Kaelen and Elyas left Sunset Square, each carrying a weight inside them that hadn't been there hours ago. This wasn't just a brief encounter with a mysterious man; it was a turning point, a moment that separated who they had been from who they would become.
As the sun rose the next day, Kaelen stood in the training yard within the military academy. The new recruits were lined up before him, some gripping wooden swords, others struggling to fasten their heavy armor. He was supposed to be present with them, watching their mistakes, correcting them. But he couldn't. His thoughts were consumed by the stranger's offer.
"My father's armor… a piece of his power? Is that real?"
He looked at his students. They were young and ambitious, searching for their own glory—just as he was. Yet, he had always been trapped by his father's name. No one saw him as just Kaelen; everyone viewed him as "Alenius' son."
How many times had he tried to prove himself? How many battles had he fought fiercely, only to find himself still standing in his father's shadow?
"Sir? Are you alright?"
He looked up to see one of the soldiers watching him with concern. He realized he had been silent for too long, lost in thought. Shaking his head, he forced himself back to reality.
"Continue training."
Leaving them behind, he walked toward his office. When he entered, he shut the door and leaned against it for a moment, trying to steady his thoughts. But he stopped when he noticed something unusual on his desk.
A paper, carefully folded.
He stepped forward slowly, picking it up and unfolding it. The words were few, but they carried an unbearable weight:
"This is your last chance to step out of your father's shadow and build your own glory."
Kaelen froze. How had this note gotten here? No one entered his office. Even the servants weren't allowed near it. That could only mean one thing—the mysterious man had ways beyond his understanding.
He glanced around cautiously, as if someone might be hiding in the shadows. But the room was empty. He sat in his chair, resting his head in his hands.
"Is this finally my chance? Can I be something more than just Alenius' son?"
But the price would be betraying his father.
His heart wavered for a moment, but then he remembered his father's cold stare when he had failed a test years ago. He remembered how others spoke of him, saying he would never be as great as his father.
He clenched the note in his hand, his eyes burning.
"Maybe… maybe this isn't betrayal. Maybe this is my only chance to be my own person."
On the other side of the city, Elyas sat in his small workshop, surrounded by painting tools and unfinished canvases. He had spent the last few hours working on a new painting—a quiet lake under the moonlight. He loved the little details, the reflections, the shadows dancing on the water's surface.
But his mind was not at peace.
Without realizing it, he pressed his brush too hard against the canvas, smearing the carefully blended colors. He stepped back, staring at the mess he had made.
"This offer… I can't accept it. I don't want to be part of this man's game."
He set the brush aside, looking at the now unbalanced painting. It reflected his thoughts perfectly.
"My father is not a perfect man… but he is my father."
He stood up and began pacing the room, running his fingers through his dark brown hair. He had always hated violence, despised conflict, yet now he found himself trapped in one without even choosing it.
"Kaelen might see this as an opportunity… but he doesn't understand. This is betrayal. No matter what kind of man my father is, I can't do this to him."
But what if he had no choice?
What if refusing made him a target for this man, simply because he refused to cooperate?
He stared at the painting again, taking a deep breath.
"No, I won't let him scare me. I may be weak physically, but I am not weak inside."
Taking a cloth, he wiped the canvas clean, erasing the mistakes, resetting the colors—just as he decided to reset his thoughts.
That night, Kaelen and Elyas did not meet, even though they usually talked before bed. Both were too lost in their own thoughts.
Kaelen saw a door that could lead him to glory.
Elyas saw a trap that would lead him to disgrace.
And between them, the shadow of the man they had met the night before stood watching from afar—smiling.