It was as if time froze in that moment. As soon as Kael heard the voice, he flinched. A cold shiver ran up his spine. His left hand instinctively pressed against the wall, his breath grew uneven. The voice had come from behind, but it was so soft and mocking that it was impossible to tell whether it carried a threat or just curiosity.
Kael took a deep breath before turning around.In those few seconds, many thoughts passed through his mind. He had thought no one was there. The silence, the solitude… were now broken.
He turned slowly.
When Kael first saw the man appearing before him, he felt an instinctive unease. The military uniform he wore was much more meticulously arranged than the others. The golden tassels cascading over his shoulders, the medals on his chest, and the neatly buttoned coat reaching down to his waist made it clear he was no ordinary man. Around his late forties, this man bore the marks of years and wars on his face. He looked like he didn't belong where he stood—and yet, as if he completely deserved to be there. The harsh lines on his face were combined with a gaze fixed with discipline and authority.
Kael instinctively cleared his throat. His head was still throbbing. He had struggled to make sense of everything in the first minutes after waking, and now this man standing before him doubled all his uncertainty. He didn't want to avert his eyes, but at the same time, he hesitated to look directly at him.
"Ah… well," Kael began, his voice trembling for a moment. "I just woke up. I was trying to figure out where I had arrived. Then I saw this place. The view is very… beautiful."
Althar looked at him for a while without changing expression. Then, with heavy steps, he moved across the stone-paved ground and approached the short, thick stone wall that prevented falling. He rested his hands on the edge. He looked long at the landscape stretching out before him. Then he spoke with a deep yet soft voice that cut through the silence:
"Isn't it? A very beautiful view. Quiet, deep… but most people don't realize that. Maybe it's because I've grown old that I now see its value. The young always look forward. Even when they see something beautiful, their minds are elsewhere."He slowly turned his head to Kael. "But you… You're the first young person to look at this view like that. I liked that."
Kael smiled slightly, but his eyes still held caution.
The man continued speaking. "What's your name?"
Kael hesitated a bit. He wasn't sure if he was safe, but he felt that lying or trying to escape wouldn't be very effective with someone like this.
"Kael," he said quietly.
The man nodded, meaningfully.
"I'm Althar."
The tone in which he said it made it feel like just saying his name should be enough—there was no need for further explanation. It was a voice that carried authority, yet also held a certain gentleness. The air was quiet; the sound of a bird could be heard in the distance. The wind gently stirred the leaves, and the echo of footsteps on the stone floor still rang in Kael's ears.
Althar reached into the inner pocket of his coat and slowly pulled out a pack of cigarettes. The box opened with a metallic click. He took one and placed it between his lips. Then he extended the pack to Kael.
"Do you smoke?" he asked, his voice now simpler. Almost friendly.
Kael hesitated for a moment. Then, nodding, he said, "If you don't mind…" and took a cigarette. He hadn't smoked in three days; when he held the cigarette, he noticed his hand trembled slightly, but he tried not to show it. His fingers instinctively rotated it, bringing it to his lips.
Althar pulled out a lighter from his pocket and lit his own cigarette. Then he lit Kael's. The flame briefly illuminated both their faces. When Kael took the first drag, he felt a slight burn in his chest. But at the same time, that familiar bitter taste and the lightheadedness that followed reminded him that he was still alive.
There was silence for a while. Both of them smoked while gazing at the view. In a shared loneliness, on the same wall,the wind softly brushed over the stones. Kael took another puff; the smoke slipped out of his throat with warmth.
"Do you miss your old life?" Althar asked suddenly, looking up at the sky. His eyes weren't fixed on the sky but rather somewhere deep in the past.
Kael stayed silent for a while before answering. The wind gently blew his hair back. "It's too early to say," he finally said. "But I know I can't go back anymore. Liora said that if I stay on the surface world for more than a week, I'd start to fade away. And… I don't know how much of my old life I'll really miss. I have to admit, there weren't many good memories back there. This place… it's different. Maybe crueler, but more honest."
Althar bowed his head. He looked down at the stone floor. At his toes, a small patch of dust was shifting with the wind. "Everyone has pain," he said. "But the magnitude of that pain is sometimes measured only by how far you can walk with it. Some crawl on their knees, some carry it on their backs."
Kael turned his head but didn't respond to Althar's words. He simply sank into thought.
"By the way…" Althar said, softening his tone a little. "Did you thank Liora? For what she did for you."
Kael blinked. "Liora?" he asked, as if not fully understanding what he meant.
Althar chuckled slightly, though his eyes remained serious. "I've never seen Liora so helpful in my life. She never treated me that kindly. But… maybe she saw a part of herself in you."
Kael remained silent. Part of his memory was still foggy. A sudden headache made him frown. "Exactly what… did she do?" he asked, his voice carrying a slight hesitation.
"She had to carry you while you were drunk. And guess what the only thing I heard while she was doing it was?" Althar said, raising an eyebrow. "'I'm going to kill you.'" He chuckled lightly. "And yet she still carried you, even brought you all the way to your room. That kind of closeness in such a short time even surprised me."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. The pieces he remembered were starting to come together, but there were still gaps. He thought about thanking Liora… but for a moment, her cold gaze came to mind. He shuddered. Thank her? Or should I apologize? he wondered. He realized he didn't have the courage to do either.
Althar seemed to notice his hesitation and smiled slightly. "Forget it," he said. "Think about that later. There's already enough on your mind today."
Kael nodded, but something inside him remained unsettled. He turned his gaze back to the landscape. Then, this time, he spoke.
"Liora didn't exactly tell me why they founded Ater Veritas," he said, fixing his eyes on the horizon. "This place… this army… why does it really exist? What is its true purpose?"
Althar silently flicked the ash from his cigarette. Then he slowly turned his head to Kael.
"What do you think?" he asked first, eyeing him with a weighing gaze.Kael paused for a moment. Althar's words echoed in his mind; he slowly lowered his head, fixing his eyes on a distant point. The words escaped his lips almost in a whisper:"Maybe… justice."
After a brief silence, Althar turned to Kael. His eyes held a quiet acceptance full of experience. He tilted his head slightly to the side."Maybe," he said in a soft yet deep voice. "But that's not something you can learn by being told. You can only understand it by seeing."
He pulled the cigarette butt from his pocket, crushed it between his fingers so it wouldn't fall, and took a few steps before stopping and turning around.
"Come with me."
Kael hesitated briefly. But something inside him—a drive suspended between curiosity and fear—moved his steps forward. He began walking slowly, following behind Althar between the stone walls.
The corridors were silent. Only the sound of footsteps echoed: rhythmic, cold, and heavy. Yellow lights embedded in the walls stretched their shadows, and the cracks in the stone floor blended with the moonlight, reminding Kael he was in a living place. Occasionally, a few staff passed by, giving respectful nods; Althar responded with a slight nod and kept walking.
Nothing was said for a while. Kael glanced at Althar from the corner of his eye. He could sense the fatigue he carried on his shoulders, the blend of military discipline and calmness in his stride. This man… didn't seem like someone who gave orders, but rather someone who had been trying to leave things behind for years.
Eventually, Kael broke the silence."Where exactly are we going?" he asked.
Althar paused for a moment. Then, continuing to walk, he fixed his gaze ahead.
"To the city."