Kaelin stood before the old storage room door in his father's house, staring at the heavy iron lock that seemed like a silent guardian over the great legacy of Alenius. Shadows merged around him, and the air was thick with the scent of old wood and dust. Every part of this place reminded him of his father's power, his authority, and the legacy he had no choice in inheriting.
But now, he would break the chain with his own hands.
He pulled out a small key, a secret copy forged by a blacksmith who owed him silent loyalty. His hand was steady as he inserted the key into the lock. With a faint click, the lock opened, as if the entire place had held its breath for a moment. He pushed the door open cautiously, revealing a deep darkness inside.
There were tightly sealed crates and weapons wrapped in cloth, but he had no interest in them. He knew his way. Advancing through the narrow corridor, he found the chest bearing his family's emblem. Kneeling before it, he hesitated for a moment before removing the wooden lid.
And there it was: the Shield of Alenius.
It was no ordinary shield—it was a piece of glory itself. Its metal was not gold, yet it gleamed under the torchlight as if it were alive, as if it had a consciousness of its own. Its ancient engravings were not mere decorations; they were stories carved in steel, tales woven from the blood of battles and countless victories.
Kaelin reached out, his fingers brushing the cold surface of the shield. His breath trembled for a moment. This was the threshold, the divide between being merely "the son of Alenius" and becoming something else—something greater.
But was he ready to bear this burden?
"You fool."
Kaelin froze. The voice behind him was calm but carried a warning as sharp as a blade. He turned quickly to find Elrias standing at the open door, his dark eyes narrowing. There was no visible anger, but Kaelin knew his brother never needed to raise his voice for his words to cut like a dagger into the heart of the truth.
"Elrias... What are you doing here?"
Elrias stepped inside, his gaze fixed on the shield in Kaelin's hands. He didn't need an explanation—he already knew.
"The real question is: what are you doing? Do you even understand what you're about to do?"
Kaelin tightened his grip on the shield, as if afraid it would be taken from him. He looked at his brother, feeling the widening chasm between them since their encounter with that man in Sunset Square.
"I'm… I'm just doing what must be done. This is my right, Elrias."
Elrias let out a short laugh, devoid of any amusement.
"Your right? Since when? Or are you convincing yourself this isn't theft?"
There was something in his tone that made Kaelin feel a pang in his chest. But he wasn't ready to back down now.
"You don't understand. My whole life, I've been in our father's shadow. Everyone compares me to him, expects me to be his mirror. But I'm not him, Elrias! If I don't have the right to this shield, then who does?"
Elrias crossed the distance between them in steady steps until he was close enough that Kaelin could feel his breath.
"But not like this, Kaelin. Not through betrayal."
The last word was heavy, like a stone thrown into a still lake, creating ripples that would never end.
Kaelin turned his face away, unwilling to see his own internal struggle reflected in his brother's eyes.
"You will never understand. You are not me."
Elrias sighed, as if looking at someone he already knew was lost.
"Maybe I don't understand everything you feel, but I do understand this: if you take this path, there will be no return. Father will never forgive you. And I…"
He hesitated, as if the words were choking him, but he finally said them:
"…I will never forgive you either."
Before Kaelin could respond, something happened that neither of them expected.
The door behind Elrias swung open, and a sudden gust of wind rushed in from all directions. An unseen force pushed the two brothers apart, and the walls of the storage room trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
Alenius himself had arrived.
He stood at the entrance, surrounded by the glow of his guards' torches, his eyes burning like embers in the darkness. There was no loud anger, no shouting—only a heavy presence, as if the very room had shrunk in his presence.
He looked at Kaelin, then at the shield in his hands.
"I thought you had learned your lesson long ago, Kaelin."
His voice was cold, but it carried a hidden blade.
Kaelin tried to speak, but the words failed him. For the first time since choosing this path, he felt like a small child standing before his father's sheer force, unarmed and defenseless.
Elrias slowly stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow from the tension. He looked at their father, then at Kaelin, and there was no doubt in his eyes.
This was not just a confrontation.
This was judgment.
"Now, choose, Kaelin. Who will you be?"
These were Alenius' last words before stepping inside, his shadow stretching over his sons like chains that could not be broken.
And that night, the moon was not the only thing hidden behind the clouds.
The silence between the three was thick. Kaelin, holding the shield in his hands, Elrias standing between him and Alenius, and their father himself, towering like an immovable mountain, as if he were an extension of this ancient fortress.
Kaelin took a deep breath and forced himself to meet his father's gaze, even though every fiber in his body screamed at him to run—an escape he knew was impossible.
"Father, I never intended…"
Alenius raised a hand, and the words died in Kaelin's throat. That simple gesture alone was enough to silence him, just as it had for years.
"You never intended what?"
His tone was calm, but it carried a terrifying weight.
"You never intended to steal a legacy that is not yours? You never intended to betray your own blood? Or is it that you never intended to be caught?"
Shame burned in Kaelin's chest, but he tightened his grip on the shield.
"I am not betraying my blood. This is my right, as it was yours before me. I don't want to live in your shadow forever!"
Something dark flickered in Alenius' eyes—something Kaelin couldn't fully read, but he felt it pressing on his chest, making the air heavier.
"You think glory can be stolen, Kaelin? That you can bear what you were not born to carry?"
He took a step forward, and his shadow scattered under the torchlight.
"Do you think this shield will make you stronger? That it will turn you into something more than what you are now?"
Kaelin didn't step back, but his throat felt dry.
"I… I will forge my own glory."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, suddenly, Alenius laughed. It was not a mocking laugh, nor an angry one—just a low chuckle, as if he saw something beyond mere disappointment.
"Then prove it to me."
Kaelin froze.
"What?"
Alenius raised a hand and pointed at Elrias.
"Your brother said he would never forgive you. If you wish to take this shield, you must prove you deserve it. Fight, Kaelin."
Elrias turned slowly toward their father, disbelief on his face.
"Father, this is madness. We are not enemies."
Alenius did not even glance at him.
"If Kaelin wishes to step out of my shadow, let him show me how."
Kaelin looked at Elrias, and Elrias looked at Kaelin.
This was not just a test, not just a fight between brothers.
This was a declaration.
Either Kaelin would emerge from this night as his own man, or he would drown even deeper in his father's shadow.
And then, the torches went out, and the darkness swallowed everything.