[XASTOL CITY, IVAN MURONG'S HOME, FRONT YARD — THREE MONTHS AGO]
"You don't understand—" Ivan's voice cracked.
"SHUT UP!"
The hard edge of a hammer gun struck him in his face and nearly dropped him to the floor. He had already been forced to kneel, and the Illodium cuffs placed around his wrists felt like they were cutting into his skin with every loose movement. Ivan's thoughts were in shambles.
Surrounding him stood an array of Xastol's sentries, each one's sneering face angrier than the last.
The cold snow stung his bruised nose as he tried to inhale. Several feet ahead, a crowd had already started to form. People from nearby houses who had heard the commotion were rushing out to find out what had happened. Hidemi…, he groaned wearily, hoping to find his son in the sea of antagonizing faces, …Where are you?!
THOOMP!
Ivan turned his head towards the doorway of his home where a foot stamped down angrily against his door's landing. Captain Upo — the newly appointed captain of the Xastol's sentries — exited with another guard, carrying with them a lifeless body resting on a stretcher.
Upo gritted his teeth and cleared the way for the last remaining person in the house.
Ivan watched slowly as the man exited, his arms crossed behind his back and his hair hiding his weary eyes. The imposing crest of the Murong clan bared on the dwarf's chest looked hauntingly back at him.
"B-Banderd!" Ivan grunted. "Please, you must—"
"—Ivan Murong," his brother interrupted. His tone was serious — dark. He came down the chiseled stone stoop and stopped only when a few feet away from where his brother stood. "You have broken our taboo and committed an unforgivable sin by murdering your fellow counselor. On behalf of the Murong clan and the Council of Xastol, I strip you of your rank as a citizen and title as a Stieli-class grandmaster Sanctum-Smith."
Ivan's breathing quickened as he involuntarily began to rise. "No, damn it! I did not do this! Banderd — please!"
Upo and two other sentries pounced on Ivan and pushed his face into the ground while holding down his legs. "B-BANDERD! I'M INNOCENT!" he roared through the snow. "LISTEN TO ME!!"
Banderd's expression tightened as he turned his head away. "The time for words… is over."
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[XASTOL CITY, JIANYU PRISON — CURRENT]
"I see," Ivan sighed. "So Hidemi's come back…"
He fell back slightly and hung his head with worry.
On the other side of the cell, Banderd's eyes searched for something to say — a way to console Ivan. But ultimately, he found that there was nothing he could say that would alleviate his brother's concerns. Instead, he softened his expression, joking, "I expected you to be more surprised." and smiled.
"I am surprised," Ivan groaned. He brushed the dusty floor underneath him and traced the outline of an alcohol bottle. "But then again, my son has always had a knack for surprises. Who would've thought that the first people to help him out in years would be humans?"
He chuckled as if in response to a bad joke and muttered, "I must be drunk on Xakron…."
"Fate has a funny way of surprising us, doesn't it?" Banderd said in a low voice. "Father refused to allow the boy's admittance in the Dwanivit until his dying breath. He spited and hated the child for everything he was, and yet now… In the span of just a few measly months… Hidemi will be joining the competition in the hopes of becoming a true dwarf."
Ivan's brow furrowed. He was torn between hoping this would be a good thing and understanding that his son would be turned against by the entire city.
"Fate, huh?" he repeated.
I wonder who such daring humans are to dare venture near Xastol. Do they not fear the Church? Or are they after something else..?
Banderd reached into his robe and took out a black book; the same beaten and tattered one he always carried.
"You still have that old thing?" Ivan asked. "Have you deciphered the writing yet? It's in ancient Dward isn't it?"
Banderd nodded and caressed it gingerly with his fingers. "I've been using the blank pages recently to store logs of past events. That, and any progress I've made."
"Never would've taken you as one to keep a diary," Ivan noted.
"There are so many questions I have that this book may have the answers to. I want to know what our ancestors were truly like; how they acted and the standards by which they lived and raised their children to. I want to know how we came to live in this land and why we are who we are. I… want to know what makes a true dwarf."
Ivan glanced at the book for but a moment before shaking his head. "You know, you're always so steadfast in following the clan's rules — father's rules. You embodied his ideals as a son and councilperson despite him never acknowledging your efforts, and even now that he's gone, you're still controlled by his senseless dogma."
Banderd's eyebrow twitched. "Don't badmouth father, Ivan. I won't stand for disrespect."
Ivan gave him an incredulous look and scoffed. "Why? He's already locked me away and taken my freedom. What more can he steal from me now? At least I am comfortable enough in my decisions to stand by them, elder brother. You are a slave to systematic principles."
Banderd closed the book and put it back inside of his robe. "I came here to update you about your son and possibly bring you some peace. But it seems that was a mistake. I'll take my leave."
Ivan stood before his brother could walk away and grabbed onto the bars. "Is it now?" he shot. "Then why are you so caught up with the past, Banderd?! Why are you haunted by it?!"
The councilman paused in his tracks.
"'Want to know what our ancestors were like'? 'What makes a true dwarf'?! Don't make me laugh, Banderd! If you believe you'll be able to find yourself by questioning the things you claim to live by… Then you are a bigger fool than I thought!"
"Shut your mouth!" Banderd roared. He spun around and glared at Ivan, unable to control himself.
"There he is," Ivan mocked. "That's the older brother who'd always chew me out. I was starting to think this character you've been playing got rid of him for good!"
Banderd's face changed from anger to confusion. "What are you..?"
"Tell me Banderd… Do you really think some book is going to teach you what a real dwarf is? Do you think becoming another version of our father will make you happy? I may be the one in this cell… But I am by no means trapped."
Banderd breathed in shakily and collected himself. "Earlier today, Gido complained that our people would lose faith in us if our laws did not work. If father were here, he'd have agreed, don't you think?"
Ivan let go of the bars.
"As the current Speaker, I should have agreed with him. It would have been the dwarven thing to do, but for some odd reason, I could not bring myself to say those words. The clan's values and the legacy of our people as a whole are something I must strive to uphold despite all else. I do believe in that, Ivan."
He ran his arms through the cell bars and placed his hands on his brother's cheeks. "Sometimes I do envy you, little brother. The reason why still eludes me… You were always a troublemaker through and through, yet no matter what, father would always forgive you. It was no secret you were his favorite — a genius potential that needed to be nurtured within the clan. Perhaps that was why I found myself so drawn to you. I hoped that through you, I'd be able to grow closer to our father and earn his approval. But that time never came. Instead, I grew closer and closer to you as a brother and did what I could to guide you to the image of a true dwarf that father dreamed of. But you never shifted your views and always remained knuckleheaded till the very end; you never changed. And seeing that felt… freeing in some ways."
Ivan opened his mouth to speak but Banderd withdrew his arms.
"Maybe I am lying to myself, feeding myself the remnants of a lost age to justify my being. Who knows? But I also believe in father's philosophy. Our laws control us — keep us sane and just. They keep us safe. Balance is required to prevent anarchy. Without it, we stand to lose everything — just like father and Ruo."
"But you can choose!" Ivan stressed. "You don't have to torture yourself like this, brother!"
A faint smile played on Banderd's lips as his eyes traveled to Ivan's plant. "Perhaps so… But who says my rejection of choice is not a choice in itself?"
Ivan groaned, frustrated with his brother's stubbornness, and grabbed his forehead.
"But Ivan," Banderd said, looking him in the eye. "There is also another truth."
He closed his eyes and smiled — his first real smile in ages.
"You are my brother. And no matter what, you always will be."
Banderd turned around and made his way for the corridor, the Murong hammer and dragon crest staring at Ivan as his brother walked further and further away from him.
"Damn idiot," he murmured, sinking back onto the floor. "...Why can't you just be happy..?"
Behind him, the image he'd drawn on the wall — a flower sigil created with chalk — awaited Ivan for the moment it could finally be used. One month till the Dwanivit, eh?
A plan formed in his mind.
I have to be swift in my escape then. One month isn't a lot of time. I'll be there to support you no matter what. When next we meet, I hope you'll have grown into a marvelous Sanctum-Smith capable of changing this city… Got it..?
…Hidemi..?
[SILENCE IN UNDERSTANDING]