Hero Of Broken History

Avian's POV

"Blessed water, sanctified rope, three days of rations, waterproof torch crystals..." Avian read aloud, watching Thane methodically pack each item. "Quite the comprehensive list."

What, no virgin sacrifices? Maybe some unicorn tears? Fucking amateur hour.

"The Sunken City killed a full Knight squadron last year," Thane replied without looking up. "I'd rather be over-prepared than under-dead."

"A wise approach." Avian nodded sagely, the perfect image of a cautious younger brother.

Though if you knew what I've survived, you'd realize blessed water ranks somewhere between 'cute' and 'adorable' on the danger scale.

Three days since they'd received their joint trial. Three days of forced cooperation planning, of careful dance around the truth they both knew. Whisper had recognized what Avian was that night in the forest a week ago, but understanding the full implications — that was still evolving.

Good. Let them scheme. Makes the journey less boring than pretending to be twelve.

"Transportation?" Avian asked, carefully strapping Fargrim to his back. The demon blade hummed with anticipation — it remembered Malethar from the war. Remembered what the Empire had done there in desperation.

"Horses to the border. After that, we walk." Thane's tone suggested this was non-negotiable. "The roads near Malethar... aren't safe for anything with four legs."

"I see. The corruption runs that deep?"

Corruption. That's a polite word for 'we turned a city into an apocalyptic nightmare because we were losing.'

"Deeper," Thane said grimly. "Ready?"

"Of course, brother."

They left through the compound's eastern gate as dawn broke. A few servants watched them go, probably wondering why two heir candidates were leaving together.

Let them gossip. By the time we return, everything will be different. One way or another.

Thane's POV

The first day's ride should have been pleasant. Good weather, open road, the kind of traveling conditions poets wrote boring verses about. Instead, Thane spent every moment hyperaware of the ancient thing wearing a child's skin riding beside him.

He sits a horse like someone who learned before stirrups were invented, Whisper observed. Watch how his weight shifts. That's battlefield riding, not noble training.

Thane had noticed. Just like he'd noticed how Avian's eyes tracked threats that didn't exist — or rather, didn't exist anymore. Checking angles of attack that made sense five hundred years ago when different dangers roamed these roads.

You're wasting time observing, Whisper pressed, its voice like silk over steel. You should be planning. The Covenant Seal will only accept one master. You know this.

I know, Thane thought back.

Then why do you hesitate? Strike first in the city. Claim what's yours. Unless... The shadow spirit's tone turned mocking. Unless you're afraid of little brother?

"Tell me about the Sunken City," Avian said conversationally as they stopped to water the horses. "Father's library had limited information."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. History, dangers, why it's called 'sunken' when it's forty miles from the nearest major water source."

Careful, Whisper warned. He's probing. Seeing what you know. Leading you somewhere.

But Thane saw an opportunity. Knowledge could be bait, drawing out reactions that might force Avian to reveal himself.

"Malethar was a research city during the Demon War," Thane began, watching Avian's face carefully. "The Empire's brightest mages gathered there to develop weapons against the demon armies."

Avian's expression remained politely interested, but his grip on the reins tightened fractionally.

"What kind of weapons?"

"The kind we don't talk about in polite company." Thane let darkness creep into his voice. "They say the researchers tried to fight demons by becoming demons. Corruption experiments. Binding rituals. Attempts to steal and repurpose demonic power."

"Ah." Avian's tone was mild. "I assume it went poorly."

That's all? No reaction to crimes that should horrify anyone with a conscience?

Because he already knew, Whisper hissed. He was there. He watched it happen. Maybe even helped it happen. Who knows what the Demon King considered acceptable in war?

"The entire eastern district collapsed into the earth in a single night. Thousands dead. The survivors spoke of shadows with too many teeth and light that burned cold." Thane leaned forward slightly. "They say you can still hear the screaming if you listen carefully."

"How tragic." Avian's voice held appropriate sorrow, but his eyes... his eyes looked tired. "The war drove many to desperate measures."

He sounds like he's forgiving them, Whisper snarled. Like he understands. Like he would have done the same.

They remounted and continued riding. The road wound through farmland that grew progressively more barren as they traveled east. Healthy crops gave way to stunted growth, then to fields left fallow, then to nothing but dry earth and twisted trees.

Look at him, Whisper murmured as they rode. So calm. So prepared. He knows exactly what awaits in that city. Every trap. Every danger. He's leading you into his territory.

Or he's as blind as I am, Thane countered.

You don't believe that. You can't afford to believe that. In Malethar, when the moment comes, you must act first. Take the Seal. Take the victory. Take everything.

"We should make camp soon," Avian observed as the sun began its descent. "Unless you'd prefer to ride through the night?"

"No. Even this far out, the roads aren't safe after dark." Thane guided them off the main path to a defensible clearing. "We'll take watches."

"Of course."

They set up camp with the efficiency of those trained in wilderness survival. Thane noticed how Avian chose his sleeping position — back to a large rock, multiple escape routes, perfect sightlines.

Paranoid or experienced?

Both, Whisper answered. And you should be too. He's not your brother in that city. He's your rival. Your enemy. The one thing standing between you and victory.

Avian's POV

The rabbit Thane had caught for dinner was stringy and overcooked, but Avian chewed mechanically, projecting grateful appreciation.

Fuck, I miss real food. Five-star restaurants. Hell, I'd take army rations over this leather masquerading as meat.

"Good hunting," he said aloud. "You move quietly for someone your size."

Thane's eyes narrowed slightly. "Training."

"Father's? Or your own additions?"

"Both." A pause. "You move quietly too. For someone so young."

And here we go. The fishing expedition begins.

"Lysander was a thorough teacher," Avian replied mildly. "She believed in practical application."

"Is that what you call it?" Thane's tone held an edge. "The servants say you trained until you coughed blood. That you pushed past limits that would break grown men."

"The trials demanded excellence." Avian met his brother's gaze steadily. "I simply rose to meet them."

Or I got bored playing weak and decided to speed-run the power scaling. Same difference.

They lapsed into silence, the fire crackling between them. Around them, the night sounds were wrong — too quiet, missing the usual chorus of insects and night birds. The corruption from Malethar had spread farther than the maps suggested.

Good. The worse it is, the more likely Thane makes a mistake. The more likely his shadow puppet pushes him too far.

"I'll take first watch," Thane offered.

"Wake me at midnight."

Avian settled into his bedroll, closing his eyes but remaining alert. He could feel Whisper probing from Thane's shadow, testing his defenses with all the subtlety of a drunk bull.

Adorable. Like being stalked by a kitten who thinks it's a tiger.

But beneath the amusement lay calculation. Whisper was young, desperate, and worst of all — ambitious. It would push Thane to act in the city. Push him to claim the Seal by any means necessary.

Let it try. I've dealt with worse shadows than this one.

Sleep took him eventually, bringing dreams of Malethar as it had been. Not the sunken ruin, but the shining city where desperate people had made monstrous choices in the name of salvation. Where he'd tried to stop them and been labeled a traitor for his mercy.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Some things never changed.

Thane's POV

Second day on the road, and the landscape had transformed into something from a nightmare.

The trees were wrong. Not dead — that would have been merciful. They grew in twisted spirals, bark weeping a black sap that smelled of copper and regret. The road itself seemed to shy away from straight lines, curving around invisible obstacles.

"We're entering the outer corruption zone," Thane announced unnecessarily. Avian could obviously see the wrongness around them.

"It's... extensive." Avian dismounted, approaching one of the twisted trees. "The magical scarring runs deep."

Don't let him control the narrative, Whisper urged. You lead. You decide. You're the elder brother.

But Avian was already studying the bark, head tilted in that way that reminded Thane of ancient portraits. "They used demon blood in their experiments. Mixed it with human essence, trying to create hybrid soldiers."

Thane's blood chilled. "How could you possibly know that?"

Avian straightened, expression carefully neutral. "The corruption patterns. They're consistent with blood magic contamination. I've been studying theoretical frameworks."

Liar, Whisper snarled. He knows because he was there. Because he SAW it happen. Call him on it. Force him to admit what he is.

"Theoretical," Thane repeated flatly, fighting the urge to press harder.

"Of course." Avian remounted with fluid grace. "What else would it be?"

Coward, Whisper spat. You had him. You could have—

Not yet, Thane cut the spirit off. Not here. In the city, where it matters.

They rode in tense silence until the horses began to balk. The animals' instincts were screaming warnings their riders had been ignoring. Finally, at a crossroads marked by a gibbet holding bones too twisted to be human, the horses refused to go further.

"We walk from here," Thane said, unpacking their supplies.

"As expected." Avian soothed his mount with gentle hands. "They're wise to fear what lies ahead."

But you don't fear it, do you? You know exactly what waits in that sunken city.

They released the horses, knowing the animals would find their way home or die trying. Either fate was kinder than what awaited anything that entered Malethar.

The road on foot was worse. Each step seemed to sink slightly, as if the earth itself had gone soft with rot. The air grew thick, tasting of metal and old magic.

"Movement," Avian said quietly, hand drifting to his sword. "Left side, thirty yards."

Thane had already noticed. Shapes in the undergrowth that didn't match any natural animal. Too many joints, moving with a liquid wrongness that made his eyes water.

"Corrupted wildlife," he identified. "They won't attack if we don't provoke them."

"And if they do?"

"Then we learn why the Knight squadron never returned."

But the creatures let them pass, watching with eyes that held too much intelligence for beasts. Thane felt their gazes like cold fingers on his spine.

They recognize him, Whisper whispered urgently. Look how they bow their heads. They know what he is. They're afraid.

Thane looked. The creatures were indeed lowering their twisted heads as Avian passed. Not threatening. Not submitting.

Acknowledging.

Or they sense a bigger predator, Thane thought, trying to rationalize it.

Stop making excuses for him! He's the enemy. The rival. The obstacle. Remember that when the Seal is within reach.

"Curious behavior," Thane said carefully.

"Perhaps they sense we're not prey," Avian suggested. "Predators recognize predators."

Is that what you call yourself? A predator?

Night fell faster here, as if the sun itself hurried to escape. They made camp in the ruins of what might have been a waystation, stone walls providing at least the illusion of protection.

"No fire tonight," Thane decided. "It would draw attention."

"Agreed."

They ate cold rations in darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of corruption in the distance. Malethar waited on the horizon like a cancer on the world, patient and malignant.

"Brother," Avian said suddenly. "Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever we find in the city... remember that we both need to survive. The trial demands it."

"Concerned for my safety?"

"Concerned for mine." Avian's smile was visible even in darkness. "You're the one with experience. I'm just following your lead."

Liar. Beautiful, perfect liar.

He's mocking you, Whisper hissed. Playing weak while holding all the cards. In the city, show him what real strength looks like. Show him why you deserve the Seal.

"We should sleep," Thane said instead of responding to either voice. "Tomorrow we enter the city proper."

"Of course."

But sleep came fitfully, broken by sounds that might have been wind or might have been screaming. In his dreams, Thane saw his mother reading him stories. But now the shepherd and the dragon looked different. The dragon's eyes were sad, ancient, tired.

And the shepherd's blade was aimed at the dragon's heart.

Good, Whisper murmured in his dreams. Remember that feeling. You'll need it tomorrow.

He woke to Whisper's urgent warning: Something comes.

The corrupted bear that shambled into their camp had probably been majestic once. Now it was a monument to failed ambition, its body twisted by experiments that had tried to make it more than animal. Bone spurs erupted from its hide. Its eyes wept constant tears of blood.

"Don't move," Avian breathed, but his hand was already on Fargrim's hilt.

The bear-thing studied them with too-human eyes. Its mouth opened, and instead of a roar, words emerged. Broken, barely understandable, but definitely words.

"Help... me..."

Fuck, Whisper recoiled. It's still conscious. Still aware.

The creature took a stumbling step forward, and Thane saw the full horror of it. Beneath the corruption, beneath the monstrous changes, something human looked out through those eyes. Some poor soul fused with an animal in the name of creating perfect soldiers.

"Help..." it begged again.

Avian's expression went cold. Not the careful neutrality he usually wore, but genuine fury barely leashed. His hand moved to Fargrim's hilt with deadly purpose.

"Those bastards," he said quietly, but the words carried venom. "Not enough to make weapons. Had to make them aware. Had to leave them conscious in their cages of flesh."

Careful. Your mask is slipping, brother.

Fargrim sang as it cleared its sheath, the demon blade recognizing the work of its ancient enemies. In one fluid motion, too fast for normal eyes to properly track, Avian struck. The creature's head separated cleanly, a mercy delivered with surgical precision.

The body collapsed, finally free.

"How?" Thane managed, staring at the perfect cut. Even corrupted flesh that tough, severed like paper.

You couldn't do that on your best day, Whisper observed with dark amusement. Look at your hands shaking. That was Grandmaster technique, executed flawlessly. You'll never match him. Never. Unless you take what's his.

Thane clenched his fists to hide the tremor. The gap between them had never been more obvious. His hands wouldn't stop shaking — not from fear, but from the horrible, blooming realization that everything might be different than he'd believed. The Demon King of legend was a monster who'd conquered through cruelty. But this... this was mercy. Fury on behalf of the corrupted.

What if the stories had always been wrong?

Don't, Whisper warned. Don't let sentiment cloud your judgment. He killed it because it was convenient. Nothing more.

"It was human once," Avian said, sheathing Fargrim with controlled violence. "Someone's son. Someone's father. Turned into a weapon and left aware enough to know what they'd lost."

"The experiments," Thane said slowly. "You speak as if..."

"As if I've studied them extensively? I have." Avian's mask slid back into place, but anger still flickered in his eyes. "History books sanitize the worst parts. Call them 'necessary sacrifices' and 'unfortunate casualties.' But this? This is what desperation looks like when you stop seeing people as people."

They buried the creature in tense silence. Thane found himself thinking again about strength — not just the physical power to kill, but the control to make it clean. The anger that demanded justice for the forgotten.

Why would the Demon King care? The thought struck him suddenly. Why would an ancient evil feel fury for one corrupted human?

Perhaps, Whisper suggested with poisonous sweetness, he's just better at pretending than you thought. The Seal awaits, young lord. Focus on what matters.

No. That was too simple. Too convenient. And yet Avian's anger had been real, visceral. The kind that came from personal experience, not abstract principle.

Was that strength too? Or just another mask? Or worse — what if it wasn't a mask at all?

Dawn came grey and sickly, revealing the Sunken City in all its terrible glory. Malethar sprawled before them like a wound in the world, half its districts pulled into the earth at impossible angles. Towers jutted sideways from chasms. Streets ended in sudden drops to darkness. And over it all, a presence that made Whisper want to flee back to the shadows.

"Father's intelligence was... limited," Thane said, pulling out a leather folder he'd kept protected during their journey. The map inside showed the city's layout, but huge sections were marked with question marks. "The Covenant Seal is somewhere in the research district, but the exact location..."

"Is unknown," Avian finished, studying the incomplete map. "The expeditions that made it that far didn't make it back to report specifics."

They stood at the edge of the first chasm, looking down at bridges of corrupted stone and paths that defied geometry. The research district sprawled across the eastern quarter — a maze of laboratories, testing grounds, and worse things. Finding one artifact in that nightmare would take time they didn't have.

Unless they split up.

The thought occurred to them simultaneously. Thane saw it in the way Avian's eyes flickered across the multiple entry points. Felt it in how Whisper stirred with anticipation.

Two can search faster than one. And if you find it first...

"Covering more ground would be logical," Thane said carefully.

"Dangerous, though." Avian's tone was neutral. "The task requires us both to survive."

"Only to return alive. Nothing about staying together during the search."

They looked at each other, the unspoken challenge hanging between them. Whoever found the Seal first would have all the leverage. The trial's victory. The other's fate in their hands.

Yes, Whisper purred. Let him go. Hunt alone. Take what should be yours.

"Eastern quarter has three main access points," Avian observed. "North through the collapsed academy. South through the military testing grounds. Central through what's left of the main laboratories."

"I'll take north," Thane decided quickly. The academy meant libraries, records, clues to the Seal's location.

"South for me then." Avian's smile was knowing. "We meet at the central plaza at sunset. Whoever finds it first..."

"Wins."

And then decides what to do with their brother, Whisper added with dark glee.

They stood there for a long moment, two brothers on the edge of a nightmare, both understanding this might be the last time they saw each other whole. The journey here had been tense but manageable. What waited below would test everything they thought they knew about each other. About themselves.

Thane remembered leaving the compound three days ago, Avian beside him, both playing at brotherhood while knowing the truth. Now they would enter the city as rivals, competitors for a prize only one could claim. The road behind them had been hard, full of revelations neither had expected.

The road ahead would be worse.

"Good hunting, brother," Thane said, the word 'brother' tasting like ash.

"Try not to die," Avian replied, and for just a moment, something genuine flickered in his eyes. "I'd hate to have to carry your corpse back to claim my victory."

Was that real concern buried under the mockery? Or just another layer to the game?

They parted ways at the chasm's edge, each taking their chosen path into the nightmare below. Neither looked back. Neither saw the other hesitate at the last moment, both struck by the same thought:

What if I never see him again?

Good, Whisper crooned in Thane's mind as they descended. Let him die in the dark. Let the city take him. Then the Seal is yours by default.

But even as Thane navigated the treacherous path down, he couldn't shake the image of Avian's fury at the corrupted bear. The clean mercy of that strike. The genuine anger at unnecessary suffering.

What kind of demon cared about human pain?

What kind of hero hid behind a child's face?

What kind of strength was he really searching for?

The shadows of Malethar swallowed him before he could find answers. In those shadows, Whisper trembled with anticipation and something else — a hunger that had nothing to do with Thane's goals and everything to do with its own survival.

The real game had begun.

And only one brother would emerge victorious.

Or so they believed.