Chapter 65: Asset Or Threat
The training hall smelled of scorched metal and sweat. Orion stood before Varun, his breath heavy from the last sparring session. The older warrior wiped his face with a cloth before tossing it aside, his obsidian blade resting against the wall.
"You've been asking about Hekatryon," Varun said, breaking the silence. His tone wasn't harsh, but there was a weight to it.
Orion nodded, still catching his breath. "I know it's more than just some advanced material. I have asked Cassian about it—" He hesitated, searching for the right word.
Varun finished for him, his lips curling into a slow, unsettling grin. "And there's a reason you weren't supposed to know about it yet," he said.
Orion frowned, his shoulders tensing. "Because I'm not ready?" he said, his gaze searching Varun's face.
Varun exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. "Because when children were taught about it early, they got kidnapped and tortured for what they knew."
Orion stiffened. He had expected some vague excuse about responsibility or discipline—not that.
Varun gave him a moment before continuing. "About a decade ago, a rival faction found out that Archon families were training their kids in Hekatryon from an early age. So they started abducting them. They wanted to know how it worked, how to create a Xenothalamus, how to harness it. But even worse, they wanted to find the ones who could use it. You don't need me to tell you what they did to get those answers."
Orion's stomach turned. He thought of the security details, the constant surveillance, the paranoia that had surrounded his childhood. He had always assumed it was because of war. He hadn't considered this.