Fifty four years ago on the north Cezen coast a small band of mages watch as a city burns in the distance. "Jakurk, did you finish it?" Paraquil asked as they watched the distant fires rise.
"The Devein family? Yea, it's done" The Devein rebellion took place one year before the great rebellion which ended the Orrain dynasty. It is said to have been one of the sparks leading up to the end of the Orrain dynasty.
Jakurk remembered entering the castle, fighting his way through the halls effortlessly reaching the main wing where he stuck down Hapan Devein thus ending the rebellion once and for all. He had killed the Deveain brothers, the servants, the soldiers all within one day.
But the few small creatures he had seen hiding away in the darkest part of the castle cellar he had let live. Unbeknownst to the Prince he followed and the rest of the battalion he had shown mercy on the children of the Devein household. As for why he did it? Maybe they reminded him of his own childhood or maybe he just didn't want to fully commit to the title of, Devil in Iron.
It would take another fifty three years for him to encounter those same children in the Dungeon of Rävnäs. For him it had been half a lifetime since then. For those children who saw the world from an elves perspective it had just been a few short years.
The blue light of the Barrier crystal illuminated the two who entered in bright light. An old man of white hair and with the rags of esteemed elven imperial clothing. And a poor child who had been forced to tag along.
"Oh! Tristin! Opip!" He smiled happily as he entered.
Opip flew up to greet him with a hug. "Ha i knew you werent dead"
"I wouldn't dream of dying in a place like this, by the way look what i found" Jakurk protruded the hounds blue sword from his coat. The sky metal blade looked as sharp as ever.
"I thought it was lost to the dark, thank you, thank you truly" The history of that blade was of some interest to Jakurk. How it had come into Opip's possession he did not know. But it was clear that it held some importance to the hound.
"Where's Tristin?" Jakurk took a look around the camp. "Oh.."
"JAKURK NAITCH, you slayed my father, i have come to repay that debt by the means of war" There was a quiet rage building in Hapara's face. A young burning grudge to what to him had been the sin of yester year. But to Jakurk the early acts of a life most forgotten.
No one else in the chamber dared to utter a word. They simply watched from the sideline. Tristin included.
"This must be a mistake, Jakurk isn't a bad person, sure he smells of iron but who doesn't? It must be some kind of misunderstanding" Opip couldn't accept it.
"No, i did it" Jakurk stepped into the bright light of the room, throwing away any shadows of doubt from his shape. "I killed your father, your mother, your uncles, I nipped every bud of rebellion I could find, and it was only luck which spared you two" There was one lie in his sentence.
"Then I demand a trial by means of war" A fancy term for a duel to the death to settle the matter of justice. Only one such trial could be called since the winner would be exempt from the sin if they won. As such of the two siblings only one had the opportunity to challenge Jakurk to a duel beneath the gaze of the twin goddesses.
"And you have every right too, but may I remind you where we are" Jakurk might have a way to reactivate the power he once possessed in his youth. But using the necklace came with a cost he'd rather not pay, the decay of his very soul. He could use the great powers which had once earned him the moniker the Devil in Iron for a few minutes, maybe even an hour but once he had used up that time, the time he had no way to count his soul and his body would be turned to dust in the wind. And so he had to be very careful to only use it at the most critical moment for the shortest time possible with the weakest spell at his disposal capable of victory.
"Where we are?"
"Right now we are inside of a white dungeon, do you know what that means?"
"Theres a dungeonmaster, and we have to defeat him to get out"
"Thats right, We have to defeat him to get out" Jakurk put a great emphasis on the we. "So yes we may fight now, and you may kill me which you have every right to do, but I will gravely wound you before that happens, and how good will it be to face a great monster like a dungeonmaster gravely wounded and with one less mage then you could?"
"Tsh, i do see your point," Hapara leaned back his halberd. His sister looked at him with piercing eyes and whispered something. Hapara sighed. "But you must swear to me, that when this is over our trial by means of war will be held"
"I swear upon my name"
"Swear upon something with worth"
"I swear upon the name of prince Paraquill" The danger was averted but not extinguished. "Is that good enough?"
Hapara simply nodded and returned to the small fireplace they had set up. They were cooking something but it didn't seem like they wanted to share.
"Do you regret what you did in your past?" Opip asked.
"No, every choice I made, every decision I took came from an idea, every sacrifice made for that idea will be worth it in the end. Do you regret forming a party with me?"
"I don't know, should I?" Opip left his side and returned to the campfire without waiting for an answer.