"Master," Rin said quietly, eyes gleaming in the dim candlelight. "Please start spreading the rumor that Kaelion is killing Isen Varros' children. One by one. Say that the footage will be released in a month. And after that... release it."
Arkan's fingers drummed once against the armrest. A grin tugged at his lips. "Good kid. The years I spent shaping you weren't wasted after all." He leaned forward slightly. "But I need to know,what's your next move?"
Rin nodded. "I'll get close to them. Once the rumors start spreading, they'll assume I'm the one behind them. They'll think I'm faking it to gain their trust."
"And you'll let them think that?"
"For a while," Rin said. "I'll spend the month trying to convince them. If I play it right, they'll see me as the outcast desperate to be heard. Then, when the footage drops and it turns out I was telling the truth all along, they'll turn on Kaelion. And they'll side with the one who tried to warn them."
Arkan smiled. "If your father were still alive, he'd be proud." He paused. "Now, tell me the truth. Those soul-empowering granules,did you find them in the gate during your fight with the Westerner?"
"I did," Rin replied. "I can mark the exact location for you. But you probably won't find anything. I took all I could carry."
The two spoke for a little while longer, mostly in low tones, cautious and measured. Then Rin excused himself and made his way back to the estate.
The night air outside was still. Cold. But Rin moved with purpose, slipping into the mansion through the back gate. He didn't wait around.
"Send a message to Isen Varros," he told the butler as soon as he stepped inside. "Tell him I'll be visiting tomorrow."
The butler bowed and left to deliver the message.
Rin didn't rest. He trained late into the night, honing his control over his evolving abilities. His body still felt unfamiliar,stronger, sharper, but also unstable. Power surged through his veins, but it came with limits, and those limits needed pushing.
By dawn, his muscles ached from the effort, but he felt sharper. Steadier.
When morning arrived, he dressed in formal robes and left for the Varros estate. A cluster of guards eyed him as he approached, but none stopped him. They knew who he was. That didn't mean they welcomed him.
Only Isen himself came out to greet him, flanked by a single noble looking man likely one of his friends. No servants. No wives. No formal welcome.
Just enough to be polite. Nothing more.
As expected.
"Lord Rin," Isen said with a gracious smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Please, come in. It's an honor to have you here."
Rin offered a slight bow. "Thank you for receiving me."
He stepped into the estate, noting the silence, the restraint in the décor, the tension in the air. They didn't trust him. That was fine. They weren't supposed to. Not yet. He thought that because if someone from the solas family said they would come to visit and your welcome is the guards outside,no one inside just isen and someone, it was obvious that they didn't welcome him.
This is going to be a long month, Rin thought. But the seed had been planted.
And soon, it would bloom.