Chains of Vengeance

Chapter 145: Ascension Part 2

Narinder stopped in front of a gigantic tree whose shadow seemed to encompass the entire path. With a fluid and accurate movement, he took hold of his sickle, which glistened in the sunlight. With a single blow, the trunk creaked and the tree collapsed with a crash that resonated throughout the forest, scaring birds and echoing in the distance.

He stared at the fallen tree for a moment, his eyes shining with a mixture of satisfaction and reflection.

"I hope that with this the twins hear where I am... but if they don't hear it, did I really make a noise when I cut down the tree?" he murmured, letting out a slight smile. It was a philosophical question that he thought he could use in future sermons, a metaphor for action without witnesses. Shaking his head, he continued on his way.

After walking for an hour, Narinder came to a clearing where a humble camp was set up. There they were, Aym and Baal, sitting by the fire, chatting and laughing as if sharing a secret that was only theirs. The scene stopped him dead in his tracks.

For a moment, Narinder didn't see the twins; he saw his own brothers. He remembered nights long ago, when the world was simpler and everyone was together, camping, arguing and planning under the stars. Nostalgia hit him hard, a weight he could barely shake off.

He took a breath and walked toward them.

"Master!" the twins shouted in unison when they saw him, immediately rising to bow deeply to him.

Narinder smiled warmly.

"Rise, my dear students."

The twins obeyed, their gazes full of respect and curiosity. Narinder watched them with tenderness disguised as solemnity. They were more than disciples to him; he saw them as sons, although he would never admit it out loud.

—"Aym, Baal," he began, his voice firm but charged with emotion, "you have been a pillar in my life. During my confinement in the Veil, when loneliness was an endless abyss, you were my support, my company. Not only did you survive that hellish place, but you did so with strength and determination. Now I want to give you the greatest gift of all: the power you truly deserve. I want to make you gods."

The twins stared at each other, mouths agape, unable to fully process what they had just heard.

—"Can we be..." Aym said, trembling with emotion.

—"...gods?" Baal finished, his eyes shining with wonder.

Narinder nodded slowly, with a smile that hid his own uncertainty.

—"No one is more worthy than you to hold that position. You have endured losing most of your life in the Veil, the cruelest place in existence. Fate put you in my path for a reason, and I believe this is it."

The twins fell to their knees before him, bowing their heads in deep respect.

—"To be crowned as gods," Narinder continued, "there is only one more step. Baal, you will go to the destroyed temple of hunger in Anura. Aym, you will travel to the destroyed temple of war in Silk Cradle."

The joy on their faces faded, replaced by fear.

—"We have never been apart!" they exclaimed in unison, their voices trembling.

Narinder placed a hand on each of their shoulders, looking at them with empathy.

"I know," he said softly, "but this is a test that they must overcome individually. If it were up to me, I would crown them here and now, but I want to do it in the best way possible. I need them to prove their strength and their will, not only to me, but to destiny itself."