Chapter 64: An unexpected Twist II.

Chapter 64: An unexpected Twist II.

Zeke was shocked by Sophia's revelation. How had this happened? Hadn't Sophia just said that Mara was Maximilian's equal? He couldn't imagine his mentor being captured by an opponent of a similar level. Then how had it happened to Mara, who was his equal in both strength and wit? His confusion must have been evident on his face, as Sophia provided an explanation to Zeke's unasked question.

"No, it was not Maximilian who captured her," Sophia said, her voice heavy with sorrow. "A team of infiltrators managed to sow discord among the foreign nobility. One particularly greedy commander in charge of supplies was swayed to betray his country. He had claimed that there was an emergency with the supply lines to lead her into a trap."

Zeke felt a sense of dread wash over him as Sophia continued. "She was captured by a team of specially trained mages and disappeared from the front." He had a feeling that he knew where this story was going, and he hoped against hope that he was wrong. But as he looked at Sophia, tears in the corners of her eyes, he could already tell that his fears were coming true.

"Maximilian was surprised by the sudden ease of his job on the western territory. He had encountered almost no resistance in his skirmishes. He probably assumed that Mara had been temporarily recalled or something similar. Nevertheless, he was determined to take full advantage of this opportunity. He spent weeks triumphant in battle, with a constant smile on his face. It was said that he would often remark, 'I wonder how she'll come back from this,' and similar sentiments. But his joy came to an end when the next batch of reinforcements arrived. He discovered that a squad from the Emperor's personal troops was among them. At first, Maximilian was delighted to receive elite troops as reinforcements. His delight, however, quickly turned to shock when he saw Mara among them."

Sophia was clearly on the verge of tears as she told this part of the story. It was a strange sight for Zeke to see the usually always-composed Sophia in such an emotional state. She seemed to be more invested in this story than Zeke had realized. Sophia wiped at the corners of her eyes and continued.

"Maximilian tried to talk to Mara, tried to find out what had happened that she would betray her country. The two of them had spoken many times, and he could not fathom why she would join the empire's side now. As he approached her, he quickly noticed that something seemed strange about her. The mages from the Geistreich family tried to get in his way, to stop him from investigating further. However, they could not stop the commander of the western wall without any legitimate reasons.

Maximilian tried to get Mara to explain her situation. He needed to understand what had brought about this change. But the woman simply ignored him, paying no mind to his ever more fervent attempts to get an answer from her. When their eyes met, Maximilian finally noticed that there was neither recognition nor any kind of life left in her eyes. The story claims that he looked devastated when he finally let go of her and returned to his chambers.

After weeks in the imperial dungeon, what had emerged was not the same person Maximilian had known anymore. The person in front of him at this point was only a puppet with the ability to use Mara's magic at everything that her handlers pointed at."

Sophia stopped her story at this point to take a look at the expression on Zeke's face. Zeke wasn't sure, but he thought that he saw her searching his face for judgment of what her family had done.

Even though Zeke was disgusted by the practices employed by the imperial family in this story, he didn't blame Sophia for any of it. She was only 17 years old, how could he hold her responsible for events that took place long before she was born? He gave her a reassuring smile and said, "It's fine, I think I've got the highlights of what happened. You don't have to continue if you don't want to."

But Sophia shook her head. "No, you're still missing an important part of the story," she said, before continuing to tell him the final part of Maximilian's tale.

"After Maximilian discovered what had happened to Mara, he seemed to be a changed man. His mood grew darker with every passing day he spent on the front. Every time he watched as Mara was 'used' to bring another victory to the empire, he became more bitter. This all came to a head one night, when something happened that sent Maximilian over the edge. It's not known exactly what transpired, but the consequences of the events are still felt today."

Sophia's voice was full of emotion as she recounted the final chapter of the story. "That one night, the entire legion that was garrisoned at the western wall could hear the enraged bellows of Maximilian. It is said that even the enemy troops that were laying siege to the western wall were so intimidated by the raw feeling of pure hatred they heard in that voice that there was no attack on the wall in the week following that night.

When morning came on the next day, the soldiers were shocked to discover a grizzly scene. Every member of the special unit sent by the emperor was hanging by their neck. Their bodies were charred and broken. They looked like they had been used as chew toys by an adolescent dragon. The night guard, who must have been aware of what happened, didn't speak a word either.

Maximilian departed alone in the morning, he entered the enemy camp with a bundle strapped to his horse. He returned a couple of hours later. He was unhurt, but his package was missing. The rumor says that he brought the remains of Mara to the enemy commander. He wanted them to send her home and have her buried beside her ancestors, where she deserved to have her final rest."

Sophia finished the story and could no longer hold back the tears that were freely streaming down her face.

"I-I don't know what happened," Zeke stammered, running a shaking hand through his hair. "My eyes... they just... changed. Something like this has never happened before, I swear!"

Sophia's expression softened slightly. The fact that Zeke seemed just as rattled as she made her calm down a bit, but she still looked wary. "We should get you to a healer, Zeke. This isn't normal."

Zeke shook his head, he couldn't go to a healer with this problem. "I can't," he said, "I know the root cause of the change, and no healer can help me with this."

Sophia had regained her composure by now. She sat back down on the couch and patted the spot beside her, inviting Zeke to join her. He obliged, grateful for her forgiveness. The girl simply watched him, her eyes filled with questions, but she refrained from speaking.

Zeke hesitated, torn between the urge to confide in Sophia and the fear of her betraying his secret. He couldn't bring himself to trust her with the truth of his dragon heart. But as he looked into her eyes, he could see the hurt and disappointment that his lack of trust caused her.

Sophia stood, ready to leave, but Zeke's hand shot out, gripping her wrist tightly. He pulled her back to the couch, and she sat down willingly. Sophia's gaze never left his face, waiting for him to speak.

Zeke sighed deeply and began to tell her the tale of his adventures over the summer. Despite his apprehensions, he revealed the truth about his dragon heart and the circumstances that came with it.

Sophia listened with an intense focus as Zeke recounted his incredible tale. The revelation of the dragon's heart in his chest was a shock for her. But the more Zeke talked, the more he felt like it was a good idea to share his burdens with Sophia. The tension in his shoulders disappeared as he conveyed his secret to her.

"Thanks for trusting me with this, Zeke," Sophia said, giving him a grateful smile.

Zeke nodded, relieved that he had confided in Sophia. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before asking, "Do you have any idea how you're going to deal with this? If the heart starts acting up like this every day, you won't be able to keep it a secret for long."

Zeke had also realized the gravity of the situation. The amulet that Maximilian had given him was no longer able to contain the effects of the dragon's heart. He had to come up with a plan, and fast.

Sophia looked out the window and noticed that the day had grown dark. "I think you should go home for today, Zeke. You should tell your mentor about the changes in your heart. It would be a real problem if your secret got exposed," Sophia advised.

Zeke nodded, knowing she was right. Sophia walked him to the gate, and they exchanged a quick hug before Zeke stepped out into the cold evening. He knew he had a lot of thinking to do, and he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to find a way to control the dragon's heart before it was too late.

Zeke was just rounding a corner when he realized that the usually crowded streets of the noble district had gotten strangely quiet all of a sudden. The change was so jarring that Zeke was woken from his deep contemplation. Confused, he turned around, only to stare into the eyes of a man who stood just behind him.

Zeke heard a noise from his back and realized that there were more people around him. He was trying to use his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] to analyze the situation. Before he could even form a clear picture of what was happening, however, he could feel the world growing dark around him.

The last thought he had before blacking out was that he might be able to send a telepathic message to Sophia from here. But as he slumped to the ground, he knew that it was too late. He was surrounded by unknown assailants, and he had no idea what their intentions were. All he could do now was wait and hope that they would show mercy.