The End of our Time: A Tale of Lie

"It's definitely the Heretic, I'm telling you!" a man barked across the tavern porch, waving a rolled-up newspaper at anyone walking past.

He leaned against the wooden railing, puffing out his chest like some grand military advisor.

"I'm sure it's him," a woman serving cider from a wooden tray agreed, stopping mid-step. "How else do you explain every single border village near Adul getting wiped off the map overnight?"

That was all it took. The porch erupted.

Half a dozen men started shouting over each other, throwing out wild theories, pulling numbers out of thin air, and turning a local rumor into an apocalyptic nightmare within two minutes.

Luckily, the sky wasn't in a talking mood.

The clouds turned pitch-black, heavy and swollen, before a torrential downpour smashed into the cobblestones. The rain hit so hard it bounced off the street like hail.

The experts on the porch scattered like rats, covering their heads with leather satchels as they sprinted for home. Nobody wanted to catch a fever out in the cold.

Within seconds, the street went dead silent.

"Do you really think it was Lucien?" Turman asked, leaning his forehead against the damp glass of the window, watching the rain wash down the glass.

Their room in the auxiliary wing had a great view. One side looked back over the Order's courtyard, while the front window faced the main public street.

"No way," Alina said, pulling a bone comb through her damp hair. "That would just be inconvenient for him. He doesn't do loud massacres unless he gets something out of it."

Wan, sitting cross-legged on the floor, looked up at Alina and gave a firm, single nod.

"See? Even Wan agrees with me," Alina grinned. She stood up, walked over, and held out her palm. Wan raised a heavy hand and slapped her high-five.

Alina turned to Nuri, who was slouched in an armchair with a thick book on stone masonry resting on his knees. "Do you think we actually have to go all the way to Adul?"

"No," Nuri muttered without lifting his eyes from the page. "The captain just mentioned where their main hub is. He probably wants us cutting off their arms here in the capital first. Targeting the smaller cells before they get big. Or maybe not. Whatever. I don't know."

Alina rolled her eyes so hard her comb nearly slipped. "Man, you're useless."

She sat back down on the worn leather sofa and reached for a bowl of fruit.

This tale has been pilfered from NovelPhoenix. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Useless? Excuse me?"

Nuri snapped his book shut, his head whipping around faster than usual.

"You're excused," Alina said smoothly, crunching into a small red apple.

Nuri made a bitter face at her, muttered something under his breath, and reopened his book with an obnoxious flip of the page.

Alina chewed, watching the rain hit the glass, before her eyes landed on Wan, then shifted over to Turman.

"Hey... what are you going to do about Wan out in public? You can't just walk him down the market street like that."

She actually looked concerned, her eyebrows pulling together as she set her apple core down.

"It's taken care of," Turman said, stepping away from the glass. "The captain talked to me earlier. As long as I stay right beside him and state that he's my blood family under Order protection, nobody can touch him."

He walked over and slumped down on the rug right next to Wan, leaning his shoulder against his brother's side.

"Well, that's something at least," Alina admitted. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Oh! I've been meaning to ask you, which god do you follow?"

She really wanted to know. In a real fight, knowing someone's divine alignment meant knowing whether they were going to back you up or blow you up.

Turman rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "Oh... I follow the God of Preservation."

"I use a sword," he added quickly, his voice dropping low. "Just like her."

He didn't need to say her name. They all knew who he meant.

"Ah... that's actually really cool," Alina smiled, her eyes widening a bit. "It suits you."

"It does," Nuri chimed in from behind his textbook, not looking up.

Turman didn't say anything back. He just looked up at Wan and smiled softly.

Wan's jaw twitched, making a weird, quiet clicking sound as he tapped Turman's arm. Turman listened, then turned to the room.

"Wan was asking if there's a place around here to train," Turman said. "He wants to test how his legs move now."

"Yeah, course there is," Alina said, gesturing toward the courtyard window. "Right behind the main office. Captain Caelan keeps the main grounds close to his desk so he can step in if someone accidentally blows up a dummy."

She tossed her apple core straight into the waste bin near the hearth. Perfect shot.

"Oh, perfect!"

"I'm heading down there tomorrow morning anyway," Alina said, stretching her arms above her head and slumping deep into the sofa cushions. "I'll show you guys the way."

Nuri finally closed his architecture book with a soft thud and set it on the side table. He leaned his head back against the cushion, looking over at Turman.

"Is it possible for Wan to learn how to speak?" Nuri asked quietly.

Turman's smile faded a little. "I'm not sure..."

Knock, knock.

The sudden rattle against the wooden door made Turman jump an inch off the floor.

Nuri pushed himself out of the armchair and walked over, pulling the heavy latch back.

One of the junior Order recruits stood in the hallway, dripping wet from a quick sprint across the courtyard.

"What's up?" Nuri asked.

"Oh, uh, Captain sent me," the recruit grunted, rubbing rain out of his eyes. "He was wondering if... well, if Wan eats normal food. Or if we need to order something specific from the medical ward."

Nuri went dead silent. He just stood in the doorway, staring at the recruit.

Are you serious?

Nuri slowly turned his head to look back into the living room.

Wan was sitting on the floor, staring right back at him. After three seconds of dead silence, Wan gave a single, slow nod.

"Ah... right. Thanks!" the recruit called out, ducking his head and trotting back down the corridor.

Nuri slowly pulled the door shut until the latch clicked.

The second the wood sealed, the room exploded.

"Pfft—"

Alina buried her face straight into a sofa pillow, her whole body shaking violently as she lost it. "Hahahaha!"

Nuri stood by the door, staring at the blank wood paneling for five full seconds.

He turned back around. Wan was still sitting there, staring at him with those hollow, dark eyes.

"...Why would the captain even ask that?!" Nuri blurted out, throwing his hands up.