Sword of Fate

Chapter 11: DESTAN’S LETTER

The letter arrived on Wednesday morning.

Kael spotted the envelope in the dorm supervisor’s hands as he returned from his morning training. The moment he saw the seal, something inside him tightened.

The Lion of Ardenvast.

His father, Destan Ardenvast’s official seal.

But the letter hadn’t been delivered through the Academy. It had been sent directly. This wasn’t ordinary correspondence. His father hadn’t wanted the letter to pass through official channels.

Why?

Kael accepted the envelope.

"Thank you."

He returned to his room. After closing the door, he sat at his desk and carefully opened the envelope. Three sheets of paper slid out.

Destan Ardenvast’s handwriting was large, angular, and severe. Like its owner, it concealed every trace of emotion. But something about this letter felt different. The very first line got straight to the point.

"Kael. There are things I need to discuss with you. Come home this weekend. Alone."

Kael’s gaze lingered on two words. "Alone."

A father wouldn’t normally tell his son to come home alone. That was already implied. Those two words had been written deliberately. Either his father didn’t trust the people around him...

Or what they were about to discuss was too sensitive for anyone else to hear. Perhaps both. He continued reading.

First, he read the letter normally. Then he read it a second time...

This time, searching for what lay between the lines. The surface message was clear.

Unusual reports from the northern border...

An unexpected visit from the Empire...

And several family matters.

But the real meaning hid beneath the words. Even Destan didn’t know what was happening in the north. The Imperial representative’s visit had not been announced in advance. That alone violated standard protocol. Then came the final paragraph. Only two sentences.

"As the heir of House Ardenvast, there are things you need to know."

"Your eyes resemble your mother’s."

Kael stared at the second sentence for a long time. His father almost never spoke about his mother. Throughout the years he had lived as Kael Ardenvast, the only thing he knew was that she had died when he was very young.

How...

Why...

Who she truly was...

None of it had ever been explained. Destan had always kept that subject sealed away. Now, for the first time, he had opened the door himself. Kael thought about the weekend ahead. The Academy’s schedule, his training, and whatever assignment Aldris planned to give him could all wait. This letter couldn’t.

— ◆ —

At lunch, Eiran walked over and sat across from him. That alone was unusual. He usually ate alone or with Torven. Choosing Kael’s table was a message in itself.

"A letter?" Eiran asked. Kael looked up.

"How did you know?"

"I saw the dorm supervisor hand you an envelope this morning." He shrugged.

"And you’ve been distracted ever since."

"There aren’t many things that would put that expression on your face."

A faint smile escaped Kael. This man really does read people like books. "Yes," he said.

"I have to go home this weekend."

"Something serious?"

"I don’t know."

After a brief pause, he added,

"But I’ll treat it as if it is." Eiran nodded. He didn’t ask another question. Nor did he leave. He simply remained seated beside him. That was his way of offering silent support. If you want to talk, I’m here.

Kael took note of it.

— ◆ —

Kael left the Academy on Friday afternoon.

When he reached the main gate, he ran into Lira. She was probably there by coincidence. She stopped when she saw him. "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Family business." Lira studied him for several seconds.

"Will you be safe?"

The question caught Kael off guard. Lira wasn’t someone who showed concern easily. The words sounded more like a risk assessment than an expression of emotion.

"I think so." He let out a quiet breath. "But I can’t say for certain." Lira nodded.

"Let me know when you’re back."

Then she walked away without another word. Kael watched her leave.

Let me know when you’re back.

That part had sounded almost procedural. But Will you be safe? That wasn’t.

Interesting.

— ◆ —

The journey from the Academy to the Ardenvast Estate took roughly four hours by fast mount. Kael arrived shortly before sunset. Livia was waiting for him at the entrance. As always, she appeared calm. But this time, there was a trace of concern in her eyes.

"Welcome home, Young Master."

"His Grace is waiting for you in his study."

"Thank you, Livia."

She hesitated for the briefest moment. She wasn’t accustomed to being thanked. Kael stopped before the study door.

The heavy oak door...

Two guards...

Everything was exactly as he remembered. Yet he could already tell the conversation waiting beyond it would be unlike any before. He knocked.

"Enter."

— ◆ —

Destan sat behind his desk. A quill rested in his hand. Yet he wasn’t writing. For Destan, holding a pen without using it was the equivalent of an ordinary person revealing their anxiety. Kael took the seat opposite him. Silence stretched between them.

"How have you been?" Destan asked. His voice was as calm as ever. But this time...

He genuinely wanted to know. "I’m well."

"I placed first in the ranking examination."

"I know."

Destan set the quill down. "Vareth reported it."

Kael didn’t wait. "The northern border."

"You mentioned it in your letter."

Destan watched him for a long moment.

"I had to be indirect."

"The courier wasn’t secure." He rose from his chair. "Three guards disappeared."

"Two returned."

"But neither remembers what they saw."

"Their memories were completely erased."

Kael filed the information away. He remembered reading that high-density Aether anomalies could affect the mind. But memory loss this complete... It suggested something else.

"When did they disappear?"

"Three weeks ago."

"And the ones who returned?"

"They reappeared two days later."

"How many were there?"

"Four."

"Two are still missing." Destan walked toward the window. Night had already begun to settle. Beyond the courtyard, the city’s lights shimmered in the distance. "That’s not the only reason I wanted to speak with you."

He spoke without turning around. "The Imperial representative arrives on Monday."

"Lady Mira Solheit."

Kael immediately thought of the Academy.

"Eiran Solheit."

"His mother?"

"Yes." Destan turned to face him.

"And that isn’t a coincidence."

"Sending her son to the Academy during the same year was a deliberate choice."

"Why?" Destan returned to his seat. "I intend to find out."

He studied Kael for a moment.

"What kind of person is Eiran?"

Kael considered his answer carefully. "Intelligent."

"He observes people."

"He knows how to wait."

"The Path of Insight feels like a part of who he is."

After a brief pause, he added, "I can’t call him trustworthy." "But he hasn’t shown me any hostility so far." Destan nodded. "Those are two very different things."

"Yes."

"And understanding the difference takes time."

Destan drew a slow breath. "I want you present during Monday’s meeting."

"Don’t speak."

"Just observe."

"Then tell me what you felt afterward."

— ◆ —

They ate dinner alone that evening. No servants were present. Destan had dismissed them all. That was far from normal. Silence lingered over the table for a long time. Then Destan spoke. "Your eyes resemble your mother’s."

Kael slowly set down his fork.

"They were blue."

"A rare trait within House Ardenvast."

"My father didn’t have them."

"Neither do I."

"Only you." He lifted his wine glass. But he didn’t drink.

"Recently..."

"You’ve begun to resemble her more and more."

"The way you stand..."

"The way you speak..."

"The way you look as though you’ve already thought something through before saying a word."

Kael listened in silence. "I know very little about her."

"Because you never told me." "I know."

Destan lowered his gaze. "I will."

"But not tonight." A brief silence followed.

"If I tell you tonight..."

"You won’t be able to sleep."

"You need a clear mind tomorrow." He paused. "The next time you come home."

Kael nodded. "I can wait."

For the briefest instant, an expression crossed Destan’s face. Perhaps relief. Perhaps gratitude. It was impossible to tell. But after it vanished, his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Kael noticed.

He’s genuinely afraid of this conversation.

Whatever he’s going to tell me about Mother...

It’s not merely painful.

It’s probably dangerous as well.

When the time comes... I’ll learn the truth.

— ◆ —

— End of Chapter 11 —

AzulNote///

Sometimes, the heaviest secrets are the ones left unspoken for years.

Why do you think Destan has never spoken about Kael’s mother until now?

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