The Hidden King

Chapter 20

Meanwhile, in Milia's countryside clinic, a gathering of four individuals was convened. "So, you've become an ungrateful turncoat, betraying the benevolence once shown to you by our former leader, Dade," Heidi remarked with a rueful smile, casting a sympathetic glance Milia's way. "The barracks are abuzz with gossip," Alec chimed in, taking a hearty swig of his beer. "Some of Kenny's former comrades-in-arms are now rallying to his cause. A number of them have even petitioned for retirement under Liam's command." Milia wasn't surprised; the erstwhile leader Dade's stature as a hero of yore, along with his decades-long influence and social standing, wasn't easily forgotten. "And how fares Mrs. Ann of late?" Milia inquired of Ethan, who shook his head pensively. "They've been relatively quiet, though there's been a steady stream of activity at their villa." After a moment's reflection, he added gravely, "Yet, I can't shake the feeling that Kenny isn't the type to forsake his social standing and feign his own demise merely due to Thomas's debts. It's almost as though he's been harboring aspirations to assume Joseph's role as the elder brother for quite some time. There's more to the story behind Joseph and Kenny's grand designs than meets the eye."

Heidi then produced an ancient parchment scroll, its surface cloaked in dust and frayed at the edges. "I've unraveled the mystery of that enigmatic old man," Heidi announced excitedly, carefully unfurling the scroll.

"I stumbled upon a forgotten parchment tucked away in the archives, nearly lost to neglect. It chronicled a chapter obscured by time—a temple fire thirty years past had ravaged many scrolls, notably those detailing a clandestine history of the divine. Within its weathered folds lay the saga of ancient gods, Osoka and his sibling Nukas, locked in a fateful struggle. Nukas, vanquished, took flight, his lineage rumored to endure in the icy expanse of the far north. The parchment spoke of Nukas's final sighting, a southward voyage upon a river—a lone god, exiled from his celestial kin.

Millia's eyes sparkled with revelation. While the connection between the befuddled elder she encountered in the forest and the storied gods seemed improbable, the divine bore an unmistakable mark—a golden diamond etched upon their brows. Annina referred to this elder as 'Lord Sanctum,' a title excluding him from her paternal lineage. Millia shared her findings and musings with the group. Alec's incredulity was palpable. "They had mastery over a god? Unthinkable!"

Heidi, with the wisdom of a priestess, exhaled softly. She understood the vast potency of the divine, yet she knew too of their vulnerabilities, each deity possessing unique frailties. "If true, this elucidates the necessity of divine influence in the oath of death upon the vial; this god may well be the elusive Nukas," Heidi deliberated. "Perhaps coerced or ensnared by deceit."

Ethan's revelation struck like lightning. "Ah, it dawns upon me now. For an age, our wanderers found no sanctuary in the temples. A god willing to receive them would find it effortless to sway their allegiance. Undoubtedly, they've clandestinely recruited the wandering wolves, invoking the divine name. Cunning, indeed." He punctuated his words with a resounding thud upon the table. Indeed, the schism of faith contributed to the river domain's unrest among the nomadic lupine folk.

Heidi, with a hint of hesitation, elucidated the pride of the gods. "Nukas, an ancient deity, engaged in the divine strife, driven by his belief in singular supremacy. Such a god, unless bereft of reason, would hardly entertain wanderers as followers. Alas, such are the dictates of the divine."

Ethan's smirk held a steely resolve. "I've long since discerned this game, and I refuse to play by its rules." Millia admired Ethan's defiance, silently concurring within. The gods' rules, fashioned to divide and rule, served only the sovereigns' interests. Beneath the veneer of racial diversity lay the truth—elves could be sly and deceitful, just as wolves, disdainful of violence, yearned for peace.