PART V: Promises
As Nex stepped into Sao's chambers — the room of his first sworn sword — his gaze landed on a space marked by discipline and restraint. Everything was in its place. Composed. Silent.
But what caught his eye first was the wall.
A sword rested upon a nail, suspended by its handle. Beneath it, a shield leaned carefully against the wall, bearing the sigil of House Laros:
A lone grey wolf, standing resolute beneath a raging snowstorm.
Snow fell like judgment from the heavens — cold, merciless.
No stars.
No sun.
Only the storm.
And the wolf.
Unyielding.
Nex paused.
The wolf wore no crown. No armor.
No companions.
Just its own strength… and solitude.
The storm bore down, yet it did not kneel.
Something about it held him there — still, quiet. As though the sigil whispered truths meant only for the broken and the burdened.
Then, his gaze drifted back to the sword.
It called to him.
He didn't know why — perhaps the way the light kissed the white gemstone set into its hilt, scattering colors like a prism, beckoning the eye. There was warmth in it. Beauty.
"How pretty..."
"I want to feel it," Nex thought as his hand reached forward—
"I wouldn't do that, Your Highness."
The voice came from the doorway.
Sao had returned. His tone was calm but firm. He walked into the room and gently stepped between Nex and the blade.
"That sword is cursed," he said. "Only my sister and I can wield it. It was passed down from my mother's side."
Nex blinked, surprised. "What about the gem? Where is it from?"
Sao glanced back at the weapon.
"Depends which rumors you believe. Some say it was carved from the depths of Hell itself. That there's only one other gem like it in existence."
He paused.
"They call it Devil's Gaze."
Nex tilted his head.
"It doesn't look devilish at all. It looks… beautiful."
Sao nodded slowly.
"Exactly. That's the point, Prince.
If the devil's gaze were horrifying — twisted and foul — no one would ever go near it.
But if it was beautiful... comforting... people would want to touch it. To feel it.
That's how it works. That's how it always works."
He sighed.
"But those are just stories. No one truly knows the gem's origin. What is known…" — he looked back at Nex — "…is that anyone outside my bloodline who holds that sword either loses themselves to it… or dies trying."
His voice dropped.
"They don't just kill. They massacre. And then, when the sword's done with them… they turn it on themselves."
There was no threat in Sao's tone. Only sadness. The weight of truth.
"That, my prince… I can vouch for myself."
"Did you do it?" Nex asked abruptly, veering away from the weight of the cursed sword and its stories — but more so, from Sao's emotions. He could feel the heaviness in his sworn sword's words, the sadness he tried to bury.
Sao didn't flinch. "Yes. But getting you out of here — and back to Vaelthrone in one piece — that's going to be the hard part."
Nex gave a bitter chuckle. "Well, leaving Lumen won't be easy either. Your father wants to keep me hidden until the war's over… which doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon."
Sao raised an eyebrow, confused. "He wants to keep you in Lumen?"
"No. He said somewhere safe. Gave me until sunset to take whatever I want from your chambers, say my goodbyes… and then I'm to leave with his guards."
Sao's brow furrowed. "Somewhere safe… hmm."
A thought crossed his mind, and he looked to Nex with a spark. "Well, if there's any place safer than Lumen on this continent, it's got to be the Kingdom of Wu. Rumor has it that ever since the war started, the eastern front has seen zero casualties. Both sides are too cautious to attack there — too defensive, too paranoid."
Then a grin stretched across Sao's face. "Kind of like the western front was supposed to be, right? Swamps, narrow passes — impossible terrain to cross."
He gave Nex a sidelong look, proud. "But I took care of that."
Nex didn't return the grin. Instead, he replied evenly, "Sao, I truly hope one day you'll tell me how you won that impossible battle. But for now…" — his voice lowered — "I need to know how we're going to get past your father."
Sao's grin faded, replaced by a soldier's seriousness.
"Kabel and Habel can help," he said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "But it has to be during their shift. That gives us two hours, max."
Nex nodded slowly, then hesitated. "What about the others?"
"They've already gone south," Sao replied. "I sent them ahead to wait for you in a village near the border with Stella. From there, you'll head into the forest — there's a checkpoint where Stella is letting in refugees. Use that to get through."
"Just like that?" Nex asked.
"Not quite," Sao said, his tone softening. "Once you're in Stella, seek an audience with the king. He's a just man — rare in this world. If he sees you for who you are, he'll make a deal with the emperor. He has the leverage to force it."
Nex's eyes narrowed. "You really trust him?"
Sao looked away for a moment, then back.
"I trust that he hates injustice more than he fears the empire. And right now, that's enough."
"What about Alexander and Abigail?" Nex asked, a flicker of concern in his voice. "You told me they were almost in Lumen."
Sao's tone turned firm. "No, Your Highness. They're not almost in Lumen. They are in Lumen — with the bounty hunter, Loa. But don't worry. One of the High Knights owes me a favor. He'll keep them detained until tomorrow."
Nex looked surprised. "You had them locked up?"
"Just until we're gone. By the time they're released, you'll be well out of reach. And once they push further south, their authority fades. They'll be forced to turn back."
Nex gave a slow nod. "I understand… Then I'm ready whenever you are, Sao." He paused, glancing back at the room one last time. "I just… I wish I had met your father on another day, in another place — one without a war pushing us into these choices."
Sao's expression softened. "Yes. I would've liked that too, Your Highness."
Nex looked up, eyes searching. "I don't suppose… you'd come with me, would you, Sao?"
Sao shook his head gently. "No, Your Highness. My place is here. When my father passes — and he will, soon, he's seen seventy-six winters — I'll inherit Lumen. I need to keep it secure. I need to make sure there's a piece of the West that stands behind you… when you return to the palace, as a prince."
He placed a hand lightly on Nex's shoulder. "And you will return. When you do, you'll have my sword, the High Knights, and the western lords ready to rally."
Nex smiled faintly. "Until then… we'll meet again. Here and there."
Sao nodded.
Then he turned toward the door and gave a slight bow.
"After you, Your Highness."
The words slipped quietly as they moved through the back gate of the estate, the last golden rays of the sun painting the horizon in fiery reds and deep purples. Nex settled into the worn leather seat at the back of a slow-moving carriage, the world outside fading into dusk.
Sao rode alongside for a moment before reaching into a leather satchel beneath the seat. His face was steady, calm — but the weight of what he carried was clear.
Without speaking, he drew a sword wrapped in dark velvet and laid it gently in Nex's lap.
The blade was no ordinary weapon. Along its spine gleamed a black sun — the sigil of House Augustus — etched into the hilt like a silent reminder of power and burden. It caught the dying light of day, casting a faint shadow across Nex's hands.
Nex stared at it, hesitating.
Then Sao pulled out a small shield, worn but sturdy, marked with the same black sun — a symbol both ancient and heavy with meaning.
"This is your legacy," Sao said softly, "not a gift, but a weight. Carry it well."
Nex's fingers traced the black sun on the shield, the warmth of the setting sun fading as his mind raced.
"These… belonged to my mother, didn't they?" he asked quietly.
Sao's silence was answer enough.
The carriage rolled on, the last light dipping below the horizon. Behind them, Lumen was swallowed by twilight.
Sao entered the office where his father sat, absorbed in paperwork.
"Is he on his way?" Tywin asked without looking up.
"Yes, Father. I believe he will reach Stella within a month or so."
"Did he suspect me behind his escape?"
"No, he never did."
Tywin laid down the papers and fixed his gaze on Sao. "And the sword and shield — did you give them to him?"
"Yes, Father. He thought it was his mother's."
"And did you correct that thought?"
"No, I did not."
Tywin nodded approvingly, then glanced back at the papers. He noticed the flicker of anger Sao was holding back for deceiving the prince he swore allegiance to.
"You did the right thing. If he had stayed here, the nobles of the West would have backed him into rebellion. The High Knights' commander owes Duke Aldric a favor — he would have used it to gain the boy's favor and treat him like a puppet."
Sao's voice carried a trace of regret. "But what if we had backed him? What if we kept him here in Lumen, safe under the protection of the High Knights?"
Tywin's frustration seeped through. "And then what? Eventually, that boy has to make it back to the palace. If we bring him back, we'd be seen as kidnappers. You know Empress Alica would never allow us into the war for the throne — and if we give her a reason, she will take it."
"I love the boy as well," Tywin continued, softer now. "Had I not been Lord Governor of Lumen, I would have knelt and sworn my vows to him long ago. But he needs our power in the future, not now."
"Go to sleep. Tomorrow, you will be redeployed near Stella's front with your sister. You will have full control of the political situation there. Meanwhile, I will take over the West."
"I shall deal with the twins and the emperor's message as well."
"Understood," Sao said, turning to leave.
Away from the politics, young Nex hid in the back of the carriage, heading south — wondering when the fleeing would finally stop... when he would at last be able to stand proud as the blind crow followed above and behind the carriage.