Klein hesitated only for an instant before making his decision.
With no guard in sight and everyone apparently distracted by whatever was happening, it was the perfect mont to satisfy his curiosity and slight resentnt.
He rembered perfectly where they had taken Kassian on the day of his own confinent. Unlike his comfortable quarters, the cell he had glimpsed for his older brother more closely resembled a crystal prison, guarded by two elite guards.
The contrast hadn't escaped his notice, at least it wasn't another example of the preferential treatnt Kassian always seed to receive.
Perhaps they would allow him to shout him a few things to understand the reason for the betrayal and then vent a little by yelling at him about how idiotic he had been.
In the worst case, they wouldn't let him, but he could ask them for food while shouting anyway. The thought brought a small, vindictive smile to his face.
He advanced stealthily through the deserted hallways, pressing himself against the walls. The area seed strangely empty, as if much of the personnel had gathered elsewhere. The usual sounds of the academy… footsteps, distant conversations, the hum of mana in the walls, were eerily absent, creating an atmosphere of tense anticipation.
When he finally reached the corridor leading to Kassian's 'cell,' he was surprised to see that there was only one guard instead of two. And as he watched from the shadows, sothing even more unusual occurred.
The distant energy he had felt earlier suddenly intensified, doubling in power. The guard, visibly alard, abandoned his post and ran in the direction of the emanation's origin.
'What's happening?' Klein wondered, cautiously advancing toward the now unprotected door.
The powers continued fluctuating, multiplying in intensity until reaching levels that Klein had never experienced. For him to be able to feel them at such a distance, they must belong to extraordinarily powerful individuals.
'Father,' he thought instantly.
When the power presences finally stopped growing, Klein was already in front of Kassian's cell door. It was taller than he rembered, with a small slot at eye level to allow surveillance.
Driven by curiosity, Klein gave a small jump to reach the opening. What he saw on the other side left him perplexed.
Kassian sat in the center of the cell, eyes closed and an expression of intense concentration on his face. His fingers moved quickly and intricately, as if manipulating invisible threads. Klein blinked, focusing his vision, and suddenly he could see them… faint purple lines connecting to his brother's fingertips, extending toward sowhere beyond the walls, only to vanish seconds after forming.
Klein watched, fascinated, for several minutes. What was Kassian doing? So kind of secret ga? The purple threads seed almost alive, writhing with a purpose he couldn't comprehend.
But indignation began to bubble inside him. While he 'suffered' the consequences, turned into a pawn in his brother's ga, Kassian was just playing on his own, not even experiencing real punishnt.
"Traitor!" The word escaped Klein's lips before he could contain himself, laden with bitterness and resentnt. "You used as a guinea pig and now you're wasting ti! Do you know how many questions they asked ?"
Kassian's eyes snapped open, surprise quickly transforming into irritation at seeing his younger brother's face in the slot. The purple threads vanished instantly, though a faint glow lingered around his fingertips.
"Idiot, you're breaking my concentration!" he hissed, jumping to his feet in one fluid motion. "You could have ruined everything!"
Klein was about to reply when he noticed Kassian's expression changing again. A smile spread across his face, not warm or brotherly, but calculating, triumphant.
"Although there was enough ti," he continued, approaching the door. "It seems we'll soon be released."
"Released? I'm already outside..." Klein hesitated, confused. "Wait, they'll let you out? How can you know that?"
"I have my ways," Kassian responded enigmatically. "Father has co for us, and he won't leave empty-handed."
Klein narrowed his eyes, distrust evident in his gaze. Perhaps his father would only take Kassian if given a choice... His trauma resurfacing as pessimism, his golden lion's core seed to coil protectively around his heart.
"What were you really doing?" he asked, pointing at his brother's fingers. "I saw those purplish threads. What are they?"
For an instant, sothing like surprise crossed Kassian's face. His controlled facade montarily slipped, revealing genuine astonishnt.
"You can see them?" His tone changed. "Interesting. Perhaps you lost the energy, but the transformation was deeper than we thought."
"Stop speaking in riddles," Klein demanded, his patience wearing thin. "What did you really do to with that disgusting potion?"
Kassian studied his younger brother with an evaluative gaze, as if seeing him in a new light.
"I gave you a gift, little Klein," he finally responded. "One that you perhaps wasted with your impatience."
He moved even closer to the door, his eyes shining with disturbing enthusiasm. In the dim light, they seed to reflect purple rather than their natural color.
"When we get out of here, I'll show you the true extent of what you could have gained," he promised. "And you'll understand why I did what I did."
Klein couldn't stop thinking about the purple threads and Kassian's strange calmness. The entire situation felt wrong, as if he was watching a play where everyone knew their lines except him. So he was preparing to leave but Kassian called him with an urgent whisper.
"Wait. Look for the door's runic key," he ordered, pointing toward the hallway.
"No," Klein answered, his voice cold and cutting.
"What?" Kassian blinked, genuinely surprised by the direct refusal. For a mont, he looked as if he couldn't comprehend the concept of Klein saying no to him.
"I said no," Klein repeated, a bitter smile forming on his lips. "I'm not going to help you escape. I don't want to be 'free' because I don't feel locked up here, and I'm not going to do anything as stupid as helping you."
He pulled himself toward the slot, his face now inches from his brother's.
"I will fulfill my duty first."
Kassian slapped his forehead with his palm, a gesture of frustration so dramatic that in other circumstances it would have been comical.
"You're a complete idiot," he growled, looking at Klein as if he were a lost cause. "I truly don't understand how you can be my brother."
The words ignited even more of the anger that Klein had been containing. The mory of the betrayal, of realizing there was a strange energy corrupting his body, of being the pawn in a ga he didn't understand… it all crystallized in that mont.
"I'm the idiot?" he shouted, voice rising despite his earlier stealthy approach. "It would be much more idiotic if I trusted you again. You used as a lab rat. You gave that... that thing without my knowledge. And now you expect to help you now?"
"Listen to ," Kassian insisted, his voice acquiring a tone of urgency. "Your task is obviously no longer possible. Forget about the 'catching the Starweaver' plan. We have to leave the academy and prepare for a much longer and more delicate conflict."
"No," Klein responded, obstinate. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying. Stop making up nonsense."
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