Chapter 80
Shocking truth
IAM stared straight ahead, his deep brown eyes—so dark they seemed almost black—were deeper than ever before. They shimmered beneath layers of dried blood and grime, yet their stillness held the weight of something broken. Something hollow.
The world around him twisted.
The sky didn't move. The wind didn't blow. And yet… everything felt like it was collapsing.
It flickered—like a dream on the edge of shattering—as he gazed upon the face before him.
The face of Hise Grave.
The man who had been a symbol of hope. The one people spoke of with reverence. The unshakable, legendary leader of the Hold. The man who stood at the peak of countless battles. The one who gave commands that saved lives and held lines when all seemed lost.
A traitor.
IAM's mind could barely process it. He could still see the golden stripe running down the side of the cloak. He could still hear his calm voice echoing over the quiet dome. And now he knew—there was no salvation coming.
Because the very man they had trusted...
Was the executioner.
IAM's body was trembling, not with fear—but with something far more volatile. As floods of tears ran down his face, the sadness burns away to the boiling pot, hatred... Pure detest....
Rage.
Hise raised his right hand casually—almost lazily—and grasped the thick, bushy mustache above his lip. He tugged gently, and the mustache peeled away like paper. A mask of hair, now discarded.
Next, he reached upward again—this time placing his fingers on his bald scalp.
And pulled.
The scalp slid off in one motion. Beneath it unraveled long, dark strands—raven-black hair that flowed down past his shoulders. Smooth. Untamed.
He looked younger now. At least ten years younger.
A completely different man.
He ran his hand through the silky strands, letting them fall around his face. The act felt rehearsed, practiced—like he had done it many times before.
And he smiled.
The silence in the air was suffocating. Each second felt like it would crack the ground beneath them. IAM couldn't breathe properly—not from injury, but from fury. His entire body was shaking violently, every muscle clenched, his heart hammering.
And then—his mouth opened.
And it spat fire.
"You!" His voice was guttural, choked with raw malice. "A legendary leader, with so many merits, someone the hold respected—someone people who are now dead looked up to! And you—you DARED to betray them?!"
His voice was rising with every word. His throat burned, blistered by hate.
"How could you?! How could you look your comrades in the eyes knowing full well you were going to betray them?! How could you pretend to care?! To lead them?! You despicable—detestable—thing!"
His voice cracked. His soul seemed to tear in half.
"I will OBLITERATE YOU!!"
The ground barely had time to echo the final scream before a hooded figure beside him slammed a boot down onto IAM's head, grinding his skull into the rubble below. The force was enough to bloody his forehead, scraping his skin against broken stone and metal.
But IAM didn't stop.
His screams turned feral, rabid. His voice raw and unrecognizable. He thrashed under the weight pinning him, and even though blood poured from fresh cuts, even though his head was buried in rubble, he kept screaming.
Like an animal cornered.
No—worse.
Like a soul betrayed.
And yet…
Even as his body screamed and his face twisted in agony and wrath—his eyes remained still. Cold. Empty. There was no ripple. No shimmer.
It was eerie.
As if part of him had already died.
IAM didn't notice. He wasn't aware of it himself. His hatred felt real. His grief felt real.
But something deep inside him had gone quiet.
Hise stood patiently, watching the boy below him thrash like a wild thing.
He tilted his head slightly, curious. Amused.
"Do you…" he said gently, "do you not recognize me?"
IAM glared upward, eyes bloodshot, lips trembling. His breathing was ragged—like a bull ready to charge. His teeth were bared, red with blood.
But he didn't speak.
He couldn't answer.
Because the truth was…
He didn't know who Hise was.
Apparently, he never did.
Not now.
Not before.
Silence.
Hise chuckled softly. "How could I have betrayed you…" he said with a smirk, "…when I was never on your side in the first place?"
IAM's jaw tightened.
His body went still for a moment, processing that.
"You were always a mole…" he muttered finally, his voice low. "The moment you came here... you were already lying to.... Everyone."
Hise smiled—pleased.
"Correct."
He took a slow step forward.
"Why do you think I haven't let them kill you yet?" he asked.
That question landed heavy.
IAM had wondered.
He was surrounded. Outnumbered. Beaten. Disarmed. And still alive?
There was no logical reason.
Hise could have ordered his death with a nod.
And yet… here he stood.
"What… do you want?" IAM asked, wary.
Hise smiled wider.
"It's because throughout this entire operation—you were the only variable."
His voice lowered.
"The only mistake in our calculations."
IAM furrowed his brow.
He didn't understand.
Hise's voice carried a theatrical flair now—like a storyteller savoring his own tale.
"You affected our plans," he said. "You… disrupted things. You weren't supposed to be part of any of this. And yet… here you are."
IAM narrowed his eyes. "Why?" he asked. "Why tell me any of this? Why keep me alive?"
Hise folded his hands behind his back, speaking slowly.
"Even though there's no need for a dead man to know…" he said, his voice thick with arrogance, "I suppose I could afford a little indulgence. A bit of showmanship. A glimpse at the genius behind this operation."
IAM's breathing slowed.
His face hardened.
He didn't care for the explanation. He didn't want to hear it.
But he would.
Because Hise wanted him to.
The traitor's lips curved into a grin.
"Now," he said softly, eyes gleaming.
"You're going to learn…"
He paused.
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"…how it began."
He took a step closer.
"And more importantly…"
The gold stripe on his cloak shimmered in the dim light.
"…you're going to learn how it ends."