Rin sat across from Isen Varros in the grand sitting room, the air between them thick with formality and unspoken tension. He didn't waste time.
"Lord Isen," Rin began, voice calm but edged with urgency, "I bring you terrible news. Your sons… they're dying. One by one. If we don't act soon, you might lose them all."
The room fell silent.
Isen's eyes narrowed, confusion and fear flashing across his face. The man seated beside him ,a tall, broad-shouldered noble with graying hair and a scar along his jaw,immediately slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair. "Enough!" he snapped. "Do not insult our intelligence, boy. Lord Kaelion treats the Varros family with honor. They are living in comfort, with every luxury available to them."
Rin turned to him, expression neutral. "And you are?"
The man straightened his back proudly. "Lord Varn Eltros. Right wing to His Highness, Kaelion Solas. I've seen firsthand how the Varros children are treated. This is nothing but a desperate attempt at slandering your brother."
Rin's eyes flicked back to Isen. "Lord Isen, think. Why would I come here risking Kaelion's wrath if I was lying? Why now, when the entire country is under his control? Because he no longer needs you. He's tightening his grip ,and you and your legacy are obstacles."
Varn scoffed. "Convenient timing, isn't it? He shows up, and suddenly your children are dying? Lord Isen, this man is clearly trying to turn you against your protector. Don't fall for it."
Rin clenched his fists but kept his tone steady. "This isn't a game, Lord Varros. The information I have is not based on rumors,it's confirmed. Kaelion has been torturing them for years, breaking them down slowly. Now that he's nearly finished consolidating power, he'll erase every family that once stood against the Solas name,including yours."
Isen's voice trembled slightly as he finally spoke. "Prince Rin… I have immense respect for you and your bloodline. But this… this is too much. Please, don't speak so casually about the lives of my children."
Rin stood. "I'm not messingwith you. I risked everything coming here. I'm offering you help, not lies. I too was wronged by Kaelion. You and I,we have a common enemy. Think about your children, Lord Isen. I'll return soon. I hope by then, you've seen the truth."
Varn rose as well, placing a hand on the hilt of his blade not as a threat, but as a gesture of dominance. "If that's all, Your Highness… you know your way out."
Rin stared at Isen for a moment longer. "Think about it," he said quietly, then turned and walked away, cloak trailing behind him as he exited the mansion.
The door shut.
Silence returned to the room.
After a long pause, Varn let out a short, mocking laugh. "What a sad, desperate attempt. He knows his position is weak, and now he's grasping at lies." He turned to Isen and gave a confident nod. "Don't worry. We made sure you saw your sons last month. You saw they were well. Healthy. Smiling. All accounted for."
Isen didn't respond.
He stared at the ground, eyes distant.
"Yes," he finally said, voice hollow. "I saw them…"
But he didn't finish the sentence.
He remembered their eyes.
He remembered how they didn't speak, how the eldest had a trembling hand, how the youngest had a bruised neck he tried to hide behind a scarf. He remembered how one of them wouldn't look him in the eye. He remembered Kaelion's smile as he said, "They've been well taken care of."
Kaelion used this tactics when isen don't follow his orders completely and to show him that he has his future between his hands.
And now, doubt crept into his heart.
Varn said nothing more, but Isen's silence did not go unnoticed.
That night, long after Varn had left, Isen sat alone in his study, staring at the empty glass in his hand. The memory of Rin's eyes haunted him,there had been no deceit in them. Only urgency. Only pain.
He looked toward a locked drawer in his desk, where a small portrait of his five sons lay hidden.
He whispered to himself, "What if…?"