The sunset bathed the forest trees in a pale golden glow,
as Vann sat near the fire, sharpening his rusted sword.
His eyes were fixed on the flames…
but his heart wandered far beyond them.
Kaiden, unusually quiet,
sat on a rock nearby—his gaze not on the fire, but beyond it,
as if listening to a voice from another time.
> "Kaiden?" Vann called.
No response.
Seconds passed before Kaiden finally spoke, his voice low, as if to himself:
> "We could've won the war… if they hadn't exiled him."
Vann looked up, puzzled.
> "Who do you mean?"
Kaiden rose slowly, his tone heavy:
> "The man who taught me how to stay one step ahead of armies…
and taught your father how to fear."
Vann raised an eyebrow, drawing closer.
> "You always said you trusted no one."
> "And I didn't. Except him."
"His name was... Seth Arvahn. Grand strategist of Valdera.
He was exiled by your father—accused of treason.
But it was just another palace game."
Vann froze. He had never heard that name before.
Kaiden continued:
> "When we lost the defensive line at the Battle of Linvar,
Seth urged the king to make a tactical retreat.
The king refused—called it cowardice.
The army was nearly wiped out.
At the next council… he was exiled."
Vann stared at the Black Knight.
> "You think he's still alive?"
Kaiden's voice grew cold:
> "If the books didn't kill him… then regret did."
Then his eyes locked on Vann's, sharp and commanding:
"But we won't start this war without a mind to lead it."
He doused the fire, gripped his blade, and added:
> "We head south… to the ruins of Serdin—
where it's said he lives as a hermit among the wreckage."
---
Days passed.
The journey was harsh—through rocky hills,
fog-choked passes, and forgotten villages haunted by silence and fear.
One dark evening,
they arrived at an ancient stone ridge,
where a crumbling wooden hut stood on the edge.
Outside, a man stacked firewood.
Bald-headed, heavy-bearded,
his face bore the weight of years spent speaking only to silence.
Kaiden approached, every step certain,
his voice steady as steel:
> "Grand Strategist… we've come to finish what we never could."
The man looked up.
His eyes moved from Kaiden… to Vann.
A long silence.
Then he muttered:
> "I knew you'd come.
All endings return to where they began."