Belon's men stormed through the breach, their faces filled with determination to reclaim their leader and end the rebel Miron's life. The field commander stepped forward confidently, raising his crystal spear to drive it into the exhausted Miron, who lay pinned beneath Belon's body.
Belon (in a hoarse voice):
"Do it… free us from his screaming."
In those seconds that felt like ages, Nirar's sharp eyes scanned the scene. His gaze fell on Belon's wrist, where his armor had shifted during the fight, and on the necks of the advancing soldiers. There, just beneath the skin, he saw the cursed emblem: "The Closed Eye."
Nirar froze in place. Shock paralyzed him for a moment. It was the symbol of the Silence Unit — the secret force that did not merely serve the ruler, but carried out the "purge massacres" in border villages, the unit that erased entire families for energy experiments.
Nirar (whispering, trembling):
"Belon… you?"
Ortenos (whispering):
"What is it, Nirar? Why did you stop?"
Nirar (eyes burning with anger and pain):
"Look at their wrists… they're not just guards. They're the Silence Unit. Belon isn't a naive engineer — he's the butcher who designed the crystal gas chambers. We are not saving a friend… we are protecting a monster."
Nirar turned toward the companions. Belon's men had begun surrounding Miron to finish him.
Nirar (in a sharp whisper):
"Listen carefully… history will hate us if we leave here with this rebel's blood on our hands. Belon betrayed our childhood — and our humanity. Let's betray him… now."
Nirar gave the signal.
In a flash, Ortenos drew his glowing sword. Darius lunged with his dagger, while Picos used his massive shield to shove the nearest two soldiers aside. Belon's men never expected a strike from behind by those they had come to rescue.
Three soldiers fell in the first blow. The warehouse became a slaughterhouse within seconds. The companions fought with the ferocity of those who had lost everything. Ortenos sliced through crystal spears, while Nirar fired arrows with surgical precision into the gaps of the Silence soldiers' armor.
Amid the screams of the dying, Belon froze. He looked around as his men fell one by one at the hands of those he believed were allies.
Belon (shouting in disbelief):
"Nirar! What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?! I saved you!"
Nirar stepped toward him, blood dripping from his blade, his face stained red, tears burning in his eyes.
Nirar:
"Saved us so we could witness your false heroism? I saw the emblem, Belon. I saw the Closed Eye. How many villages did you burn with the energy you claim to protect? How many children did you suffocate with your 'orderly' inventions?"
Belon (eyes wet with rage):
"Damn you… traitor! I did what had to be done for the city's survival! Filth must be cleansed!"
Nirar (kneeling beside him):
"You are not the childhood friend I knew in Ziola. You are a monster shaped by the throne. You chose obedience over human conscience — and today… you will pay the price."
Belon was already dying, but Nirar wanted to end it with harsh symbolism. He turned to Miron, who watched the scene in stunned disbelief. Nirar took Miron's wounded hand — the one still gripping a broken dagger.
Nirar:
"Miron… you wanted revenge for your family. Belon is the engineer who designed the blade that killed them. Take your justice."
Placing his hand over Miron's, Nirar guided the dagger. Together, they drove it into Belon's heart.
Belon (with his final breath):
"Nirar… the world… is not built… with mercy…"
Belon's breathing faded. His head fell to the side, marking the end of a man who lived for "order" and died because of it.
There was no time for grief or reflection. Government sirens were approaching, and red warning lights filled the horizon.
Ortenos:
"Carry Miron! Quickly! And Nikos too! The wagon is waiting behind the wall!"
The companions carried Miron, who was bleeding heavily, and Nikos, groaning from the loss of his fingers. They ran through the secret passages Belon had shown them before his "betrayal," reaching the thermal wagon they had charged with stolen energy.
As the wagon sped through the snow, moving away from the burning lights of Crystallis, Miron lay in the back, looking at Nirar with confusion in his eyes.
Miron (weakly):
"Why… why did you do it? I hurt you… I put a knife to your mentor's throat… I tried to kill you. Why save a rebel and destroy your friend?"
Nirar looked toward the distant horizon, wiping tears with his blood-stained hand, then spoke in a calm, sharp tone:
Nirar:
"We didn't save you because we love you, Miron — and we didn't kill him because we hate him. We saved you because Belon wanted 'silence,' and you wanted 'a scream.' In a world filled with injustice, the scream is the only thing that proves we are still alive. Belon killed to protect walls, but you… you burned walls so people could see the light. We are strangers, Miron — and on our journey to Ashil, we prefer the company of a mad rebel to that of an organized executioner."
Silence filled the wagon as icy winds lashed their faces, leaving behind the crystal city where hearts and principles had shattered together.