—Ancient tablets tell that, during the times of the Great Discord, the lord of the highlands sent his most virtuous servant, Nonus, to walk among the ranks of his enemies. Nonus possessed an unblemished face and words so sweet they healed old disputes, mended broken hearts, and restored faith to the fallen. The entire camp came to love him with devotion, lowering their guard before the warmth of his smile.
However, absolute perfection is a heavy and difficult armor to maintain. In a silent oversight, Nonus committed a single mistake inside the camp, a subtle slip that exposed the deception he hid behind his kindly gaze. Upon finding himself exposed and stripped of his mask before the astonished eyes of those who idolized him, he fled in terror into the thickness of the night, leaving behind a trail of desolation and distrust among those who once called him brother.
Nonus believed the forest would offer him refuge and that his side would receive him with laurels, but fate awaited with a twin edge. A shadow that once wore his very same uniform and knew every single one of his hiding places hunted him in the confines of the grove. That old comrade eliminated him in the gloom, claiming his head not out of justice, but as a blood tribute to buy his own place among the victors.
That is why the sage writes at the closing of the chronicle: "Seek not the enemy solely on the front you challenge, seek him also within the smile that embraces you. Guard your chest against the invader's sword, but guard your back against the dagger of your own brother. For the steel that comes from ahead wounds the body, but the steel that comes from your own blood is the one that claims your head" —Kiera finished narrating, letting a couple of seconds of silence pass.
—And that's it? Is that all? —Lyra asked, resting her cheekbones upon the palms of her hands with a gesture of clear disappointment.
—Yes —Kiera responded, closing the heavy tome with a sharp snap.
—And here I thought it was going to be an incredible adventure because of how decorated the cover was... but in the end it was nothing more than compiled data from the places where that Nonus guy had been —Lyra grumbled, crossing her arms with a pouting expression of annoyance, though she ended up letting out a sigh—. Although... well, the story was somewhat interesting.
—It is quite interesting —Kiera corrected, running her fingers over the worn wood of the spine before putting it away delicately in her bag—. I found this tome in the northern zone of the colossus Solheim, high in the mountains. In fact, it was one of the last copies written.
—So it must be worth quite a bit —Lyra deduced, opening her eyes wide as curiosity won her over again.
—What are you talking about? —Naoko asked, approaching them with light steps.
—We were talking about a book and how disappointing it turned out to be —Lyra responded with a mischievous smile—. By the way, is your arm doing better now?
—Yes, it's much better thanks to everyone's help —Naoko said, rotating her shoulder and moving her arm to test its mobility—. Truthfully, these three months would have been unbearable without you taking care of me while they removed my cast.
—At least you had the good sense to take a break —Kiera commented, turning her head to look toward the garden.
There was Zein, executing fencing strokes in midair with absolute concentration.
During all that time he had not stopped training, stubbornly ignoring his own limitations. Channeling Lucian's spell had left him with fractures all over his body, and he had been forced to rest, but even then he didn't stay still. Although he couldn't move much, he took advantage of every single day to study magical theory, managing to thoroughly understand the structure of the vortex to master it without destroying himself in the attempt.
—I still get a bit of chills every time I see him practice that technique —Kiera admitted with a nervous grimace—. I read in one of my tomes that black holes devour everything in their path. I hope it never gets out of control and ends up swallowing my house...
—Hahaha, I don't think he's that careless, right, Kiomi? —Naoko blurted out, giving her friend a friendly nudge with her elbow.
—He's not stupid enough to make a mistake like that —Kiomi responded coldly, though without taking her eyes off Zein's figure in the yard.
—I'm so glad you don't hate him anymore, Kiomi —Lyra chimed in, smiling at her warmly—. Before, you didn't even want to set foot in the house just because he was here, and now you spend half of training watching him.
—Eh? Did someone fall in love? —Kiera sang out mockingly, raising her eyebrows.
—Of course not —Kiomi cut in immediately—. Come on, Naoko.
Without giving them time to react, Kiomi took Naoko firmly by the hand to drag her toward the stairs.
—Where are you going in such a rush? —Kiera asked, holding back a laugh.
—To the rooftop.
—Alright, try not to fall off! —Kiera shouted to them as she watched them head up.
However, deep down, Lyra wasn't so wrong.
Since that day of the battle, Kiomi had stopped holding so much resentment toward Zein. Months ago she would have simply glared at him before walking away; now, instead, she observed him with complete normality.
«It's not that I hate him... but it's not like I like him either», Kiomi thought to herself, trying to justify it.
—It wasn't necessary for you to get so upset like that, Kiomi... —Naoko said, breaking the cool afternoon air as they climbed the last steps—. Hey, I know! What if we play something?
—Play what? —Kiomi asked, guiding her toward a pair of wicker chairs arranged at the edge of the rooftop.
—Do we play truth or dare?
—And what is that?
—It's a game that started becoming popular at the academy recently.
—You go to the academy? To the one on the central island? —Kiomi asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
—Yes... though lately it's a headache crossing over there because of all the civil war mess —Naoko explained, waving her hand—. But don't change the subject!
—Alright, sorry. How do you play?
—One person challenges another to choose between telling a truth or fulfilling a dare. If she chooses truth, you ask her a question and she has to answer with complete honesty. If she chooses dare, you give her a challenge and she has to do it no matter what.
—And how do you decide who starts?
Naoko froze in place.
—Ah! —she brought her hands to her head, making a dramatic face—. Since I've never played it in a group, I have no idea how the first person is chosen...
Kiomi let out a faint chuckle at her friend's awkwardness, caught up in the calm atmosphere.
—Don't worry, I'll start. Truth or dare?
—Mmm... Truth! —Naoko exclaimed, settling into the chair enthusiastically.
—Naoko, what do you think of Zein? —Kiomi asked, switching her expression to a serious yet inquisitive face.
—Eh? W-Why do you ask about him? —Naoko stammered, feeling the color rush to her face all at once.
—Well? What do you think? —Kiomi insisted, letting a mischievous little smile show.
—Um... I... hey, did you see how pretty the trees look today? —Naoko said, pointing toward the horizon and trying to play dumb in the most shameless way possible.
—Don't change the subject on me.
Naoko began to blush more and more while Kiomi stared at her, holding back the urge to burst out laughing with an openly mischievous smile.
—He is to me... Zein is to me... —Naoko began to babble, searching for the exact words.
But a pair of hurried steps on the stairs interrupted them. It was Lyra, poking her head through the roof opening.
—What were you saying about my big brother? —Lyra asked, tilting her head with curiosity.
Naoko covered her face completely, sinking into the chair with her cheeks burning, while Kiomi could no longer hold back and let out an open laugh.
—Sorry, sorry. Let's leave it here for today, deal? —Kiomi told her friend, wiping away a tear of laughter.
—You are so mean, Kiomi... —Naoko protested, her voice muffled in her hands.
—Well then? What happened, Lyra? —Kiomi asked, regaining her composure.
—A messenger from the resistance arrived looking for you two and Zein. It seems they called an important meeting —the girl explained.
—We're coming down. Are you staying here?
—Yes, I'll stay in the yard practicing a bit of magic with Kiera —Lyra responded with a broad and sincere smile.
—That pure smile... I hope it never changes —Kiomi whispered to herself, standing up—. Come on, Naoko.
Shortly after, the group set off guided by the messenger to the old census office, the building that the resistance had taken over to convert into their new base of operations.
At the entrance, several armed guards protected the perimeter. On the inside, the place had been remodeled with just enough to transform into a functional and efficient command center.
The messenger led them to a large room where a numerous group was already congregating. On one side of the room were the rebels they had always known, among them Miguel and Alexander. However, on the other side of the enclosure, a different contingent stood out: people wearing unblemished clothes, impeccably arranged and with an elegant bearing.
Upon crossing the threshold, Zein mistrusted that composure immediately. Thinking that it could be an imperial delegation, he placed his hand firmly on the hilt of the sword he wore at his side.
—You finally made it —Miguel said, stepping forward to receive them.
—We're here, old man. What did you want us for? —Naoko asked.
Before he could answer, one of the strangers moved sharply toward Kiomi. Without asking permission, he took her hand, knelt on one knee, and pressed the girl's palm against his own head.
Kiomi froze, bewildered and nervous at the gesture, as were the rest of those present.
The stranger slowly lowered Kiomi's hand and brushed the back of it with a small kiss before standing up with impeccable composure.
—It is a true honor to finally meet the great warriors who brought down one of the duke's generals —he declared with a neat smile.
Kiomi, feeling the blush burning her cheeks, snatched her hand away abruptly and took a step back.
—Forgive my abruptness. Let me introduce myself: I am Novius Oclatius, leader of the eastern resistance —he said, bowing his torso with knightly elegance.
Novius projected an absolute calm. He was a tall young man, fair-skinned and with dark brown hair; someone indisputably handsome despite his simple features. He wore an unblemished white tunic with delicate gold embroidery and, as the only detail out of place, he bore a small scar on his left cheek.
—The pleasure is... ours —Kiomi murmured, still nervous and visibly embarrassed by the newcomer's outburst.
Novius turned toward Zein to shake his hand with a warm smile. However, upon trying to approach Naoko, the swordswoman reacted on instinct and hid behind Zein's back, looking at him with evident distrust.
The leader of the east did not seem phased; maintaining his serenity, he returned to his place without erasing his smile.
«Could Naoko be shy? Because truthfully she has never seemed like it», Zein thought to himself, puzzled by his friend's attitude.
—Alright, alright. I already introduced them to you as you wanted, so please let's start the meeting —Miguel interrupted, tapping the central table a couple of times to call for order.
During the following hours, the room became a back and forth of maps and strategies. Both factions discussed the terms to unify the forces of the north and the east; after all, they shared the same goal, only operating from different fronts.
Up to that moment, the progress of the rebellion had been abysmal: after regaining full control of the north, the troops were already beginning to push toward the south of the island.
Throughout the entire meeting, none of the three —Naoko, Zein, or Kiomi— intervened a single time. All three reached the same conclusion: Miguel had only brought them because Novius had insisted on seeing them.
As soon as the gathering concluded, the attendees began to leave, but before Zein could cross the door, Novius stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
—You know? I heard out there that you were the one who dealt the final blow to Sora in that battle —Novius told him, offering him a dazzling smile—. I would love for you to share more details with me about what happened that day.
At the back of the room, Miguel and Alexander still remained alone.
—There's something strange about that Novius guy —Miguel whispered, resting his fists on the map table—. Something very strange and familiar... and not in a good way.
—I understood that the leader of the eastern resistance was someone else —Alexander commented, keeping his gaze fixed on the exit—. But he disappeared a long time ago and it was never known what became of him.
—We'll have to tread carefully from now on —Miguel declared, pulling a metal flask from his coat to take a long swig.
—You should stop doing that, especially now that you became the highest authority here —Alexander scolded him, frowning.
—You know perfectly well that I have no plans of taking control when all of this ends —Miguel responded, putting away the flask with a disinterested gesture—. I am just one more general.