am not blind to it. I am aware. But awareness does not grant me the liberty to strike blindly. I must know how he came to possess the Aurum Fortuna in the first place."
Subaru's lips curled into a thin line. His voice was sharp, each word cutting like glass. "A king who refuses to question his own subordinate is not cautious. He is a coward, waiting for the storm to pass while his people drown. How disappointing."
Morganya's voice rang out, steady as steel, though measured with restraint. "Enough. This is not a quarrel to tear down Raizen alone. We are leaders. Leaders cannot afford indulgence or ignorance. We keep our subordinates in line, or our kingdom's collapse. The Imperial Kingdom, corrupted though it is, must not allow itself to rot further under denial."
Raizen lifted his hand, a single gesture that commanded silence. His eyes swept the room with quiet force before he spoke again, his words deliberate, steady, unyielding. "What I do is not born of fear, nor of weakness, nor of neglect. It is what a king must do. To act with wisdom. To act with patience. Duke Yuzuru is not without flaw, but I have seen no proof that he is corrupted by the Aurum Fortuna's influence. Neither has he presented himself as guilty. Judgment without evidence is no better than tyranny."
King Vareth's mouth opened to retort, but Raizen cut across him with a voice that pressed down like stone. "Yes, shipments bearing his name have been tied to the rune stones. I have gone myself to the places those shipments claimed as their origin. I searched with my own eyes and found nothing but empty trails and whispers. It reeks of deceit, of men shifting blame, weaving shadows to frame him. I will not deny that there may be truth buried there, but let us not forget…Duke Yuzuru is beloved by the people. He holds their loyalty as firmly as I hold this crown. To act rashly, without truth in hand, would ignite my kingdom from within. I will not allow chaos to take root under the pretense of justice."
The chamber grew tense, Raizen's words pressing against every ear. For a moment, his reasoning did not sound like excuse, but conviction, forged by the weight of a ruler's burden.
Subaru sneered, though his expression flickered with the faintest trace of irritation. "You wield your tongue well. You truly are fortunate that words still shield you."
"Fortune or fate is irrelevant," Raizen replied coldly, his eyes narrowing like blades drawn to meet an enemy's. "I speak not for my sake, but for the nations. So I ask all of you…have any among you, who claim to know Duke Yuzuru is entwined in the distribution of the Aurum Fortuna, brought such proof before me? Have you once stood before my throne and placed truth in my hand? Or have you all merely sat in shadow, whispering of guilt, content to let the rot spread without ever naming it to me?"
Thorn let out a short, humorless chuckle, the sound like dry leaves breaking underfoot. "He does have a point."
Vaelorian rubbed his temples, weariness settling into his voice. "And so we circle back to nothing."
"No," Subaru said sharply, his expression hardening, eyes narrowing with dangerous clarity. "We are not circling. We are standing at a threshold. The lead is clear. Since you already know what your duke is doing, Raizen, you should end this game of patience and act. If you will not…" His voice dropped, low and sharp, like a blade sliding free of its sheath. "…then what comes next is yours to imagine."
The chamber fell into silence. The air grew heavy, every leader staring at Raizen, waiting for his answer. But Raizen did not speak.
And in that wordless pause, the weight of what Subaru had left unsaid pressed over them all like a gathering storm.
At the same time
The city of Balmount was a testament to ruin. Plumes of black smoke bled into the heavens, carrying with them the bitter scent of fire and death. The cries of children and the desperate shouts of mothers echoed through the streets, mingling with the clash of steel and the guttural roars of monsters. Knights fought to guide a panicked tide of civilians, both human and Beastkin, through twisting alleyways, steering them away from the chaos of the robed men and their nightmarish creations.
At the center of it, Bram stood like a bastion of defiance. He guarded the entrance to his shop, where the passage to a safe house lay. His great battle axe was no longer just a weapon, but an extension of his will, cutting down robed men who had twisted into hulking Minotaurs. The ground shook beneath each monstrous step.
The fight was carnage. Knights clashed in battered armor, dented and smeared with blood, but even their courage bent under the overwhelming might of the Minotaurs. One knight raised his shield high, only for it to shatter with a single, bone-cracking blow that sent him flying against the stone wall. Another was caught and tossed aside as if he weighed nothing, his body crumpling in the dirt.
Bram's axe tore into a Minotaur, its deep strike dropping the beast with a sickening crash. Sweat burned his eyes, his chest heaving, but still he fought, his stance unyielding. He risked a glance over his shoulder. No more civilians. Only him and a handful of knights, backs pressed against the tide of destruction.
With a roar that seemed to split the chaos, he bellowed, "All knights, fall back! Fall back now!"
The order rang like salvation. Some knights, though bloodied and limping, obeyed at once. Others hesitated, still trading desperate blows with the Minotaurs. Bram surged forward, his axe a blur of steel, covering their retreat with each heavy swing. His weapon struck sparks as it met claws and horns, his every movement carved out of sheer willpower.
The last knight, staggering and half-covered in blood, reached the stairs to the passage. He looked back with desperate eyes. "Sire!" he shouted, his voice cracking, before plunging down the steps.
Bram turned—too late. A Minotaur lunged, its massive jaws snapping toward his hand. He snarled, bracing his axe across the beast's maw, muscles straining as its foul breath washed over him. With a furious push, he wrenched himself free, twisting the force of its bite into his own escape.
Gritting his teeth, he spun and ran for the stairs. "Everybody, get away from here!" His voice thundered down the passage, echoing like a final command.
From his pocket he drew a small rune-forged device, the trigger to his desperate plan. Behind him, the ground trembled with the charge of the Minotaurs and the relentless march of the robed men. He leapt, a long desperate dive into the mouth of the passage. Just as the first Minotaur's claw reached the stairs, he pressed the device.
The world convulsed.
The stairs split apart with a deafening roar, stone and earth exploding in a violent collapse. Fire and dust swallowed the tunnel as the weight of the street caved in, trapping the monsters in a storm of ruin. The shockwave hurled chunks of debris in every direction.
The knights who had fled turned, horror in their eyes. The other part of the passage was gone, swallowed by rubble. In their hearts, they believed Bram had sacrificed himself. Their throats tightened with grief—he had bought their lives with his own.
Then, through the rolling dust, a figure emerged.
Bram walked forward, his axe planted like a banner of survival. A shimmering shield of mana glowed faintly around him, its pale-yellow light flickering as it dissolved into the air. His worn clothe was caked with dust, and his hand was bleeding, but the wound was already healing beneath the remnants of the protective ward.
"Lucky me," Bram said with a wry smile, though the edges of his lips trembled with exhaustion. "I never thought my plan would actually work."
He looked at the knights, their faces frozen between disbelief and relief. His voice rose, sharper, commanding them back to reality. "What are you staring at? We are alive. We escaped death, did we not?"
For a moment, silence hung, broken only by the settling dust. Then the weight lifted from their chests and the knights let out a cheer, raw and unrestrained. Fists shot into the air, voices rang with gratitude and triumph. "Yes! Yes!"
The sound echoed through the broken passage, defiant against the ruin that sought to claim them.
Bram chuckled, the sound rough but warm, a battle-worn joy breaking through his fatigue. "Alright, alright, enough!" he said, though a small light remained in his eyes at the sight of their loyalty. Yet beneath the cries of victory, a shadow lingered. Each man knew how many had fallen to buy them this moment, and that grief weighed quietly behind their smiles.
Bram let the cheer fade before speaking again, his tone steady but softer. "Come. Let us see how the people fare."
Together they moved, their steps heavy from battle but guided by purpose. The narrow tunnel opened into a passage shaped like a hidden door, leading to a vast underground hall. The air was cooler here, touched by a soft, ethereal glow that spilled from blue crystals embedded into the stone walls.
The hall was alive with hushed voices. Refugees huddled together, some still trembling, others clinging to family. Children cried softly into their mothers' arms until knights bent low to comfort them, murmuring words of safety and survival. The faint hum of the crystals above seemed almost like a lullaby, offering fragile calm against the chaos raging above.
When Bram and his knights stepped into view, a murmur rippled through the crowd. Faces turned. Eyes widened. Then, like a wave cresting, joy broke across the hall. Relief, hope, and awe spread as they recognized not only the warrior who had fought tooth and nail to protect them, but also the knights who had stood their ground against monsters and given their all to safeguard the helpless.
The cheer rose, swelling with gratitude. Some hailed Bram, others hailed the knights by title or rank. Together, the refugees lifted their voices, honoring the unity of those who had fought for them. The knights clasped their hands to their hearts in respect, moved by the sight. Civilians pressed closer, some weeping openly, not for one man alone, but for the fellowship of protectors who had chosen their lives above their own.
Bram's smile was tired yet genuine as he lifted a hand to acknowledge them. He wanted to reassure them, to give them more than a fleeting moment of hope, but his heart was heavier than he allowed them to see.
I hope you are safe, Sora. The thought pressed in, sharp and unyielding, drowning out the noise of the hall. His gaze lingered on the crowd, yet his mind wandered far away, to someone who might even now be standing at the edge of life and death.