Kalen stood by the window, looking out at the garden where he and his brothers had once practiced with wooden swords. The trees had long since been cut down to build an arch with the family crest, but he still remembered Veren laughing and Laer chiding him for being lazy. Now both of them were dead.
"You wanted to leave, didn't you?" The voice came from behind.
It was Celia. The one who always tried to stay away. She held a cup in her hands, the steam rising lazily, just like the expression on her face. She was tired. Everyone was tired.
"I did. But I won't leave until I know who killed them," Kalen replied without turning around.
There was another step behind her. It was Norea, the younger one, with her reddish hair and perpetual frown.
"What if it's one of your own?" she asked quietly, staring straight at his back.
Kalen clenched his fists.
"So much the worse for your own people.
A couple of hours later, he was standing in front of his father. Velmut Lionheart was sitting at a long table covered with folders, letters, and reports. He was too calm. Too detached.
"You want to interfere in a case we're already investigating. You won't find anything, Kalen. You'd better return to the Academy."
"You better tell the truth. Who leaked them? Who of ours messed up like that?"
Velmut slowly raised his eyes, and a tension hung between them like a storm. His father's face remained stony, but his voice darkened.
"Watch your mouth.
"Fuck you," Kallen breathed, stepping forward.
Both of them froze. At that moment, it seemed that the air would explode. But nothing happened. Velmut turned away.
"Do what you want. But if you stick your nose in where it doesn't belong, you're on your own."
Kallen turned around in silence and left. He could hear Celia's voice behind him, saying something, but he wasn't listening anymore. His chest was filled with anger.
***
He didn't sleep that night.
He sat in the shade of the garden, where the moonlight was visible. Ward appeared on his own, emerging from his shadow with a soft rustle of armor.
"You shouldn't have returned," the knight said, as if he knew more than he was saying.
— I can't just forget.
"Then don't forget. But remember, you're not alone here. Someone is watching. Someone is waiting for you to slip up."
Kalen nodded. He already knew. He knew that the smell of betrayal was stronger in this house than the incense at the entrance.
***
The next morning, the Lionheart estate was filled with a strained silence. Not the kind that speaks of peace, but the kind that usually leads to the discovery of another body.
Kalen came down to the dining room late. There was almost no food left, as if someone had deliberately ignored him. The servants did not make eye contact. Only the old butler nodded slightly as he passed by.
"You're always the last one to arrive," Norea muttered, sitting at the table and idly stirring her porridge. "Or are you waiting for everyone to leave?"
"I don't care who's eating or who's dying," Kallen said. "I need answers."
Celia appeared a little later, fully dressed in a formal gown, with her hair pulled back and a cold look in her eyes.
"Are you interrogating someone?"
"Not yet. But I'll start with the guards. Then the military. Then the spies. Someone in this house knows."
She looked at him, narrowing her eyes.
"You're acting like a murderer, not like a brother."
"Maybe you have to act like that to find the real one."
The conversation ended. Everyone went about their business, and Kalen went to the private part of the estate, the archives room. It contained reports from the military, letters, and messages from his family and agents.
The door was sealed with a magical lock.
He didn't break it. He just leaned against the wall, summoned Ward, and whispered:
— Find a way. Around. In the shadows.
Ward bowed his head, disappeared, and five minutes later a door opened behind him—an ancient tunnel leading to the archives from the basement.
He went in.
Dust. Old parchments. The warmth of a spell clenched in a fist.
He searched. For hours. Until he finally found a folder marked "Lair and Veren. Last mission."
"Objective: Clearing the southern border. Estimated enemy: Unknown. Casualties: 14. Survivors: 0."
Kalen clenched his teeth. It was all too... clean. Too neat. Not a single mistake in the report. Not a single smudge, not a single date. It was as if someone had written it back in time.
"It's a fake," he said out loud. "Someone wants to erase what really happened."
At that moment, he heard. Voices.
He froze and stepped into the shadows. Three people—a man in a robe, a woman in uniform, and… a voice he recognized. Cold as ice, but tinged with pain. Reyna.
He moved closer. A corridor was visible between the cracks in the wall. They were speaking quietly, but Ward amplified the sound for him through a magical wave.
"Yes, I'm following him," Reina said.
"You must not become attached to him," the messenger hissed. "The master said to watch, to guard, but no more. He must not become important."
"He's not like them," Reina said coldly. "He's... alone. I just don't want him to die."
"His fate is not our concern.
"But he's mine," she added. "I have nothing left to lose."
Kalen recoiled from the wall. His head was buzzing. His chest was filled with a mixture of anger, pain, and...
Betrayals.
She knew. All this time. It wasn't just a coincidence. It wasn't just a neighbor.
She was sent by the family. To keep an eye on things.
He walked out. Silently. Without hysterics. Without questions. Without words. His eyes were as dark as the night itself. And somewhere deep inside... a shadow began to tremble.
— She's lying. All the time.
— No. She just doesn't say anything.
— There's no difference.
Kalen raised his head, looking at the gloomy ceilings of the family home.
"If you were there to protect me," he whispered, "where were you when my brothers were killed?"
There was no response.
He went back to his room. Locked himself in. And spent the night carving names. One by one. In the air. In the magic. In the shadows. Every one who might have been involved. Every one who was on that damn report. Every one who knew and kept silent.
"I'll find you. All of you. And then we'll see who's the Lionheart. And who's the carrion in the family coat of arms."