Thornwall Fortress, Azure Sun Empire
"What do you think? Was it really him?" asked a middle-aged man with short dark brown hair, clad in shiny golden armor. He was Brandon Thornwall, the Duke of House Thornwall.
"That reflection of a kid in the sky? He is a fake," the other middle-aged man beside him retorted. He was wearing steel armor with a blue cape. He had short brown hair, and a few grey strands mixed into his beard, revealing his experience and age. He was Erik Ironvale, the older brother of Astrid Ironvale, Duke of House Ironvale. "You have seen Taranis's corpse with your own eyes. That reflection was just an illusion."
"The Emperor would not have sent you here as reinforcement if he also believed that reflection was fake," Brandon replied, a grim expression on his face.
"Tch, do not overestimate that brat. He was only a True Sage at best," Erik muttered. "Even I, at the seventh level of True Sage, can easily handle him."
