The air in the Guardian Barracks smelled of ozone and hot metal. This wasn't an arsenal of weapons, but the physical heart of Aethelgard's shields: a silent underground chamber filled with runic terminals and the heavy Forged Light Generators maintaining the capital's protective dome.
Ren, in his Shield Master armor, entered the chamber with his Forged Light sword drawn. The Bond's tension guided him.
He found him immediately.
Kaito stood before the main generator. His figure was a perfect deception. The Infiltration Cloak worked flawlessly: he appeared an Elite Paladin, his aura shining with pure golden Light.
But Ren saw the truth through the Bond: the golden replica vibrated with dark, cold Chaos.
Kaito was manipulating the generator's runes with terrifying precision.
"Stop, Kaito," Ren ordered, his voice hoarse with desperation. "You don't know what you're doing."
Kaito turned slowly, his young face reflecting the same coldness Ren used in trials. His voice, now trained by Elora, was a low, resonant echo, lacking former affection.
"I know exactly, Commander Ren. I'm destroying the mask you built."
The Battle of Truths
Ren attacked first. Not with the sword, but with the Rune Blade Magic, unleashing a piercing energy burst designed to incapacitate a Paladin.
Kaito didn't move. He simply invoked the Infiltration Cloak and used the knowledge Elora had given him.
The Chaos of his soul molded into Perfect Negation.
Ren's burst hit Kaito's Cloak and, instead of repelling, was absorbed by the dual energy.
"Your magic no longer touches me, Ren," Kaito said with a coldness that terrified his brother. "The Ash Queen taught me Forged Light is a predictable lie."
"She's using you, Kaito. I tried to save you, but I failed," Ren's voice broke with guilt.
"Save me?" Kaito laughed, a hollow, painful sound. "You sold me to the Conclave. The same Conclave I just saw use Lyra to betray her own people. The same Shield Master who just murdered Eterea's history to ascend to power."
The verbal attack was more devastating than any magic. Ren felt his hero mask cracking.
"It's for you! Everything I do is to protect you and gain power to pull you from the Shadow."
"You lie!" Kaito shouted. Raw emotion made the Cloak flicker, revealing for an instant the tormented Shadow of his true self. "You sold out to power long ago. And now, I'm the consequence of your betrayal."
The Shield's Rupture
Kaito raised his hands, refocusing on the generator's master rune. This time, he didn't try to absorb. He tried to infect.
He channeled the Concentrated Chaos Elora had taught him, forcing it to infiltrate the Forged Light matrix of the generator.
Ren, realizing the gravity, charged with his sword, shouting.
"It won't let you destroy the city!"
Kaito defended with his own weapon – a Forged Shadow energy sword emerging from his hand.
The swords met with a deafening CRASH of Light and Darkness.
Physical contact restored the Bond's connection with overwhelming violence.
Ren felt Kaito's torture pain; Kaito felt Ren's desperation and failed love.
But Kaito didn't falter. While fighting, he kept his other hand focused on the generator.
Chaos infiltrated the system.
The main generator didn't explode, but stabilization runes lit in red code.
Voices from the Command Tower's Arcanists filtered through Ren's communicator.
"Shield Master! There's an overload in the Barracks sector! Outer shields are failing by 50%!"
"I've completed the mission!" Kaito shouted.
Kaito broke sword contact, throwing Ren back with a controlled Chaos explosion.
The Infiltration Cloak vanished, and the Specter vanished into the shadow he'd created.
Ren rose, hurt and defeated. The sabotage was a success.
Aethelgard's outer shield was compromised.
He'd let the enemy into his power's heart and let him escape.
The Shield Master, the man in charge of the city's defense, collapsed against the smoking generator.
His political triumph had lasted less than a day.
Now, open war with the Ash Queen was about to begin, and her main weapon was his own brother.