"Morien. The general. Rank 3 magician. A veteran from the eastern wars. He's aligned himself with Aerik. Quietly. But completely."
Thunder rolled outside, distant but deep.
Kael stared into the dark beyond the window, heart steady but heavy.
His brothers weren't waiting.
They were moving.
Yue floated slowly above the bed, her presence half-glow, half-shadow. Her voice was dry, amused.
"Humans are always so interesting. Your father still breathes… yet his sons already circle the throne like vultures."
Kael let out a quiet breath and nodded, the weight of truth sinking deeper into his chest.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Rain pattered steadily outside, a metronome to the dread building between them.
Selene shifted slightly on the bed, clearly troubled. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve.
Kael noticed. "Speak freely," he said quietly.
She hesitated — then looked him in the eye.
"There are reports… unconfirmed, but spreading fast. Your father… he was injured. Badly. During the last engagement at the northern front. Some say he hasn't woken since."
Kael's breath caught. "What?"
He shot a glance to Yue.
"Track Renold," he ordered. "Get me every piece of truth you can"
Yue's expression turned serious.
"I'll try. But I can't stray far from the blade yet — my range is limited. Still…"
She gave a small nod, vanishing into a shimmer of mist and starlight.
Kael turned to Selene again, pressing through the rising fog in his mind.
"Isn't there anyone — a Rank 3 magician — someone we can bring under our banner?"
Selene bit her lip, thinking.
Then she looked up. "There is one…"
Kael leaned forward.
She exhaled. "....The Divine General."
Kael's brow furrowed deeply. The name tickled something in the back of his memory — a story half-heard, long buried.
"I've heard that name before," he murmured. "But… who is he, really?"
Selene tensed slightly at the question. Her voice dropped, almost as if afraid the walls might hear.
"He was…" She took a breath. "He is the most powerful magician our kingdom has ever known. Rank 3, yes, but far beyond any other. Many believed he was close — so close — to breaking into Rank 4."
Kael blinked. Rank 4?
"Even the king feared him," Selene continued. "Not because he was cruel. But because his presence alone shifted power. He was your father's elder brother."
Kael's expression darkened. "Then why have I never met him?"
Selene hesitated. "Your father… was jealous. Terrified, maybe. Some say he always stood in his brother's shadow, and hated it. The Divine General was loved by the people, the army, even the court. There were whispers that the king considered giving him the duchy instead of your father."
Kael's voice grew cold. "But that didn't happen."
"No," Selene said. "Because one night, he vanished. Just like that. No body. No witnesses. Only rumors. Some claimed he died. Others claimed he left… or was made to leave."
"And after that?"
"After that… your father was appointed Duke."
The storm outside cracked with thunder, the wind hurling rain against the stone windows.
Kael's eyes were hard now.
Yue drifted into view like a passing dream, her voice low and toneless.
"It's true," she said.
Kael turned to her sharply. She rarely spoke without weight.
"Today's battle at the northern front," Yue continued, "the fight against the Astanian incursion — your father was at the center of it. They managed to repel the enemy… but your father was grievously wounded."
Kael's breath hitched.
"There's a ceasefire now. Temporary. The battlefront has quieted — for now. But the price was high." she said.
"He'll be brought back to the estate tomorrow," Yue added.
"Renold left just moments ago. He's personally escorting the Duke home."
Kael exhaled slowly, heavily — a breath that carried the weight of a thousand thoughts.
"So… it's happening," he said, more to himself than anyone.
Kael glanced at Selene, who looked puzzled, her brow furrowed.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly, clearly unaware of the deeper currents swirling beneath the surface.
Kael smirked, trying to lighten the heavy mood.
"So… is the Divine General actually alive?"
Selene's eyes widened.
"There have been rumors for years in the noble houses," she said, voice dropping to a whisper.
Kael glanced at Selene, who looked puzzled, her brow furrowed.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly, clearly unaware of the deeper currents swirling beneath the surface.
Kael smirked, trying to lighten the heavy mood. "So… is the Divine General actually alive?"
Selene's eyes widened. "There have been rumors for years in the noble houses," she said, voice dropping to a whisper. "That your father tortured him… and that he's still imprisoned somewhere below our estate."
Kael's expression darkened as he turned to Yue, the weight of everything pressing against his chest.
"Yue," he said, voice firm, "can you check—"
She cut him off, eyes narrowing, arms folding.
"What am I?" she said dryly. "Your personal maid?"
Kael blinked.
Then, without shame, he slumped back on the bed and threw one arm over his eyes.
"Please," he groaned, slipping into full spoiled-child mode.
"This is the last one. I swear. Just this one favor."
Yue hovered there, utterly unimpressed.
Selene blinked, caught between confusion and amusement.
"…You are insufferable," Yue muttered.
"Love you too," Kael mumbled from under his arm.
Yue finally rolled her eyes, sighing like a spirit centuries older than the nonsense she was enduring.
"Fine. I'm going. But if I find rats, I'm feeding them your socks."
"Deal."
And just like that, she vanished into shadow and mist.