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Chapter 57 – Shadows in the Flame
The fire crackled gently, casting amber glows across the battlefield's training grounds. Soldiers moved like like charging rihno, engaging in mock duels and strength tests, grunts and clashing steel breaking the silence of the early evening. Asher sat still near a torch-lit post, his cloak draped over one shoulder, eyes calm yet calculating. Around him, warriors continued fighting, unaware that a storm of thoughts brewed behind his quiet demeanor.
He watched two soldiers engage in a fierce sword exchange, their footwork clumsy compared to what he'd seen in real combat. His mind wandered. Not to war. But to memory. And mystery.
"ANOTHER BORING MATCH," Stee'zz muttered in his head. "You're wasting time watching these brutes pretend to be warriors."
But Asher wasn't watching them.
Unlike others who cheered usher was busy calculating each of the soldiers weakness and imagining himself attacking their weak point.
With each clumsy mistake or movement any of the soldiers made usher has ready killed that soldier in his mind.
One particular fighter although not that skilled cut his eyes which day skills that he used
"Fights like Eric" Asher muttered quietly.
"You know," a voice said behind him, "he used to mutter that name when he was angry. Eric. Like the name alone reminded him to stay calm."
Asher turned slightly.
A man with a warm smile approached him. He had the bearing of a seasoned warrior, his posture straight, arms toned, and gaze intense—but his face had a strange youthfulness, as if time had favored him. His hair was a shade of ash brown with streaks of silver at the tips, and a small scar ran across his cheekbone like a memory of war.
He extended a hand.
"You must be Asher. Son of Eric."
Asher stood slowly and returned the handshake, his gaze never leaving the man's face. "And you are?"
The man chuckled softly. "Call me Gavrix. I fought beside your father a long time ago. Seems like yesterday."
"Fought beside him?" Asher's voice sharpened slightly. "What kind of war?"
"The kind that doesn't get written in books too bad he died of illness, your father was a great man."
Gavrix sat on a nearby log, patting the spot beside him. Asher remained standing.
"I owe your father my life," Gavrix said, looking at the fire. "Back when I was just a soldier with a blade and a death wish, he pulled me from the brink more times than I can count. Not because he liked me. Just because he was that kind of man."
Asher frowned. "That's strange. Because everyone I know describes him… very differently."
"Let me guess," Gavrix said with a crooked smile. "Cold. Ruthless. A loner."
"And dangerous," Asher added.
"They're not wrong," Gavrix nodded. "But they're not right either."
The flames danced in his eyes as he began recounting.
---
"Your father… Eric… was the blade the kingdom sent when diplomacy failed. The king had generals, battlemages, advisors—but when a mission had to be done, they sent Eric."
"He wasn't flashy. He didn't use grand magic or declare speeches. He'd arrive, silence a rebellion, end a warlord, disappear."
"I watched him walk through traps that would've killed ten of thousands of men. I watched him climb the highest peak of Dalgir's Canyon during the snowstorm of the Black Star Year… alone… just to retrieve a prisoner no one believed existed."
"He was… tireless. Unstoppable. Almost inhuman."
Asher's brow furrowed. "Why don't people talk about him more then?"
"They don't dare," Gavrix said. "He wasn't a man people praised. He was a weapon people feared. Even allies. He was always loyal… but never predictable. he was always closer to the King and had many secrets"
"…Predictable, secrets how?"
Gavrix hesitated, then smiled slightly.
"Your father didn't just kill enemies. He studied them. I saw him go on a mission to eliminate a cultist leader. He came back with the entire organization under his control. Disbanded it from the inside. Somehow, they respected him."
"That doesn't make sense."
"No. It doesn't," Gavrix admitted. "But nothing about Eric did. Sometimes it's just feels like is a different person entirely."
---
Asher's curiosity ignited like oil on fire.
"What else do you know?" he asked. "Did he have… allies? Enemies? Any group he belonged to?"
Gavrix scratched his beard.
"There were whispers. Some said he wasn't always working for the crown. That he had his own missions… his own cause. There were rumors of underground councils—secret organizations that believed in keeping the world 'balanced'. I never asked."
"Why not?"
"Because the last man who did ask him… vanished. No trace."
Asher clenched his fists slightly. "Did he ever talk about his family? About me?"
Gavrix looked at him for a long moment. There was a softness in his eyes now.
"…He talked about 'the boy'. Not often. But when he did, his voice changed."
Asher's eyes widened.
"How?"
"It was the only time I saw regret on his face."
"…Regret?"
Gavrix nodded.
"I don't know what happened between you two, or what kind of relationship you had. But I do know this—Eric didn't regret missions. He didn't regret decisions. But he regretted not being there for you I'm not too sure."
Asher felt something twist inside him.
The silence stretched until Gavrix finally stood.
"That's all I can tell you, Asher. Your father was… something else. I believe you're going to surpass him one day, but that path won't be easy because you have a long way to go."
"Wait," Asher called, stepping forward. "You said he had strange associates. Who were they? Names, symbols, anything?"
Gavrix paused, considering. "There was one man. Pale skin, golden eyes, walked like a priest but kills like a demon. They called him The Archivist. He and your father were… close."
Asher's heart pounded.
"Where is he now?"
"No idea. But if you're digging into Eric's past… you'll find him eventually."
Asher stepped closer. "You're hiding something. There's more, isn't there?"
Gavrix smirked, a bit sadly. "There always is. But if I tell you more, I'm afraid I'll become a part of the riddle myself. And I'm too old to play ghost stories."
He turned, beginning to walk away.
"Will we meet again?" Asher asked.
"I hope so," Gavrix said without turning. "But if you ever find out who your father really is, be careful who you share it with. Because some secrets… kill the ones who know them."
And then he was gone.
---
Asher sat back down.
For a long while, he didn't speak. Even Stee'zz was silent in his mind, sensing the storm inside his host.
He thought of the cold eyes of his father.
The strange rituals in the cellar.
The silent nights.
The blood on Eric's hands.
And now, whispers of cults, secret allies, regret, and vanishing agents.
He had more questions now than ever before.
---
Back at his camp, Fin stirred slightly under Selena's care. She looked toward the entrance, sensing something strange.
"Asher's aura changed," she said softly. "It's… heavier."
Fin blinked up at her. "Like he's thinking too hard?"
"No," she whispered. "Like he just realized… something."
---
The campfire's embers glowed softly as Asher made his way back to his tent, the conversation with Gavrix still echoing in his mind. The revelations about his father, Eric, painted a picture more enigmatic than he had ever imagined. Eric wasn't just a soldier; he was a force, a shadow that moved with purpose, leaving behind whispers and legends.
As he approached his tent, the muffled voices of Selena and Fin reached his ears. Pushing aside the flap, he found Selena tending to Fin, who lay on a makeshift bed, his face pale and bruised.
"Selena, what happened?" Asher's voice was sharp, concern evident.
Selena looked up, her eyes flashing with anger. "Some nobles thought it amusing to bully Fin. They accused him of overstepping his bounds, being a commoner in a noble's zone. When I intervened, they turned their attention to me."
Asher's gaze hardened. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "Just my pride. But Fin took the brunt of it."
Asher knelt beside Fin, examining his injuries and given him the regeneration portion to drink. "He'll recover. But this behavior won't go unanswered."
Selena placed a hand on his shoulder. "Asher, retaliation will only escalate things. Besides I took care of them myself"
He stood, his expression resolute. "It's not about retaliation. It's about justice."
Turning to Selena, he continued, "I've decided to investigate the vampire continent. There's a magic there, ancient and potent. If it falls into Lysar's hands, the balance could tip irreversibly."
Selena's eyes widened. "Asher, that's dangerous. The vampire territories are treacherous, and it is too late in the night for you to go."
Asher met her gaze. "Exactly why I must go now. To be ahead, to understand, to prepare."
She stepped closer, concern etched on her face. "Let me come with you."
He hesitated. "I need you here, to protect Fin, to gather information, to be my eyes and ears."
Reluctantly, she nodded. "Promise me you'll be careful."
He offered a faint smile. "Always."
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