Two knights stood across from one another. Marianne Devearux, gripped her longsword with steady hands. Her eyes were clouded with conflict.
Opposite her stood Aldric, her old comrade-in-arms. His silver armor had a small crack after their first fight. He looked at Marianne with serious stare, and ready to fight.
"You don't have to do this, Aldric," Marianne said, her voice firm yet pleading. "We swore an oath to protect this kingdom together.."
Aldric's expression hardened. "And what good is that oath when Vernetia rots from within? I'm doing what must be done. My only wish.. is all my friends, especially you, weren't standing in my way."
Steel sang as swords were drawn.
Marianne struck first—fast, clean, the kind of precision honed by years of discipline. Aldric parried with a grunt, sliding back with the impact. She followed up with a flurry, a dance of blade and purpose, testing his defenses.
Aldric countered with brutal strength. He swung in wide arcs, forcing her on the defensive, each strike crashing down like a hammer. Sparks flew as steel met with steel, their footwork kicking up dust.
"You taught me that justice isn't about vengeance!" Marianne growled as she blocked a powerful blow that forced her to one knee.
"And you don't know that sometimes justice demands sacrifice...You could not accept the truth, Marianne!" Aldric hissed, twisting to bring his pommel toward her head.
She ducked, swept his legs, and he tumbled, rolling back up like a predator. Blood trickled from Marianne's lip. Aldric's left pauldron hung loose.
They clashed again—faster, fiercer, no more holding back. The air crackled with the force of their convictions. Old memories flashed in each strike—training in the rain, laughing by the campfire, covering each other in war.
Then came the moment.
Marianne managed to land a blow. While Aldric was lost his focus, in a blink of an eye, she appeared i front of him and knocked him down.
The battlefield was eerily silent.
Only the crackling flames and the distant groans of the wounded filled the air.
Marianne stood before Aldric, sword in hand.
Her breathing was heavy, her body aching from battle. Yet, her grip was firm.
Aldric, kneeling on one knee, was no longer smiling.
Fiona stood back, only watching in silence.
This was Marianne's choice.
Would she kill him? Or would she spare him?
Either path would leave a scar.
And yet—one had to be chosen.
"…Why did you do it, Aldric?"
Marianne's voice was steady, but there was something raw beneath it.
Aldric chuckled. It was a bitter, hollow sound.
"You already know the answer, don't you?"
Marianne's grip tightened, and she gritted her teeth.
Aldric had been her comrade for more than 10 years. Even if she she knew Aldric was right, she could not believe that she should fight and beat him like this.
She still remembered the night they had sworn their oaths.
Aldric had laughed back then, saying, "I bet you'll outrank me one day."
Marianne had rolled her eyes, "Just don't slow me down."
They had been invincible, until he broke her feelings..
Until he raised his blade against this innocent knights.
Even now, standing over him, part of her still refused to believe it.
That the Aldric she knew was truly gone.
That he had never been the man she thought he was.
"…Say it, Aldric.." she demanded. "Say it so I can kill you knowing it was all real."
Aldric exhaled.
Then, he looked at her—not as an enemy, but as her oldest friend.
"I never betrayed you, Marianne."
She flinched.
His voice was quiet and steady.
"Explain," she ordered. "Now."
Aldric sighed.
"You still don't get it, do you?" he murmured. "There's nothing we can do to fix this kingdom. Even if you tried to fix it for your entire life, you'll never be able to achieved it."
Marianne's gaze hardened.
"Don't give me that excuse," she spat. "You killed innocent people. You even killed our comrades. Don't you feel regret?"
Aldric shook his head.
"No, Marianne," he said. "To achieve something bigger, a sacrifice was Inevitable, likely or not."
Fiona stilled.
Marianne hesitated.
"…What?"
Aldric looked at the burning outpost around them.
"Did you ever question why I left?" he asked. "And why I took the others with me?"
Marianne didn't answer.
Because she had wondered it too.
Aldric's expression darkened.
"There's something dangerous happening in Vernetia," he said. "And it was bigger than all of us imagined"
Fiona frowned.
'Was this just an attempt to stall the time? But this man seems so calm and honest'
Marianne remained silent, waiting.
Aldric sighed.
"…The nobles are planning something, but i still don't know what. And i found that the temple was way worst than those nobles."
Marianne froze.
Aldric met her gaze.
"The corruption in Vernetia—it's worse than we ever imagined," he said. "I saw it with my own eyes."
Aldric continued.
"There were orders," he said. "Orders to secretly raid the villages outside ,far away from here, and kidnapped every child who were already 15 years old to do something. The temple also orders to execute their knights who refused to follow the order."
Marianne's breath hitched.
"No," she whispered. "That's not…"
But Aldric's eyes were firm.
"I tried to stop it," he said. "I tried to fight back. That's why I left, and met with the Rogue knights."
Marianne felt something crack inside her.
Aldric wasn't lying.
Or if he was—he truly believed what he was saying.
Fiona clenched her fists.
This… was dangerous.
If there was even a sliver of truth in Aldric's words—
Then the war wasn't what they thought it was.
Marianne's face was pale.
Her sword trembled.
This was too much.
Too much to process. Too much to believe.
And yet—she couldn't ignore it, especially the temple who kidnapped children.
The air between them was suffocating.
Marianne stared at Aldric.
had he been wrong?
If what he said was true—if Vernetia was truly corrupt—
Then who was she really fighting for?
Aldric exhaled.
"You have a choice, Marianne," he said. "You can kill me right now. You can end this fight, and walk away."
He met her eyes.
"Or you can start to ask and find the truth by yourself."
Fiona watched.
Marianne tightened her grip.
Her blade was steady.
And yet—
Her hands wouldn't move.
Her heart wouldn't allow it.
Then, finally—
She made her choice.