Author's note: To celebrate 5k views, I brought this bonus chapter! Thank you very much to everyone who follows the story and encourages me to continue. Enjoy
One of the guards interrupted the murmur, his firm voice cutting the air:
"Silence! The inspector sent by the Count has arrived."
When they realized that the person set to judge them was a woman, a slight murmur ran through the square. Phoebe climbed the steps of the platform, wrapped in long cloaks with sacred symbols. Her serene face hid her blindness, conveying authority and presence. Beside her, Heron, muscular and athletic, wore gleaming golden armor. A giant sword rested on his back. His posture imposed respect and made clear his devotion to Phoebe.
When Phoebe stopped in the center of the platform, silence fell over the square. One of the priests who accompanied her stepped forward.
"Bow down!" he ordered, his voice deep. "You are before Saint Phoebe Tiresias."
Everyone bowed immediately. The man continued, authoritatively:
"At the Count's request, the saint was sent to inspect you. The guilty will not leave unscathed. If he surrenders now, the Count may grant him a quick death. If he chooses silence… do not expect mercy."
The contained murmur grew. Hands moved restlessly in cloaks and on weapons, glances crossed. Some candidates tried to keep a firm posture; others breathed with difficulty.
Kael, with a calm smile and arched eyebrows, tilted his head toward Phoebe.
"She already knows…"
Karna laughed nervously, leaning forward, trying to hide his fear.
"What? What do you mean? What's happening with these blind people… should I become one too?"
Brianna clenched her fists, biting her lip.
"Shut up, Karna. The saint does not represent a real danger, but that knight beside her… he is not just anyone. If we get into a fight now, I'm sure some of us won't come out alive."
Telvaris took a deep breath, rubbing his shoulder in tension, his gaze fixed on Heron's imposing figure:
"After your show yesterday, Ereon… how do you intend to get us out of this? Are you going to tell me you went there without thinking about anything?"
While the others spoke, Ereon remained silent, absent from the physical plane. There, he waged a war of minds, the outcome of which would define the lives of everyone in the square.
Phoebe tilted her head slightly. Her voice serene, firm, with a touch of surprise:
"I was surprised. Yesterday you seemed to present a threat, but you truly impress me. You are only a fifteen-year-old boy, and yet you can commit such atrocity… you know that, with just one word, your life could be ended here."
Ereon clenched his fists, jaw rigid.
"Then why the silence? If he hasn't handed me over, it means he also has something to lose."
Phoebe smiled faintly.
"It was not for that reason I called you here. Besides, it has been little time since you began to use your abilities; they are still unstable and weak. If I said nothing, it was not your fault, but rather because of the descendant of Gaia, who is currently considered a greater threat than you."
Ereon remained silent, weighing each of her words.
Phoebe laughed softly, a serene, firm sound.
"Boy… if you keep looking only at the sky, you will die sooner or later. Your life does not end in vengeance. Have you thought of those who died so that you would be here? Edda, Theseus, Nika, Lili… even Gaia's son faced obstacles so that you would reach here. Have you thought about what makes them so willing to sacrifice themselves?"
Ereon breathed deeply, reflective, his eyes fixed on space.
Phoebe continued, in a maternal tone:
"Now excuse me, we will have to end our conversation here child."
Before he could notice, Ereon returned to the physical world.
Phoebe looked at him, firm, welcoming:
"How long will you remain silent, son of Gaia? We cannot stay here for long."
Kael ran his hand over his chin, raising his eyebrows.
"I think you were hard on him…"
Phoebe tilted her head, patient.
"You should have warned him. There is much more at stake than just the Count's life and your revenge. I saw what you went through while he was sleeping… if you keep letting him lead you, you will end up killing all your friends."
Kael sighed, thoughtful, but remaining calm.
"Actually… I don't know where we are going. When I looked into the Abyss, it was so we could escape with our lives. Of all the paths I saw, I chose to follow the one whose end I did not know… that's why we are here now, after witnessing our deaths thousands of times."
Phoebe smiled faintly.
"So you chose the hardest… Do you know what this child is?"
Kael smiled, ironic.
"It's funny… hearing you speak like that, I am one year younger than him."
Phoebe, serene, with a slight firmness in her voice:
"But all those paths gave you a different mindset. Tell me… depending on the answer, Heron will kill he. And even if I have to drag you back to the Count's mansion, I will not allow you to die for someone who only thinks of himself."
Kael interrupted, confident:
"Phoebe, it will not be easy to kill him. If you do, both the shadow that protects him and that woman… will not allow you to have peace. Besides, you are waiting for a child, cherish her life. But we will also need Heron's help."
Phoebe raised her eyebrows, surprised.
"Think carefully: if you fail, there will be no return."
Kael replied, serious, with light irony:
"I spent a year reflecting. I chose to bet on an uncertain future. So help us speed up this process, freeing us here."
Phoebe breathed deeply and tilted her head slightly.
"Kai..."
The space around trembled, and both returned to the physical plane. Phoebe raised her hand and pointed to one of the mercenaries, firm:
"He is the guilty one. Take him."
The guards dragged him away. Phoebe turned and went toward the temple. The square remained silent. The candidates digested the weight of what had happened.
Ereon remained motionless for a moment, his heart tight. A shiver ran down his spine as he saw the mercenary being taken away, and his eyes narrowed in silence. He knew that that moment would change everything, and Phoebe's decision weighed like a blade on his thoughts.
The collective tension began to dissipate. Contained murmurs spread among those who remained, but for Phoebe the world seemed to narrow in only one direction. It was at that instant that Heron approached, his firm voice breaking the remaining silence:
"Why did you lie about the guilty one?"
Phoebe tilted her head slightly, hands crossed.
"I cannot hide anything from you."
Heron frowned.
"Your tone… you hesitated."
Phoebe let out a short sigh.
"That was enough to notice. We have a frightening father here."
"Don't joke about that." Heron lowered his voice. "If someone hears…"
"There is no reason for me to worry. You will be here." Phoebe breathed slowly, listening to the guards. "That child has grown stronger. He found his own way to fight. Heron, have you ever thought of inheriting the county?"
He shook his head, firmly.
"No. As long as you are safe, that is enough."
Phoebe inclined her body, hands joined.
"I also thought that way… until today. But I will bet on an uncertain future, just like that child."
Heron raised his chin, voice hard.
"Are you sure? Until today you never risked paths whose end you did not know."
Phoebe tilted her face, feeling his movement, the breath in the air.
"When I stood before him, just now… I could perceive. It was not that I saw something, but that he allowed me to see. This time we will take an uncertain path… for the sake of our child."
The silence between them weighed for a moment, intimate and dense, but was soon swallowed by the distant sound coming from outside.
In the square, the guards were giving orders, and their steps and voices echoed on the stone floor.
"We have already lost too much time!" one of them shouted. "We will begin the evaluations. The useful will participate in the war. The incapable must withdraw by nightfall. The war begins in a week. There will be no rest. If we emerge victorious, status and riches will be waiting."
Brianna swallowed hard, eyes fixed on Ereon.
"What did you do?" she whispered. "If you already had everything planned, you should have warned us."
Telvaris raised his hand, interrupting her.
"Now is not the time. We'll have time later. We must pass the test. This is the last obstacle before the Count."
Silence spread through the group, heavy, laden with expectation. Each one breathed deeply, aware that the true challenge was yet to come.
One week later…