Chapter 137: Rise
The sun had begun to sink behind the towers of Rendely, its final light casting long shadows across the stone streets. It was the kind of evening that carried weight in the air, where the silence wasn't peace, but pressure. Finality. Dune felt it with every step.
He had already passed through the Rodeny estate once, almost running through its open halls, past finely dressed nobles and carefully trained servants.
He searched with quiet desperation. The gardens were empty. The family chambers too quiet. Every corner of the estate felt sterile, distant, as if Ned was no longer part of it, or maybe he had never belonged here at all.
His heart sank.
Maybe he didn't come.
Maybe the Rodeny name had finally rooted itself too deeply into Ned's chest.
He turned back, the city's pale torches flickering around him as he moved quickly, heading toward the only place that still felt familiar; the tall, iron-banded gates of Bloodrose Academy. Where this journey had begun and would continue.
As the academy came into view, Dune's pace slowed.
And then he saw him.
A lone figure stood at the gate, back straight, arms behind his back. The uniform was different now, tailored in the sleek, dark colors of the Rodeny family. His hair was neater, swept to the side, eyes calm and distant.
But it was still him. Still Ned. His own brother.