Betrayal

It was already evening when the twins arrived at their home. They saw that their father was not at home, but they weren't surprised as they already guessed that he must be training. They started preparing dinner after they returned, using vegetables grown on the farms and meat stored in the storehouse.

They saw Alkis returning home, in what could be described as a miserable state, while they were cooking. Mud had stained his clothes, his feet were swollen, his white face had brown mud stains, and his hair was disheveled.

The twins were taken aback by his appearance, as they had anticipated him to return home looking clean and bright. When Alkis first saw the twins, he had conflicting emotions inside his heart, but remembering the resolution, he toughened his heart and stated

"There's no need to bring wood tomorrow; and you may cook the premium meat stored within the cabinet today, also bring the hundred-year-old wine I got yesterday."

He went into his room without looking back after saying this. For a brief moment, the twins were taken aback, but they quickly guessed the reason.

"It must be because he has become an envoy-trainee today"

Tsar commented, Shura made a look of realization and said

"Yeah, I was wondering what made him so generous today. Hmph, he only thinks of himself all day"

Tsar sighed and said

"Well lets cook the food and not irk him more."

They then began preparing the dinner. The dinner, when it was eventually done, looked like a piece of art. Even Shura, who was used to the Tsar's cooking, was salivating at the mere sight and scent of the feast.

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During dinner, there was little to no conversation, which shocked Shura as she had expected Alkis to react strongly, but she remained silent and continued to eat.

Alkis, on the other hand, was shivering inwardly; he had never even harmed anyone before, and now he was about to take part in his son's death the next day. He kept convincing himself that it was for his own good, and kept his resolve from wavering.

After the meal, Alkis finally gave the twins a complicated glance, recalling various childhood recollections of them. This began to weaken his resolve, but as he remembered his wife's death, his resolve hardened, and he returned to his room. The twins also went inside their room and promptly fell asleep.

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When the twins woke up the next morning, Alkis had already left. They were taken aback, but they assumed he had left for the cult to begin his training. They decided to go to the library to read some new books today as they didn't have to bring woods. The savings for the horse-ride fees were collected by selling extra woods, which they hadn't told Alkis about.

As they proceeded to the library, they noticed an army battalion in heavy armour marching towards the town's residential area in a battle-ready formation. This was an unusual and illegal incident, but because the soldiers belonged to the cult, no one intervened.

The twins were also curious as to why the cult's troops had gathered, but they proceeded on their way to the library. After being dropped the near the library they went inside it. They looked for Sophie as they approached the library, but she was nowhere to be found. She arrived only after 15 minutes of waiting, her expression puzzled; when she saw the twins, she was surprised for a moment but then smiled a little and said

"So, how may I help you today? Don't you come once a week, how are you here today?"

"We were free today, also we wanted to read more about force-users. But why do you look so confused today, Sophie?"

Tsar asked Sophie seeing the confusion on her face. Sophie sighed a little and started telling,

"According to reports given, a member of the Nirvana clan has been living in this town, as per the child's own father, who also happens to be an envoy-in-training. All of the city's force-users are shocked, as no one has seen a member of that clan from over two thousand years."

Shura was curious and asked

"What is this Nirvana clan? Is it a powerhouse like the Cult of Riona?"

Sophie chuckled and said

"Much more formidable than that, it is said that only a few clans were considered better than them. Even I, who reads a lot of ancient books, doesn't know much about them."

"Can you tell us more about them"

Tsar also got interested and asked

Sophie sighed at first when she saw the twins' interest; she didn't want these children to be drawn into the horrible world of force-users, but she knew she couldn't stop them. So she then began to tell them about the Nirvana clan and the Nirvana Eye. (Basically what the senior-trainee told Alkis)

Tsar's and Shura's complexions began to worsen as they listened to the clan's history. Shura began to stare at Tsar with concern as she listened to the description and history of the eye and concluded that the descendant of the Nirvana clan who had been reported was most likely Tsar.

Tsar had a fearful expression on his face, and as he stared at Shura, he realized that they had gotten themselves into a serious situation. Sophie also began to realize the enormity of the situation after observing the twins' reactions and eye color.

She stood up and took them both into the library's storeroom without wasting any time. She then looked at Tsar and questioned him

"Tsar, tell me honestly, are you the reported descendent of the Nirvana clan?"

Tsar was still worried and figuring about what to do when he heard Sophie's voice, without thinking he just blurted out.

"YES"

Sophie was stunned for a long time; she had her doubts, but the still confirmation shocked her to the core. After recovering from the shock, she grabbed Tsar and Shura and began sprinting at such a quick speed that an average person could only feel the breeze left behind her.

Within 15 minutes they arrived in front of a forest, Sophie put the twins down and handed them some money and two strange bracelets before speaking

"Take this, it's a force-induced bracelet that will keep the beasts away at night. Once activated, it will work for 15 days, which should be enough time to get you to East Cliff town. Also, with this much money, you should be able to hire a carriage and arrive sooner. I don't know how you will survive after reaching there but I hope you live well. Now go and don't ever come back, they will keep spying this whole town."

Both Tsar and Shura looked at her with grateful eyes, but Tsar was still a little vigilant and asked

"Why are you helping us, Sophie. Though you are also a force-user, isn't it foolish and dangerous to help us at this time. And don't you want the cult's-"

Before Tsar could finish, Sophie knocked on his head slightly and said

"Remember, though this world is cruel, there are still people whom you can trust. Find them and live a peaceful life. My husband died during a battle so I never had any children, that is the reason I came to live here. I have seen you both grow up since you were six years old, these four years have been one of the most joyful years of my life, so keep living on. I hope to meet you again."

After saying this, she disappeared from the entrance of the forest, leaving behind the stunned twins. It took some time for them to get out of their trance and when they did, they started to run inside the forest. After around an hour of running, they got tired and stopped to rest.

Only when they were resting did they fully realize the situation they were in, Tsar had a lost expression on his face.

"Why did he do this to us? Weren't we supposed to be his children? Can someone really decide to kill their own children just for wealth and power, even if they resent us? Can we really trust anyone if your own blood decides to betray you just for some worldly things."

Tsar asked no one in particular, and Shura, who was listening to him also had sadness in her eyes. Though she had never had a close connection with Alkis, she still considered him to be her father. Now that she was betrayed by him, she wasn't even sure if what was going on was real or not. As she was thinking of this, a vision of her mother's last wish flashed across her mind, and as she contemplated it, she gradually regained clarity.

She then stood up, went in front of Tsar, extended her hands and said

"What are you going to do now that you know there is no one we can trust right now? Giving up hope and the will to live isn't a solution you're considering, right? So, let's go to East Cliff town and see what's there for us; also didn't you promise we'd return when we become force-users and meet Sophie?"

Tsar was silent for a moment as he contemplated Shura's words, then he looked up at her, held her hand in his, and smiled genuinely.

"You're correct, indulging in sadness is pointless; Fath-no, Alkis, did what he wanted. Now let's have a look at what's out there for us."

They then proceeded towards the road present between the forest to wait for a passing-by horse-carriage.