There was a moment of silence. Lysera's brow furrowed, her gaze dropping to the floor for a brief moment. "So then… you were Luxaris's man even when you helped me," she said; her voice alone revealed how stunned she was.
Rrnaun shrugged. "You didn't need to know that back then. If you had, you wouldn't have trusted me so easily."
The air in the room suddenly grew heavy. Thalos and Sira exchanged a quick glance; no one spoke.
Rrnaun took a deep breath, then inclined his head slightly. "If you'll excuse me," he said, not waiting for anyone's reply.
He strode toward the table, sat in the chair at its head, and leaned back. The others were still standing; Rrnaun's relaxed posture made it seem as if this house belonged to him.
"It was a long journey," he said, the first to break the silence. "And clearly, we have much to discuss."
The silence in the room was almost petrified. Rrnaun remained in the same relaxed state, leaning back in his chair. The shock in Lysera's heart had given way to a tense silence. Auren stood behind her sister, clutching a piece of her skirt; she gripped it tightly. Rrnaun seemed terrifying to little Auren.
Thalos stood at the other end of the table. He moved with slow, measured steps and pulled out a chair. The sound of the wooden chair scraping against the floor echoed in the room. Thalos sat, placed his elbows on the table, and looked at Rrnaun intently.
"Rrnaun, Commander-General of the Luxaris Guard," he said in a heavy tone. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Rrnaun tilted his head slightly, a faint smile in his eyes. "I like to speak directly," he said calmly. "Good. As I do not like to waste time."
There was a short silence. Rrnaun placed his hand on the table, tapping his fingertips lightly on the wood. "There are some rumors that have caught the attention of the Luxaris Council," he said. His gaze shifted from Thalos to Lysera, and then to Auren. "Movements seen in the north in recent weeks… Traces, reports related to the Elders. It's said there are those living around here who served the Elders personally, who are still alive; this has made some... curious."
Thalos's expression hardened. "So you came here... to question us?"
Rrnaun's smile widened. "Question? No. Merely... to hear the truth."
He paused, and then his voice dropped to almost a whisper: "Because if the Elders are still alive somewhere, for Luxaris not to know... would be a grave mistake."
At that moment, the air at the table seemed to grow cold. Lysera involuntarily held her breath. Rrnaun's gaze locked on her eyes for a moment—hard, yet as if remembering something from the past.
Thalos answered without losing his composure: "If you still believe in such things, Rrnaun… then you must also know why the Elders disappeared."
Rrnaun's smile faded. "Perhaps I do," he said in a low voice. "Or perhaps I am not meant to know. But every secret hidden in the shadow of Luxaris, sooner or later, comes to light."
The tension at the table rose again. The candlelight flickered, as if the air had darkened, even for just a moment.
Rrnaun took a deep breath, lifting his head slightly. His voice was deeper this time, more resolute: "Valerith..." he said slowly, pronouncing the name almost like a prayer. "She rebuilt the world after the day the curse took hold of the Elders. She united the scattered kingdoms of men; she turned devastation into an empire of peace. She was the Mother of Light—Valerith I, Lux Domina."
A silence fell. There was both longing and sorrow in Rrnaun's eyes. "I was in her army," he said quietly. "The Luxaris Guard exists to protect her justice. Talented warriors from every race, mages—everyone joined Luxaris, for Valerith. She guided humanity, the heirs, and even the other races, despite the silence of the Gods."
Rrnaun's eyes shone, dull yet sharp, upon those at the table. "Valerith..." he said, his voice carrying both awe and terror. "For one who knew her, there are no words to say; for one who saw her, there is much to fear. I walked by her side. I saw, I watched… and I lived."
Thalos tensed his shoulders slightly with Rrnaun's every sentence, his brow furrowed, but he remained silent. Sira, biting her lip, couldn't take her eyes off Rrnaun. Auren, bent slightly behind her sister, still clutched a piece of her skirt; her hands were clasped, her nervousness visible in her eyes.
Rrnaun continued, the determination in his voice chilling the air: "Valerith… brought people together, united the scattered kingdoms. But what she did was not just peace. For her, pain, fear, and death were tools; necessities to reach a goal. I saw it when I was by her side; she was ruthless. Every order, every decision… was executed with flawless logic, with deadly resolve."
Thalos's jaw clenched slightly; his hands were clasped tightly beneath the table. Sira held her breath, her hands joined, while Auren still gripped her sister's skirt tightly; her eyes had widened, slightly tensed.
Rrnaun continued, his gaze sweeping over them: "There was only one loyalty: mine to her, and my absolute devotion to her vision. That is why I can tell you this: without understanding Valerith, you cannot imagine what she did. And if you look through the eyes of someone so loyal… perhaps the species you call human will always fall short beside her."
Sira shifted back slightly; Auren was still clutching the skirt, holding her breath. Thalos's eyes were fixed on Rrnaun, but his voice was still controlled: "And then?" he asked, as if through gritted teeth, subtly hiding his tension.
Rrnaun's smile vanished; his eyes flashed. "Yes. For having been by her side, I am a man both cursed and chosen."
Auren's hair stood on end; Sira was so anxious she could hardly inhale. Thalos's fingers were clenched tight on the table, silently biting his lip. Rrnaun's words were not just a confession, but also a warning: "In Valerith's world, the rules do not belong to humans. And I am one who has personally enforced those rules."
He paused, took a deep breath, his voice turning ice-sharp: "The Elders… when I saw them, even I realized how corrupt they had become. A herd that betrayed their own race, that used humanity for power… those cursed beings had no intention of understanding what justice and discipline were. For them, mercy was a weakness, loyalty was nonsense, and power was the only truth. And that is why… my hatred for them grew with each passing day. Even speaking their name makes my skin crawl."
Lysera, Sira, and Auren held their breath in silence, their eyes locked on Rrnaun. Auren clung to her sister's skirt, almost trembling.
Rrnaun took a step forward, his voice hardening even more: "And anyone, anyone who tried to stain Valerith's name, they were nothing but corrupt followers obsessed with the Elders. But in the shadow of Luxaris, they found the punishment they deserved. Every one of them fell victim to their own ambition…"
Thalos's eyes fixed on Rrnaun, a silent but sharp anger in his gaze. "It seems they made you memorize your lines well. Valerith was the one who truly betrayed," he said harshly, his voice echoing in the room.
With that word, Thalos shot to his feet, moving to attack.
Rrnaun, with a sudden reflex, drew his sword and lunged toward Lysera and Auren; But Thalos was too fast; he drew his own sword, blocked Rrnaun's, and planted himself in front of Lysera and Auren. Rrnaun took a few steps back from the unexpected halt; his eyes locked on Thalos. Lysera and Auren, realizing the distance between the swords, moved closer to each other; Auren was hugging her sister tightly.
At that moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Only the sound of breathing could be heard in the silence.
Rrnaun continued to speak, his voice filled with rage and hatred: "You… you disgusting beings who served the Elders personally! I will... wipe you… all of you… from this world!"
Before the words were even out, Rrnaun's sword began to glow. A beam of light, a cold and deadly energy, shot toward Thalos. His attack was incredibly destructive; an explosion like thunder shook the entire house.
Stones, furniture in the room, walls… everything flew into the air. The house literally disintegrated from the impact of Rrnaun's attack; dust and debris swirled in the air. Smoke rose, and the sharp smell of burning spread through the air.
And just then, a faint greenish-white sphere appeared within the smoke. In the center of the sphere stood Thalos, Lysera, Auren, and Sira… all completely unharmed. Sira's hands were still glowing around the barrier; she had created this protective shield.
Rrnaun squinted at the sphere, a mixture of anger and surprise on his face. "So you managed to survive my attack?" his voice was sharp and furious.
Auren and Lysera were frozen stiff with fear, clinging to each other.
The sphere was pushing back the airborne debris and energy, completely stopping Rrnaun's attack. Rrnaun, with the energy still glowing on the tip of his sword, trembled in the space around the barrier; the rage in his eyes was growing.
At that moment, the other Luxaris Guards quickly assembled. The house was now completely destroyed, the surroundings engulfed in flames; there was wreckage and smoke everywhere. But they stood by their commander, Rrnaun; their eyes were sharp, ready, and unwavering.
Sira, without hesitation, pulled Auren and Lysera's bedridden older sister from the rubble and wreckage of the burnt-out room. The older sister was charred black, like burnt flesh from the impact of the attack; her body and hair were charcoal black. Sira quickly shouldered her, trying to keep her balance while holding her breath.
Sira was defending herself and them without letting the barrier's strength fade.
Amidst the smoke and debris, some of the townsfolk began to move quickly toward the place where the flames were rising. They held torches, staffs, or simple weapons, but their faces were completely calm; there was no fear or panic, only determination.
Thalos turned his calm gaze to them and smiled slightly. "Good work," he said in a quiet but reassuring voice. "We will all stand tall here."
Rrnaun fixed his eyes on the townspeople; his eyes flashed for a moment, caught between anger and contempt. "So you weren't the only dogs," he said in a low voice, a thin smile appearing on his lips. "You were hiding as a pack… in this town."
Sira, maintaining the barrier's strength, glanced at the townspeople; they were all still calm and resolute. Auren stood behind her sister, still hugging her tightly, holding her breath. Thalos's eyes held both slight approval and a ready-to-fight expression; he was keeping the situation under control.
Rrnaun's gaze was now directed not only at Thalos and Sira, but also at the town's inhabitants; the tension was climbing once again.
Thalos called out to Sira; his voice was firm and authoritative: "Sira! Get the children and our mistress out of here, now!"
Sira, her hands still holding the barrier's power, nodded slightly without hesitation. She glanced at the townspeople; they all stood calm but determined, ready to intervene if needed.
Sira ran with the heavily injured sister of Lysera and Auren on her back; behind her, Lysera held Auren's hands, pulling her along quickly, following Sira.
Opposing the experienced, equipped, and skilled Luxaris Guards, the townspeople—old, young, women, and men—had gathered together.
Thalos turned and fixed his eyes on Rrnaun; his sword still ready, resolute, and threatening. "Let's see what you'll do, Valerith's dog," he said in a harsh tone.
Rrnaun gave Thalos's stance a brief look; his eyes flashed for a second. He was still full of rage, but he had recognized someone who would stand against him.
Sira ran with the heavily injured sister of Lysera and Auren on her back; behind her, Lysera and Auren followed, holding her hands and dragging her quickly. Auren held her sister's hand tightly; she occasionally turned her head to look back. What they had seen, what they had lived through, what could happen… it all created a turmoil in her mind. A deep fear gripped her; her eyes, wide with anxiety, were fixed on the silhouettes between Rrnaun and the wreckage. On one hand, they had to escape; on the other, the questions rising in her mind, the unanswered fears, were suffocating her.