Previously on TRUE & LIE…Ben used his blood to tame the ancient Guardian of Merioria. The cost was high — exhaustion, confusion, and a haunting vision.
He awoke in a stone chamber, where the Guardian revealed untold truths:That Rafael, once called Nathaniel, was among the first angels to hear Lucifer's rebellion.That Berzebit was born of a cursed union between an angel and a descendant of Kayin.And that Ben's own bloodline was the key to something even older than prophecy.
But the most shocking command was clear:
"You must kill Rafael."
The words echoed in Ben's skull like thunder against stone.
"You must kill him," the Guardian repeated calmly. "I'll give you time. I know it is not easy to destroy someone you grew up with. But the truth cannot be ignored."
He turned and left Ben alone in the cold room. The silence was suffocating.
Ben rose on trembling legs. "No," he whispered. "I won't kill my friend."
He stormed after the Guardian, voice rising with each step. "I will not do it. I will not kill Rafael!"
The Guardian stood waiting at the entrance, unshaken. "It is not a choice. It is written."
Behind him, the wall shimmered with a hidden carving — a boy, Ben's mirror image, driving a blade into the chest of an angel whose wings bore Rafael's mark.
Ben staggered back. "No… I can't. I won't!"
The Guardian's voice slithered like smoke. "I know you can't. That's why you need… a little push."
Ben's body seized. His muscles moved without his will. His hand closed around a silver blade that had not been there before. His legs carried him forward.
Rafael was pacing outside, face taut with worry. When he saw Ben, relief washed over him. "There you are! I was worri—"
Steel flashed.
The blade barely missed his side.
"Ben—what are you doing?" Rafael gasped.
Ben couldn't speak. His hand trembled violently as he raised the knife again.
Rafael did not resist. Slowly, he dropped to his knees, spreading his arms wide. His voice was steady, though his breath shook.
"If this is what you've been ordered to do… then do it. I won't fight you. I won't hurt you."
Ben's whole body quaked. His arm locked in place, tears streaming down his face.
"Do it!" the Guardian thundered.
But Ben couldn't.
The Guardian's patience snapped. From the shadows he strode forward, fury in his eyes.
"I always have to do everything myself."
He lunged at Rafael.
Rafael staggered back, realization dawning. "I knew it," he spat. "Only a fool would orchestrate this. But if you think I'll let you attack me without a fight—"
His fists met the Guardian's strikes, light clashing against shadow. The chamber shook with every blow.
But Rafael was weakened. Without his full power, he faltered. The Guardian's attacks landed heavier, beating him down strike after strike.
Meanwhile, Ben lay half-conscious on the ground. Darkness swallowed him, until a familiar figure appeared — the young boy who was his double.
"Ben," the boy said sharply. "When will you stop being a burden? When will you stand for those who always fight for you? When will you grow up?"
Ben shook his head weakly. "I'm just… a human. I only just learned I'm special."
"So what?" the boy's eyes blazed. "Special or not, you must stand for the people you love."
The words burned into him like fire.
In the waking world, Rafael collapsed to one knee, blood on his lips.
A voice rang out from the entrance. "Enough."
Berzebit stepped into the chamber. His presence was sharp, commanding.
Rafael's eyes widened. "You—how are you alive?"
"Why is he attacking you?" Berzebit demanded.
"Because he hates me," Rafael growled.
"Not many like you," Berzebit muttered. His eyes narrowed. "Do you want my help, or not?"
Before Rafael could answer, the Guardian raised his hand. His voice cracked the air like thunder.
"I call upon the Angel of Time!"
The chamber froze. Berzebit halted mid-step, trapped in stillness, unable to move.
The Guardian's voice was low, venomous. "Berzebit — you will walk at Ben's side. You must live. But if you ever betray me, I will kill you."
Then, another voice rose — Ben's. But deeper, older, filled with an authority not his own.
"From dust and tree you were made — not to kill, but to protect. Filleron of Gabendo, you broke the forbidden law. To the tree you shall return."
The Guardian's eyes widened. "How… how are you moving?"
Ben staggered to his feet, fire in his voice. "You brought pain to me and my friends. You twisted what you were meant to protect. And now you will return to what you were made from."
The ground trembled. Roots of light erupted from the stone, coiling around the Guardian's legs. His form cracked, fragments breaking like bark under fire.
For a moment it seemed he would be dragged back into the earth.
But he roared, his body shifting, half-shadow, half-flesh. His voice was a storm of fury.
"You think this is over? This is only the beginning!"
A blinding flash tore through the chamber. When it cleared, the Guardian was gone.
Ben collapsed, utterly spent. His breaths came in shallow gasps.
Rafael dragged himself forward, clutching Ben's shoulder. "You're still with me," he whispered.
Berzebit, finally freed, stood at the edge of the chamber. His gaze lingered on Ben, unreadable, sharp with thought.
The silence was heavy, and one truth clung to the air like ash: