[Scene 1 – Solareth Stronghold, Dawn Hallway]
The castle corridors were soaked in a dull orange hue as the first light of dawn pierced through the high arched windows. A lazy fog hung low, curling around the stone pillars like remaining breath from the night before. Kris moved quietly down a hallway, rubbing the back of his neck, still stiff from sleep. His boots echoed on the cold floor, though the vast silence of Solareth's stronghold swallowed most of the sound.
KRIS (murmuring)
"If I survive this war, I'm sleeping for a week. Somewhere soft. With silence."
He stopped outside a circular chamber where faint blue light leaked through the open door. Inside, Zagan was already awake, standing tall before a hovering projection of the realm. The floating map shimmered with fracturing veins of time and space, reconnecting and fracturing again like broken glass repeatedly mended and shattered.
KRIS (CONT'D)
"Morning already ate you alive, huh?"
ZAGAN (flat)
"Couldn't sleep."
Beat.
KRIS
"You've been like this ever since… that fight."
ZAGAN (still watching the projection)
"He used something... old. It felt like it didn't belong here. Not in this timeline, not even in this dimension."
Zagan turned slightly, finally meeting Kris's eyes. There was no humor in his expression. Only focused, silent calculation.
KRIS
"You're not just curious. You're suspicious."
ZAGAN
"Maybe both."
He took a step back from the projection, watching the pulse of the timelines fold into each other like an unstable heartbeat.
[Scene 2 – Vinam's Quarters]
Inside Vinam's room, the air was cool and still. Shelves lined with scrolls, maps of realm fractures, and arcane diagrams were meticulously arranged around the circular chamber. In the center, Vinam sat cross-legged beside a low table, his blade resting across his knees. The Blooming Destroyer pulsed faintly with a cold white glow, like the last ember of a dying star.
He slowly ran a cloth across its edge, his expression unreadable. Each motion was careful, almost reverent. He paused for a moment and stared at his reflection in the blade—not with vanity, but burden.
VINAM (softly, to himself)
"I will not break again. Not while they still breathe."
He placed the cloth down, then stood and walked toward the window, eyes scanning the horizon. The sky beyond was clear, but his thoughts were stormed with memories.
[Scene 3 – Training Grounds, Morning]
The training yard buzzed softly with distant magic discharges and sparring echoes. Jessica sat atop a rock wall, legs dangling, scribbling lazily in her notebook. The sunlight painted her pink hair golden.
KRIS and ZAGAN entered, mid-conversation. Both looked weary but grounded.
JESSICA (with a smirk)
"Two sleep-deprived soldiers and a conspiracy theorist. Nice trio."
KRIS
"Good morning to you too, sunshine."
JESSICA (holding up a sketch)
"Drew this last night. Don't ask me why."
She turned the notebook around. The sketch was simple, black lines and shading, but there was a strange emotional weight to it: Vinam standing alone, sword drawn, shadows like tendrils curling from his feet — shadows that resembled the trio.
ZAGAN (quietly)
"Looks... accurate."
KRIS (half-joking)
"Nice. Let's all draw our nightmares now."
JESSICA
"Wasn't a nightmare. More like... an echo."
Jessica's gaze lingered on the drawing longer than she wanted to admit. There was something about the loneliness in Vinam's stance — something achingly human.
[Scene 4 – Midday Training, Courtyard]
The sun was high now, scorching the stones beneath their feet. The group assembled. Vinam appeared without a word, crossing the courtyard with controlled grace. His expression was neutral, but his presence carried pressure.
VINAM
"Today's lesson: response under deception."
He raised the Blooming Destroyer and gently stabbed it into the stone floor. A ripple surged outward, and the training ground distorted. The world around them warped — fire, screams, distant explosions. Illusions.
JESSICA fired a light arrow at a shadowy figure. It vanished. KRIS sliced at another, and his blade passed through it harmlessly.
KRIS
"None of them are real."
VINAM
"Neither are your instincts."
ZAGAN stood still, eyes locked on Vinam instead of the illusion.
ZAGAN
"Where do you get this level of illusion? Not even Solareth has this tech."
VINAM
"No more questions."
ZAGAN
"So you are hiding something."
VINAM turned slightly, just enough to let the sun glint off his eyes.
VINAM
"Everyone is."
[Scene 5 – Archives, That Evening]
The air in the sealed archives was ancient, humming with residual magic. ZAGAN crept inside, using a falsified ID shard. Blue glyphs lit the chamber as shelves of ancient books floated around him.
ZAGAN (INTERNAL)
"If Blooming Destroyer is a relic… it must have a past older than even the gods admit."
He scanned through glowing scrolls, until one line caught his eye, etched in gold.
"The sword that fractures time shall fracture trust before fate."
Zagan's fingers twitched. He closed the scroll and stared at the dim light.
ZAGAN (INTERNAL)
"Fracture trust, huh? That's already happening."
[Scene 6 – Tower Edge, Vinam and Kris]
The tower rose above most of Solareth, wind cutting across its top like a silent blade. Vinam stood there, watching the horizon. Kris approached with two drink flasks.
KRIS
"Peace offering. One for the coldest swordsman alive."
VINAM (quietly)
"This peace is temporary."
KRIS
"Still. We fight for the right to taste it."
A beat. Vinam said nothing.
KRIS (CONT'D)
"You've seen things we haven't, haven't you?"
VINAM
"You'd be better off not seeing them."
KRIS
"And yet here we are, seeing everything except the truth."
VINAM
"Some truths won't save you."
KRIS
"Some lies will destroy us."
They stood in silence, the fading sun casting long shadows.
[Scene 7 – Zagan's Room, Midnight]
Moonlight bathed the floor of Zagan's quarters in silver. He lay in bed, wide-eyed. His blade pulsed faintly, cracks of time magic weaving across it.
ZAGAN (INTERNAL)
"He wasn't surprised when I mentioned the energy. He was expecting it. Maybe he wanted me to notice."
He sat up, walked to the window, and leaned on the frame.
ZAGAN (INTERNAL) CONT'D
"What kind of warrior lives like he's already lost?"
He gripped the blade tighter, thoughts fracturing in quiet rage and confusion.
[Scene 8 – Pre-Dawn Cliffside]
The stars were fading, the sky shifting to lavender as the sun threatened to rise. Zagan sat alone, wind ruffling his cloak. Kris approached slowly and sat beside him.
KRIS
"You ever gonna tell me what's got you so bent?"
ZAGAN (sighs)
"When someone hides something powerful… it usually means they're afraid of what happens if it's used."
KRIS
"And you think Vinam is afraid?"
ZAGAN
"I think he's preparing to use it again."
KRIS
"Then we'd better be ready too. For him... or with him."
Zagan let out a faint breath. The sky broke into a faint glow. The next day was beginning — and so was something deeper between them: not trust, not doubt, but preparation.
END OF CHAPTER 9