Chapter 63: A Night of Revelations

Five Years Ago – A Bar Somewhere in the Slums

The tavern was dimly lit, filled with the stench of alcohol, sweat, and poor decisions. It was the kind of place where men drank to forget, and fights broke out over something as trivial as a misplaced stare. The wooden floor was stained with the remnants of past brawls, and the bartender, an old man with a missing eye, wiped down the counter with a rag that was probably older than half the patrons.

At a corner table, three figures sat—Kaelros, Lysander, and Jin Shang.

Kaelros, with his usual smug grin, leaned back in his chair, his boots propped up on the table, twirling an empty glass between his fingers. His silver hair glowed faintly under the flickering lantern light, his eyes sharp despite the amount of alcohol he had already consumed.

Lysander, on the other hand, looked like a man who had lost everything—including his dignity. He had one hand buried in his messy black hair, the other gripping a bottle of something that smelled flammable. His coat was draped over the back of his chair, and his shirt was half-unbuttoned, as if he'd given up on life halfway through getting dressed.

Jin Shang sat across from them, silent, his fingers idly tracing patterns on the wooden table. He wasn't as drunk as the other two—yet. But his patience was wearing thin.

"Alright," Jin finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the background noise. "Are you two going to tell me what the hell actually happened back there?"

Kaelros smirked, raising his empty glass. "What, you mean why the world suddenly thinks I'm a war criminal? Or how Lysander ended up selling his dignity for a bag of peanuts?"

Lysander groaned. "It wasn't a bag of peanuts. It was gold."

Kaelros rolled his eyes. "It was one gold coin."

Lysander threw a peanut at him. It bounced harmlessly off Kaelros's forehead.

Jin sighed. "Just tell me."

Kaelros's smirk faltered for a moment. He set his glass down, tapping his fingers against the wood.

"You ever hear the story of a man who tried to do the right thing," Kaelros muttered, "but ended up doing the exact opposite?"

Jin's eyes narrowed.

Lysander chuckled darkly. "That's the polite way of saying we f*cked up."

Kaelros let out a low laugh. "Big time."

The Past That Should Have Stayed Buried

Jin took a slow sip of his drink. "Explain."

Kaelros exhaled, tilting his head back as if searching for the right words.

"Alright," he said finally. "You want the truth?"

Lysander groaned. "He always wants the truth. You'd think he'd learn by now that the truth sucks."

Kaelros ignored him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his sharp eyes glowing faintly.

"My father," he said, "was not a good man."

Jin remained silent. He had suspected as much, but Kaelros rarely talked about his past.

"He was powerful. Respected. Feared." Kaelros's fingers tightened around his glass. "And he wanted me to be just like him."

Lysander snorted. But he failed."

Kaelros grinned. "Damn right, he did."

Jin set his drink down. "So you ran away."

Kaelros's smile faded. "I ran. But you don't just run from a man like that. He finds you. No matter where you go."

There was a moment of silence before Kaelros spoke again, his voice quieter.

"I spent years trying to escape his shadow. But no matter how far I went, I could still feel it. The weight of expectation. The legacy of a monster." His glowing sharp eyes darkened. "And then, one day, I stopped running."

Lysander smirked. "And decided to become a different kind of problem."

Kaelros grinned. "Exactly."

Jin exhaled. "So what did you do?"

Kaelros's grin widened. "Something really, really stupid."

Lysander groaned. "I still can't believe I let you drag me into it."

Jin looked between them. "So that's how you two met?"

Kaelros and Lysander exchanged a glance.

"…Something like that," Kaelros said vaguely.

Jin wasn't stupid. There was more to this story. But for now, he let it slide.

Lysander's Turn

Jin turned to Lysander. "And you?"

Lysander looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Me?"

Jin nodded. "You never talk about your past. What's your story?"

Lysander sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"You really want to know?"

Jin simply waited.

Lysander exhaled. "Fine."

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

"I was born in a shithole town no one's ever heard of," he said. "Grew up on the streets. Learned early that if you want to survive, you gotta be smarter than the guy next to you." He smirked. "Turns out, I was really good at that."

Jin listened in silence.

"I scammed, I stole, I cheated. Whatever it took." Lysander's fingers drummed against the table. "And for a while, it worked. I got really good at it. But then…" He trailed off.

Kaelros grinned. "And then he scammed the wrong person."

Lysander groaned. "Yeah. And guess who that person was?"

Jin's expression didn't change. "Kaelros."

Kaelros laughed. "Bingo."

Lysander shook his head. "Worst day of my damn life."

Kaelros smirked. "Best day of mine."

Jin sighed. "And yet, here we are."

The Weight of the Past

For a while, the three sat in silence, drinking.

Then Jin spoke.

"So what now?"

Kaelros raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

Jin's eyes were sharp. "Are you two still running from your past? Or are you finally ready to face it?"

Kaelros's grin faded slightly.

Lysander was quiet for a moment. Then he smirked. "Depends. Are you gonna be there when the shit inevitably hits the fan?"

Jin didn't hesitate.

"Always."

Kaelros blinked. Then he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Damn," he murmured. "Guess we're really in this together, huh?"

Lysander smirked. "Guess so."

Jin sighed, raising his glass.

"To bad decisions," he muttered.

Kaelros grinned, raising his own. "To chaos."

Lysander rolled his eyes. "To regretting everything."

Their glasses clinked together.

And in that moment, despite everything, they laughed.