Vale took several slow steps forward, passing between the mountain-like walls that formed a narrow, natural corridor leading toward the desert temple. The towering stone pressed in on both sides, muting the wind and swallowing sound. For the first time since the chase began, he felt safe, or at least safer than before.
And with that safety came thoughts.
Questions that had been buried beneath fear and adrenaline now clawed their way back to the surface. One question in particular tugged at his mind like a loose rope, impossible to ignore. Vale glanced toward Drago, inhaled as if to speak,
and then stopped.
Drago had halted abruptly.
The hunched man looked around, his brows furrowing as if he had just heard something no one else could. After a moment of visible confusion, he reached into his coat and withdrew a small device. It unfolded with a faint mechanical hum, projecting a pale holographic screen filled with scrolling text written in a strange, angular language.
Vale tilted his head and crossed his arms, watching carefully. Eskar, however, didn't bother with silence.
"Is something wrong?" Eskar asked, his voice echoing softly off the stone walls.
Drago didn't look up. His eyes darted across the holographic text as his fingers scrolled rapidly.
"That," he replied evenly, "is what I'm checking right now."
Vale studied the old man more closely. Drago's jaw tightened. He bit his lip, an uncharacteristic tell of frustration, as he paused on a particular line. The scrolling slowed. Then stopped.
Vale and Eskar exchanged a glance. Neither said a word, but both wore the same expression: clueless, uneasy, waiting.
Silence stretched.
Then,
"Huh?"
Drago blinked several times, leaning closer to the screen. His expression twisted into something complicated, confusion laced with disbelief.
"Did I… read that correctly?" he muttered aloud.
Vale felt a knot tighten in his chest. 'What's wrong?' The question formed clearly in his mind,
and before he could voice it, Drago looked again.
His eyes widened.
A low chuckle escaped his throat.
Vale stiffened.
The chuckle grew louder. Then louder still, until it burst into full, unrestrained laughter. The sound echoed through the stone corridor, bouncing off the walls and rolling outward toward the temple like thunder.
Vale and Eskar froze.
They had never heard Drago laugh like that.
The laughter went on and on, deep and genuine, until Drago bent forward slightly, clutching his side. Even the desert guardian, already some distance ahead, turned around, eyes wide, clearly unsettled by the sudden noise.
Vale took an unconscious step back.
Finally, the laughter faded. Drago straightened slowly, wiping at his eyes as if he had laughed hard enough to draw tears. He stared down at the stone floor, still smiling faintly.
Vale swallowed.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice careful, almost reluctant.
Drago turned to face them, a smug, amused expression settling comfortably onto his face.
"Well," he said, tucking the device away, "there's both good news and bad news."
Vale felt his throat tighten.
"…Which one do you want first?"
Eskar let out a low, barely audible sigh and answered for both of them.
"Let's hear the bad news."
Drago nodded once and took a few slow steps back, positioning himself in front of them like a storyteller preparing a punchline.
"Do you remember Wolf?" he asked. "The man I told you about weeks ago, the one who couldn't become king, no matter what?"
Realization hit Vale instantly.
Vale groaned and buried his face in his hands. Eskar did the same, dragging his fingers down his face in visible dread.
"Don't tell me…" Vale muttered.
Eskar shot him an irritated look.
"Do you seriously have to say that out loud?"
Drago chuckled softly.
"It seems you've already guessed."
He lifted his gaze to meet theirs.
"Wolf has become the new king."
The words landed heavily.
"And it's a disastrous development," Drago continued calmly. "For the entire kingdom, especially for your friends and classmates who haven't yet returned."
Vale straightened, arms crossing tightly over his chest. His brow furrowed.
"Then what," he asked slowly, "was so funny about that?"
Eskar nodded.
"Yeah. I don't see what part of this is worth laughing over."
Drago's smile widened.
"Well," he said, "that's because I haven't explained Irea's hierarchy to you yet."
He held up a finger.
"The king of Irea is equal in authority to the commander of the Royal Guard."
Vale tilted his head. Eskar raised an eyebrow.
"However," Drago continued, "the king has unrestricted authority to replace the commander at will."
Understanding began to stir, but not quite.
"Wolf," Drago said, "attempted to appoint a new commander. A loyal dog. Someone who would allow him complete control over Irea, free of outside influence."
Vale blinked.
"Then why?"
Drago's eyes gleamed.
"Because," he said, his smile stretching wide,
"it failed."
Vale's eyes widened slightly as the old man continued.
"Do you remember Ares?" Drago asked calmly. "The boy I mentioned before, the newest member of the Royal Guard?"
Vale and Eskar nodded slowly. The name was familiar, but neither of them yet understood how Ares connected to the sudden shift Drago was describing. The pieces didn't quite fit.
Drago smiled faintly and went on.
"You see, Ares despises oppressors. Always has. He loathed Wolf with a passion, and the moment Wolf began moving to appoint a new commander, Ares understood exactly what that meant."
Drago's eyes sharpened.
"With a loyal commander in place, Wolf wouldn't just rule, he would control everything. The guard, the cities, the people."
Vale let out a long, uneasy sigh.
"So…" he said after a moment, genuine concern slipping into his voice, "did the poor guy die trying to stop it?"
For a heartbeat, Drago simply stared at him. Then he let out a deep, amused chuckle.
"No. No, not at all," he said, waving the thought away.
"In fact… quite the opposite happened."
Vale and Eskar stiffened as Drago's grin widened.
"You see," Drago continued, clearly enjoying their anticipation, "Ares has always been admired, even by the veterans of the Royal Guard. He was a good kid. Fought for the people. Never hesitated to put himself in harm's way if it meant protecting others."
He paused, letting the image settle.
"A hero, if you will."
The grin sharpened.
"And that is precisely why Wolf is unable to do anything about the current situation."
Eskar blinked, lifting his arms slightly in disbelief.
"Wait, hold on," he said. "What exactly happened?"
Drago chuckled again, his tone almost casual.
"It's quite simple, really."
He let the silence stretch just long enough to be uncomfortable.
"Ares confronted the newly appointed commander… and beat him to a pulp."
Vale's breath caught.
"By the time Ares was finished," Drago continued evenly, "the man was hovering on death's door. Then Ares turned to the Royal Guard and declared himself the new commander."
Vale and Eskar stared, stunned.
"And given Ares his reputation," Drago added, "the guard followed him without hesitation. Not that serving Wolf's self-appointed dog was something they would've accepted anyway. Each of them has too much pride for that."
Silence settled heavily between the three of them.
Vale tried to process it all, violence, rebellion, loyalt, —until the knot in his chest finally forced him to speak.
"So…" he said slowly, voice low and incredulous, "he nearly killed the other commander and took his place because not doing so would've doomed the kingdom?"
He looked directly at Drago.
"That's what you're telling me?"
Drago nodded once, firmly.
"Yes. That's exactly what happened."
Eskar frowned and quickly followed up, his confusion giving way to disbelief.
"But… was the commander really that weak?"
Drago turned to him, his expression shifting back into its familiar, cold stoicism.
"It wasn't that the commander was weak. Quite the opposite."
He spoke evenly, as if reciting a simple fact.
"He was likely the tenth strongest individual in the entire kingdom."
Eskar's eyes widened.
"But Ares," Drago continued, "is the second strongest."
Vale blinked once.
"…Second?"
He stared at Drago, the implication settling in.
"Then who's the strongest?"
Drago raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised the answer wasn't obvious. After a moment, he responded indifferently, almost dismissively, as if what he was saying carried no real weight at all.
"The strongest?"
His gaze shifted between the two of them.
"That would be me."