TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 28: Three Weeks

"I want your full and unrelenting endorsement. I want a physical form of proof that you're behind our cause," he says.

I simply sigh at the corner I've been driven into.

"Fine. I know what your end goal is here anyway. Here. This should be plenty useful as proof," I tell him while retrieving a single glistening, iridescent feather from my dimension artifact. "Will this suffice?"

"Your feather is more than enough. I hope that you're on board not simply because you're cornered, but also because you agree that your and Kezess' treachery was a foul abuse of your power and a sign of your incapability to lead effectively," Khashmir retorts.

"I knew it couldn't last forever. There were simply too many people in on the secret. It's comical to know that my own daughter is the one who divulged her own clan's sins. At least I raised a woman of honor," I answer, only able to chuckle at the situation.

"Then I'll take my leave. I'm glad to know you yourself are also a woman of honor despite your attempt at a cover-up. Please aid us in exposing those that deserve it," he replies before finishing his tea in a single gulp. "It was delicious."

Khashmir stands and bows before striding to my cabin door and exiting. I can't help but sit in silence. Our secret is known and the era of dragons is soon to come to an end by unlikely hands.

Arthur Leywin...

A chagrined smile stays plastered across my face regardless of what I'm trying to portray. It's all over. Kezess is overwhelmingly powerful, but he can't get rid of Agrona and his legions of half-breeds while he has a revolt on Epheotus. Not to mention whatever Arthur has become...

AGRONA VRITRA

Damn it...

The ornate walls of Taegrin Caelum feel even more drab and dreary than usual after my second fit of humiliation by that damn boy. The clacks of my heels ring out through the halls as I practically sprint to my chambers. I need to recover from this somehow. I have to do something about this lesser.

As I approach the cherrywood door, I practically break it from its hinges in my anger. My bed chamber is clad with my signature red, but I've been seeing red all day. The bathroom chamber fares no better than the bedroom door as I slam my hands down onto the edges of the vanity.

I stare deeply into the mirror as my own scarlet eyes stare back. This expression of utter defeat looks like shit on me. I'm disgusted with the face staring at me right now. I'll ruin that boy.

That damn brat has the audacity to waltz into my city -MY CITY- and toss around empty threats. 'Three weeks.' Don't make me laugh. What could you possibly do? You slew Kiros? Big deal. He was a fool who hadn't fought in centuries. How impressive of a feat is it to slay a damn loser like him?

My rant is punctuated by my fist slamming firmly through the mirror in front of me; the blood rushes down my hand while the wounds begin to already heal.

What can I do? I can't find his family. I can't take anything from him except for all of Dicathen, but that leaves me with only the deserts of Alacrya to conquer Epheotus. I can't play that long of a game. Cecilia is gone, Nico hasn't returned, and Aensgar is a pile of rubble.

Who does he think he is? Truly...

Three weeks. What does he mean by that? What could he possibly do then that would be worth leaving something cryptic like that? Where will he reemerge?

"Fuck," I murmur to myself while glaring at myself through the shattered mirror. I lost a battle of wits to a lesser. I couldn't have calculated that he'd be not only as strong as a Scythe like Cadell but capable of putting down a full-blooded asura like Kiros. He could have kept going if he weren't outnumbered. I wouldn't have lost, but I would have had to go deep into my bag of tricks to make sure he'd never resurface.