The room itself seemed to groan under the weight of Cassian's final words.

A fallen god, immortal guardians, a cosmic war…

Fredrinn's mind, which had been locked on a single target, a single name, for years, was reeling in the face of this colossal reality.

He had just learned that the brother he had been searching for in a blind well for years was, in fact, a casualty of a war beyond the stars.

Memories flashed before his eyes: Julian's smile, the darkness of the ruin, the blinding light of the stone pressed against his chest…

Everything now took on a different, more terrible meaning.

But in the midst of the pain and grief, Fredrinn's mind, honed as a warrior and a leader, seized upon a flaw in the story.

A logical inconsistency.

He lifted his gaze from the floor and fixed it on Cassian with an icy clarity.

"Alright," he said, his voice more brittle than it had been in years, yet just as sharp. "If Julian's disappearance was because of this stone, why didn't they just take me?"

"I had the stone. If that's what they wanted, wouldn't it have been more logical to teleport me directly?"

A look of appreciation appeared on Cassian's face. This was the question he had been expecting. That Fredrinn had not lost his reason despite his grief made him a worthy candidate for an ally.

"A fair point," he answered calmly.

"That day, the guardian who owned that altar stole your friend from you because you stole the stone from his ruin."

"He knew."

"He knew you would bring that stone back to get Julian back. Your friend was the most valuable collateral."

Cassian paused for a moment, allowing Fredrinn to absorb this bitter truth. Then he continued.

"But that's not the main reason. In truth, it wasn't that he didn't take you, but that he lacked the power to."

"You must remember better than I how many of the traps in the ruin were useless and how weak the monsters there were."

"The Guardian who owned that ruin was a feeble entity, locked away for centuries, his power faded. He was not omnipotent."

Cassian stood up and walked towards the fireplace, watching the dancing flames.

"That day, the moment the stone's power merged with your life force, you became too powerful a target for him."

"The master of the ruin likely wasn't strong enough to teleport or control you."

"Moreover, with his ruin collapsing around him and the source of his power stolen, he was weakened even further."

"So, he had only one choice left: to take the weakest one, Julian."

With every second Cassian spoke, a dawning realization and profound sorrow etched themselves onto Fredrinn's face. The pieces of that day, a day for which he had blamed himself for years, were now falling into place in a way that was logical, yet unbearably cruel.

Julian hadn't died because of him; he had been taken in his place.

Even this small sliver of hope caused a pang in his heart, which had been frozen for years.

But within this enlightenment, a growing unease stirred.

This man... this stranger... how could he be so familiar with all these details? He wasn't there that day, so how could he know about the state of the ruin, the guardian's weakness, the stone's power merging with his own?

These thoughts deeply unsettled Fredrinn. The person before him seemed to be much more than a mere man.

He rubbed his forehead, condensing the thousands of questions in his mind into a single one.

"Let's say... let's say what you're telling me is true. Julian... where is he now?"

"That's a bit difficult to explain," Cassian said, turning from the fireplace.

"But to put it simply, he's in a kind of dimensional prison, likely bound to that guardian's weakened spirit."

"There's only one way to reach him."

"If you can gather the other four stones and unite them with the one in your body, you will become the true ruler of the fragments of Nerath."

"Then, you can use the connection between the stones to teleport to Julian's side."

A flicker of hope ignited in Fredrinn's eyes.

"And do you know where the other four stones are?"

That confident smirk reappeared on Cassian's face.

"Of course, I do. But I can't say that getting them will be easy."

"Each one is protected by a Guardian who could be far more powerful than yours was."

Fredrinn took a deep breath. The path was clear. It was dangerous, almost impossible, but it was a path. And that was something he hadn't had in years.

Now it was time to get to the heart of the matter.

"Alright," Fredrinn said, masking all emotion from his voice. "For all this information you've given and the help you've promised, what do you want from me? What's in it for you?"

"Oh, it shouldn't be too difficult for you," Cassian said nonchalantly. "After all, you'll have gained the power of a demigod once you acquire the stones' power. What I want is for you to come with me to the north, to the Frosthelm Duchy."

"The North? And what do you plan to do in the North?"

"Very simple. Just a bit of housekeeping."

Fredrinn frowned. The veiled answer didn't satisfy him.

"Speak plainly."

The cynical expression on Cassian's face vanished, replaced by one colder than the harshest winter night in Veythral.

"We are going to rip the Obsidian Dawn cult out by its roots from the North. I have to prevent the fall of the North."

The moment he heard the name Obsidian Dawn, Fredrinn's entire body tensed. It was impossible not to have heard of them in the Empire. They were a cursed cult, spreading like a cancer into every corner, whispered to be ruling the country from the shadows. They were the main reason the Northern Duchy was in its current pathetic state.

Their recent major assault on the southern city of Inferna was still fresh in everyone's memory. But contrary to expectations, Inferna had managed to repel them, and it was even said the battle had inflicted heavy losses on the Obsidian Dawn.

Fredrinn sighed. "Do you realize what you're asking of me? You want me to challenge a cult that is throwing the entire empire into chaos. What you're proposing is next to impossible."

"What's more, there are rumors that the Empire itself had a hand in the North's decline. You'd be putting me at odds with the Empire directly."

"I'm not saying we have to go north tomorrow," Cassian countered. "We have at least a year and a half."

"In that time, I will help you gather those stones and grow stronger."

"You have the most vicious mercenaries and adventurers in Veythral at your command. If you put out a call, thousands from all over the empire would flock to us for gold."

"There's nothing that won't be done for coin, right? You know that better than I do."

Cassian's eyes gleamed as he laid out his plan.

"Furthermore, on our expedition to the North, some of the northern lords loyal to the Duchy will be willing to join us."

"And... I have my own special methods for finding allies."

As he said this, a devilish, all-knowing smile spread across his face.

"The North itself, in return for the aid we offer, will rise up and fight alongside us. They have no other choice, really."

Fredrinn was still hesitant.

"And if we fail?"

"Fail?" Cassian laughed, but there was no mirth in the sound. "Trust me, we will not fail."

"Rest assured, my life is the only thing I value in this world, and I have no intention of losing it."

"Why? Why are you so determined to help the North? Do you work for them or something?"

"Work for someone? I'm a free spirit. Being tied down isn't really my style."

"It's enough for you to know this: there is something I want from the North. And I can only obtain it with the North's own consent, not by brute force."

Cassian had presented his plan perfectly, cast his bait, and tied Fredrinn's deepest desire to his greatest fear.

All that remained was for Fredrinn to take the hook.

"So, what is your answer, Fredrinn?"

Fredrinn thought for a long, long time.

He closed his eyes and pictured Julian's face in his mind.

The chance to save him, no matter how small, was worth any risk.

The Obsidian Dawn, the Empire, the gods... none of it mattered.

When he opened his eyes, he had made his decision. He slowly extended his hand to Cassian.

"You had better not make me regret this, boy."

Cassian shook Fredrinn's hand, the same unshakeable smirk on his face. Their handshake was not just an agreement, but a contract.

And so, the alliance that would change the fate of the entire empire was forged in silence, in this small, lawless city of Veythral, for the sake of two men's personal ambitions.

Author's Note🧣:

I accidentally moved 10 chapters to the "privilege" section… 😶‍🌫️

And unfortunately, I can't change it back right now.

Yes, I'm really clumsy…

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