Burdens of the Faithful

Elaris polished Dain's armor until his reflection stared back at him, distorted by the curved metal. After their confrontation in the archives, every act of service felt heavier. Each "Yes, sir" and dutiful bow carried the weight of necessary betrayal.

"The eastern patrols report divine crystallization spreading faster," Dain spoke while reviewing reports, trusting his squire's discretion as he always had. "Three more villages lost yesterday. Reality itself turning rigid."

"Icarion grows stronger," Elaris replied carefully, maintaining the precise tone of a concerned but not too knowledgeable servant. Inside, his hidden void-marks burned with the effort of containing his true reactions.

"The void-touched will respond soon." Dain's voice carried complicated hatred. "Kael won't let divine law spread unchecked."

Elaris focused on a particularly stubborn spot of tarnish, using the mundane task to hide how his hands wanted to shake. He had seen the latest reports - secretly delivered by Lysara from their network of informants. Icarion wasn't just enforcing divine law anymore. He was transforming it into something new, something that even the gods hadn't intended.

"Sir?" he ventured, testing dangerous waters. "Do you ever wonder if-"

"If what?" Dain's attention shifted fully to his squire.

"If divine law is truly better than chaos?" The question carried genuine uncertainty. For all his commitment to their cause, Elaris still struggled with doubts that Lysara's certainty never seemed to entertain.

Dain was silent for a long moment. "Better isn't the word I'd use. More predictable, perhaps. More... contained." He set down his reports. "Divine law might crystallize reality, but at least we know what that means. Chaos..." He gestured to reports of void-touched battles. "Chaos offers infinite possibilities, including infinitely worse ones."

"But isn't there value in being able to resist?" Elaris asked, his voice quiet. "Even if the cost is high?"

"Tell that to the civilians caught between divine geometry and void-touched rebellion. Their lives ended when reality itself forgot how to make sense."

A commander burst into the chamber before Dain could pursue the conversation. "Sir! Divine forces are moving on the western front. Icarion himself leads them."

Dain rose immediately, reaching for the armor Elaris had just finished polishing. As he helped buckle his knight into his protection, Elaris felt the weight of every lie between them. Each clasp secured was another betrayal of this man who, despite everything, had been like a father to him.

"Stay alert," Dain commanded as he prepared to leave. "If divine forces break through-"

"I'll help coordinate the evacuation," Elaris finished, playing his role perfectly. "Keep the civilians safe."

Dain nodded, paternal pride mixing with martial urgency. "You're a good lad, Elaris. Despite everything... you have a true heart."

The words hurt worse than any blow. Because they were true, just not in the way Dain meant them.

After his knight left, Elaris slipped away to their hidden meeting spot. Lysara was already waiting, her expression grim as she studied reports of her own.

"Icarion's changed something," she said without preamble. "The crystallization patterns are different. More aggressive. Like divine law itself is evolving."

"He was meant to be their perfect weapon," Elaris noted, grateful to finally speak without masks. "Maybe he's becoming too perfect."

"Or not perfect enough." Lysara's fingers traced patterns in the air, analyzing magical frequencies. "The gods' champions often end up being more than they intended. Their power evolves in ways even they don't expect."

"Like Kael?"

"Exactly." She turned to face him fully. "Whatever they intended Icarion to be, he's becoming something else entirely. Are you alright? After the confrontation with Dain..."

"I don't know." Elaris slumped against a wall, letting exhaustion show. "We're doing the right thing. I believe that. But Dain... he cares so much. Tries so hard to protect people. And we're working against him."

"We're protecting people too," Lysara said quietly. "Just in a different way."

Before she could continue, reality shuddered. The air itself seemed to groan as divine power pulsed through the fortress. Through hidden passages, they could hear soldiers mobilizing, commanders shouting orders.

"He's getting closer," Elaris whispered, his hidden void-marks resonating with the divine pressure. "Icarion's power... it feels different. Hungry."

They shared a look of understanding. There would be more rituals to sabotage, more plans to undermine. The fact that it hurt, that lying to Dain felt like swallowing broken glass - that was just another weight to carry.

Above them, reality groaned as Icarion's power pressed against its foundations. Divine law spread like beautiful poison through the world they sought to protect. And in the quiet spaces between armor polish and battlefield orders, Elaris carried his burden of necessary lies.