Aethelos: The Bastard of Light

Joseph Ville Light stood behind his desk, shoulders tense. As soon as Brock and Lito entered the room, he didn’t wait. · “Brock. Lito. Which one of you two leaked the news outside the academy?” · Lito’s eyes widened, clearly nervous. · “What?! I warned you, Joseph. And before you accuse us, maybe we should consider whether it wasn’t one of your precious students, Brock.” · Brock straightened his posture, his expression more serious than usual. · “Lito, it’s impossible for it to be one of the three. They’re a pretty closed group.” · Lito let out a short, humorless laugh. · “Oh, yes. Super closed. They’re students who live with other students, talk about missions and classes. Did you by any chance tell them not to say anything to anyone?” · Brock fell silent for a second and lowered his head slightly. · “I… didn’t say it was supposed to be a secret.” · Joseph raised a hand, interrupting. · “Lito. Are you saying there might be student infiltrators?” · Lito nodded firmly. · “Of course, Joseph. Remember: in the news about the death of the two noble soldiers of the great kingdom of Aethelos, people close to them said they saw young people leaving the forest on the day of the crimes.” · Joseph became thoughtful, his fingers lightly tapping the wood of the desk. · “So you both swear you didn’t tell anyone?” · The two answered at the same time: · “I swear.” · Shortly afterward, the auditorium was full. All first-year students and a large part of the others had been summoned. Joseph stepped onto the platform with a calm stride, but his expression was heavy. · “Dear students.” · His voice echoed through the space. · “As was reported in this morning’s newspaper, there was indeed an invasion by a small group of terrorists. No one needs to panic. You are all protected within these walls. · However… yes. You should fear this group. You should fear everything they do. Until very recently, it was speculated that they were involved in the death of two soldiers in a forest. Now, I ask you to give three hundred percent of yourselves. Become stronger than them. Try to be the harmony of tomorrow. · You are here to become better than the present we have today. · That is all. You may go.” · The silence that followed was uncomfortable. Then the students began to leave in tense murmurs. · Outside the auditorium, Eli walked beside Lygar. His stomach was tight. The director’s words still echoed. · “Lygar…” he began, his voice low. “Please be as honest as possible with me. Did you… also kill the other warrior?” · Lygar stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned to him, eyes darkened with anger. · “Are you really trying to rot the little respect I still have for you?” · Eli didn’t look away. · Lygar took a deep breath, jaw clenched. · “I didn’t kill him. You stopped me. But yes… I should have killed him. And if I had, I would tell you. Now what do you want to do, Eli?” · “I simply think maybe we should clarify the situation to the director. So this doesn’t come back to us and get us falsely accused. That’s all.” · Lygar rolled his eyes. · “Eli, I know you’re limited in power… but don’t be limited in brains. They wouldn’t believe you. Okay?” · Eli stayed silent for a moment and then nodded slowly. · “You might be right.” · The two of them continued walking. The distance between them still existed… but the conversation had left yet another crack open. This time, not only in the academy, but also between the two of them.