on the eighth day of the ninth month of 2035, a week after the death of Count Caeté, in the Imperial Palace, the twenty-fourth Emperor was seated on his throne, and the most important nobles of the empire lined up in rows; the silence was absolute.
"Tell me… what did you do of your existences?" Tupã's voice echoed like a contained thunder, vibrating in the columns of the throne and in the chest of each man present. It was not just a question; it was a judgment, heavy and inevitable, that no mortal would dare answer.
Tupã continued, and his voice, although low, cut like a contained lightning:
"Does it not sound ironic to you?" his green, incandescent eyes swept the throne hall like lightning, burning each noble until they stopped at the three kings. "A year ago it was Moroz… now, a lesser god, arisen from the shadows, dared to break our connection. Thus, we remain blind, not knowing what devours the empire on the other side."
There was a pause, dense like the night before thunder; silence bowed to Tupã's command. Then he spoke, solemn and with the irony of one who manipulates fate:
"I ask only this: should I reattach the threads that you yourselves broke… or do you prefer that I cut them once and for all?" a veiled promise, that fell like a blade. "I do not need useless people in my shadow."
One of the three kings stepped forward, head bowed, voice loaded with fear and respect:
"I ask forgiveness for the failure I committed before Your Imperial Majesty. I recognize the gravity of my error, a sin against the crown that stained its honor and that of the Tupania empire.
"I do not seek justification, but rather mercy." The central king bowed slightly, his voice loaded with respect and fear. "I beg you for a second chance, not as a right, but as the most solemn of manifestations of Your mercy. For this reason I sent one of my sons to discover what occurred in that territorial war."
The Emperor beat his fist on the arm of the throne, pondering each decision. Finally, he spoke:
"All of you leave, except the central king."
The hall began to empty, and the nobles felt an almost palpable relief at escaping with their lives. When they were alone, the central king spoke:
"As Your Majesty already knows, Count Caeté managed to bring a primordial god to the Earth. We do not know how, therefore I sent my son to discover the details."
Tupã remained silent, the incandescent green gaze weighing the gravity of the situation. Then his voice cut the air like thunder:
"He brought Anhanguçu. An ancient and unpleasant enemy, whose confrontation is never simple. Even if he were weakened, killing him would not be an easy task — I know that very well. I expect you to bring me something of value. Otherwise… I will tear out the hearts of your children and give you as food before killing you. Now, vanish."
The king then rose and withdrew, while the heavy curtains of the Imperial Palace closed slowly. At the same time, in the North, the curtains opened before Kael, revealing the scene that awaited him.
In a modest inn, with wooden walls and dusty windows, located in the Barony to the North, Kael and Isabela found themselves in a dilemma. The one-week time limit was about to expire, and Kael had not made any progress.
"We only have until tomorrow to act," Isabela said, her voice loaded with concern, "and even so you will remain still? You know we do not have time. Brianna made that clear."
Kael replied calmly, his seismic vision allowing him to perceive every movement in the inn:
"We are not standing still. Even if it does not seem so, we are making progress."
At that moment, through the inn's door, a man and a woman entered the place. Kael noticed, with his heightened senses, that they headed toward another group, sitting at a distance, at a separate table. Heavy cloaks hid them, as if they were ready to flee at any moment.
Kael rose slowly and spoke, firm:
"We will finish everything tonight. Be prepared."
Without waiting for an answer, he left the inn, leaving the environment silent, only with the crackling of the fireplace and the distant sound of wind hitting the dusty windows.
Isabela rose shortly after, looking in the direction where the man and the woman had sat, and left the inn. Time passed until night fell. In a forest near the Barony, the silence was almost absolute, until Isabela broke it:
"I cannot understand… why is there forest everywhere?"
Kael answered:
"When we meet with the Emperor, ask him that question."
Before Isabela could answer, dry footsteps began to echo among the trees, breaking the silence of the night. Kael leaned slightly and said:
"Stay here."
She agreed, and he vanished into the darkness that rested between the trees.
Meanwhile, the group of mercenaries who had met at the inn with the two young people gathered on a nearby road. One of them commented, laughing:
"It was really easy to fool those two."
Another added:
"The Baron's orders are clear: we must take the woman intact, and we can do whatever we want with the man."
A third, with an ironic tone, commented:
"I heard from another group of mercenaries that there is not much difference between a man and a woman."
They all began to laugh, until a shadow slowly approached. Dressed in traditional garments that resembled those of a Japanese monk, in white, with a white sash hiding the face, and thick, rebellious brown hair, it stopped in the middle of the road.
One of the twenty mercenaries approached, asking Kael if he had lost something there. Kael, with a calm smile, answered:
"I briefly heard your conversation and I know you work for the Baron."
He paused for a moment, looking at the nineteen remaining, and in a quick movement he leapt, breaking the neck of the nearest man. Without hesitation, he continued:
"I'm sorry…" Kael said, with a slight cold smile, "in truth, I do not feel."
Then he advanced against the nineteen remaining mercenaries, each step precise, silent and deadly.
Kael advanced down the center of the road, his senses amplified by seismic vision capturing every heartbeat, every breath of the mercenaries. He knew exactly where each one was, anticipating their movements before they moved.
The second mercenary raised the weapon, but Kael dodged with an agile leap, striking the man's shoulder with a precise punch, breaking bones with the dry impact. With an elegant spin, he knocked another mercenary to the ground, twisting the neck with calculated force.
Each of Kael's movements was fluid, almost dancing — spinning kicks, quick punches, twists and precise throws. He ripped out hearts, broke necks, crushed ribs, eliminating enemies one by one before they could react.
The cold night wind cut the road, mixing with the sounds of bones breaking and the silence that fell over each inert body. Some mercenaries tried to attack together, but Kael anticipated them: he dodged, blocked and counterattacked with lethal blows, each attack faster than the previous.
In a matter of seconds, half the group were already on the ground, and those who remained retreated, desperate. Kael paused for a moment, observing every movement, his eyes shining with concentration. Then he advanced again, a tornado of precise blows: he ripped out the heart of a mercenary who tried to flee, broke the neck of another with a movement of perfect rotation and knocked down the last with accurate kicks, finishing the fight with absolute efficiency.
When everything ended, Kael stood in the center of the road, breathing calmly. Seventeen mercenaries were around, incapacitated or dead, and silence reigned again, broken only by the sound of the wind among the nearby trees. Each of his steps had been deadly, each gesture lethal, and yet there was an almost supernatural elegance in his movements.
The man and the woman walked along the road, looking for the group of mercenaries with whom they should meet. When they arrived at the place, however, they ran into Kael, leaning against a tree. The scene before them was terrifying: bodies spread along the road, each marked by the precise and lethal blows that Kael had dealt.
The man stepped forward, protecting the woman with his body, voice trembling:
"Who… who are you?"
Kael smiled slightly and, with a cold gesture, threw a bag of gold at the man's feet:
"You should thank me. I saved your life. These guys worked for the Baron, and, guess… he does not like you very much."
The woman then stepped forward, removing the hood. Her long dark-brown hair, dense and curly, which falls like a waterfall and her light eyes shone in the moonlight. With a sweet voice, she asked:
"And what do you want?"
Kael answered, calmly and determined:
"It's simple. I kill the Baron, and you, as his only daughter, will inherit the Barony. You will prevent the militia he is forming from attacking the County, and you will swear loyalty to the new marchioness."
The man, still suspicious, shouted:
"And what guarantees that you are not lying?"
At that moment, Isabela approached, her presence firm and secure:
"I will be that guarantee."
Thalía paused for a moment, as if her breath had been taken by surprise. Her eyes filled with tears at recognizing Isabela's voice, so familiar and comforting after so much tension. Then she ran to embrace her, relieved:
"I heard what happened… you… how good that you are well!"
Isabela, facing the bodies of the mercenaries spread along the road, answered with a firm voice:
"I have always tried to be fair, and perhaps that has been my greatest weakness. I know you are fearful, but you can trust,"
Doros nodded, his expression serious:
"We trust you, not the one who takes people's lives without remorse."
Isabela turned to them:
"Thalía, go ahead. We will join you soon. The Baron must be waiting for your return with the mercenaries."
Thalía agreed and followed toward the Barony together with Doros.
Kael remained on the road, watching them walk away. Walking a few steps forward, he spoke in a firm and reflective tone:
"I know what you are thinking, but I will not force you to act like us. Your justice — that flame that burns in you — is what makes you essential. The world she needs to build will depend on that. Do not forget: there will be people who will place the hope of their lives on your shoulders. Honor that weight."
After this guidance, Kael took one of the mantles from the dead mercenaries, wearing one for himself and throwing the other to Isabela. Without wasting time, both dressed quickly and headed toward the Barony, determined to finish their mission.