The Last Silver

Dinraal hit the ground hard.

Pain shot through his shoulder.

For several seconds, he couldn't breathe.

Then instinct took over.

His hand reached for one of his revolvers.

Nothing.

His weapons were gone.

Dinraal opened his eyes.

Darkness surrounded him.

"Ise?"

His voice echoed.

A groan answered from somewhere nearby.

"I'm here."

Relief hit him so quickly that he almost laughed.

Almost.

"Claire?"

A cough came from his other side.

"I would appreciate it if kidnappings could be slightly less violent in the future."

Dinraal pushed himself upright.

"Noted."

A faint blue light flickered to life.

The room slowly revealed itself.

They were inside a large underground chamber.

Ancient metal walls surrounded them. Thick pipes ran along the ceiling, disappearing into darkness at both ends of the room.

Dinraal immediately noticed something else.

Their hands were bound.

Not with chains.

With glowing bands of metal.

He pulled against them.

Nothing happened.

Then the bands tightened.

Dinraal hissed.

Isolde immediately moved closer.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"You're lying."

"I am not."

Claire looked at the glowing restraints.

"They're reacting to movement."

Dinraal stopped pulling.

The pressure eased.

He studied them carefully.

"Energy suppressors."

Claire looked toward him.

"You recognize them?"

"No."

Dinraal frowned.

"But I recognize what they're doing."

The bands were interfering with the flow of energy through his body.

He could still feel his strength.

Still feel the power buried deep within him.

But reaching for it was like trying to grab something through a wall.

Isolde looked down at her own restraints.

"Can you break them?"

Dinraal tested the metal again.

The restraints tightened.

"No."

Isolde stared at him.

"That sounded disturbingly confident."

Dinraal gave her a look.

"I've had experience being imprisoned."

The words killed the humor in the room.

Isolde lowered her eyes.

Dinraal immediately regretted saying it.

For six years, neither of them had known what to say about the time they had lost.

There were too many memories.

Too many questions.

Too much pain.

"Ise," he began.

The sound of metal scraping against metal interrupted him.

All three turned.

A door at the far end of the chamber opened.

The masked man entered.

Dinraal's expression hardened.

The stranger was still wearing the silver mask.

Two armored figures followed behind him.

Dinraal pulled against his restraints.

The bands tightened again.

The masked man stopped several feet away.

"Still fighting."

Dinraal stared at him.

"Still ugly."

Claire looked at Dinraal.

Isolde stared at him.

The masked man was silent.

Then he laughed.

"I expected more dignity from the son of Bahamut."

Dinraal's eyes narrowed.

"There are very few people alive who can tell me anything about him."

The masked man tilted his head.

"And yet you remain ignorant."

"Then educate me."

The masked man took a slow step forward.

"Do you know why your father died?"

Dinraal's jaw tightened.

The stranger waited.

"No," Dinraal finally said.

"I don't."

The masked man smiled beneath the silver.

"Good."

Dinraal's eyes hardened.

"That's your idea of an answer?"

"No."

The stranger raised one hand.

"This is."

The chamber changed.

A holographic image flickered to life behind him.

Dinraal froze.

It was the battlefield.

The same battlefield he had seen countless times through his mother's memories.

His father's final battle.

But something was different.

The angle.

The image was not coming from his mother's perspective.

It showed the battlefield from above.

Dinraal stared.

"How do you have this?"

The masked man ignored him.

The hologram moved.

Bahamut stood in the center of the battlefield.

Imperial Guards surrounded him.

The Chancellor stood across from him.

Then the image froze.

The masked man pointed.

"Look at your father."

Dinraal did.

"What am I supposed to see?"

The stranger turned toward him.

"His gauntlet."

Dinraal's eyes moved toward Bahamut's hand.

Then he stopped breathing.

The Mithril Gaunt was missing.

Isolde moved closer to the image.

"What does that mean?"

Dinraal didn't answer.

The masked man did.

"It means your father entered his final battle without the greatest symbol of his authority."

Claire frowned.

"Why would he do that?"

The stranger turned.

"An excellent question."

Dinraal stared at the image.

His mind raced.

Father had the Right of Rule.

The Gaunt recognized him.

Why wasn't he wearing it?

The masked man stepped closer.

"Perhaps he lost it."

Dinraal remained silent.

"Perhaps it was stolen."

His eyes moved toward Dinraal.

"Or perhaps he gave it away."

Isolde looked at Dinraal's right hand.

The glowing restraint covered the Mithril Gaunt.

The masked man noticed.

"Curious, isn't it?"

Dinraal's voice became cold.

"Say what you're trying to say."

The stranger smiled.

"I think your father knew he was going to die."

Silence.

Claire's face paled.

Isolde shook her head.

"No."

The masked man looked toward her.

"No?"

"He wouldn't."

"You knew Emperor Bahamut?"

Isolde hesitated.

The stranger laughed softly.

"Of course you didn't."

Dinraal moved forward.

The restraints tightened.

"Ise."

She looked toward him.

"Don't."

Dinraal turned back toward the masked man.

"My father was not a coward."

The stranger became still.

"Who said he was?"

Dinraal's eyes narrowed.

"You're implying he surrendered."

"No."

The masked man walked closer.

"I am telling you that he made a choice."

The chamber fell silent.

Dinraal could hear his own breathing.

"What choice?"

The stranger stopped directly in front of him.

"To lose."

The words struck harder than any weapon.

Isolde immediately stood.

"That's enough."

One of the armored guards moved toward her.

Dinraal's head snapped toward him.

"Touch her."

The guard stopped.

Dinraal's eyes burned.

The masked man raised a hand.

The guard stepped back.

Dinraal never looked away.

"Explain."

The masked man was silent for several seconds.

Then he reached toward his mask.

Claire stiffened.

Isolde watched.

Slowly, the stranger removed it.

Dinraal stared at his face.

He didn't recognize him.

But something felt wrong.

The man's skin was pale gray.

Thin lines of silver ran beneath it.

His eyes were entirely black.

Isolde whispered, "What are you?"

The stranger looked toward her.

"Someone your father tried very hard to erase."

Dinraal's expression changed.

The man turned back toward him.

"My people once had a name."

He smiled bitterly.

"Before your empire conquered our world."

Claire's eyes widened.

Dinraal said nothing.

The stranger continued.

"Before we became slaves."

Isolde slowly looked toward Dinraal.

His face had become unreadable.

The man walked toward the hologram.

"Your father was not the monster your enemies claimed."

The holographic image flickered.

"But neither was he innocent."

Dinraal's hands curled into fists.

"My father—"

"Was an emperor."

The stranger turned.

"And empires are built on graves."

Silence filled the chamber.

For the first time, Dinraal had no immediate answer.

The man watched him.

Then nodded.

"Good."

Dinraal frowned.

"What?"

"You're capable of listening."

The stranger placed his mask beneath his arm.

"My name is Vael."

Claire's eyes narrowed.

"Why did you attack the princess?"

Vael looked toward Isolde.

"Because your father is about to destroy another world."

Isolde's expression changed.

Vael continued.

"We have watched his empire expand for centuries."

He looked back at Dinraal.

"Your arrival was unexpected."

Dinraal's eyes narrowed.

"That's not what your soldiers said."

Vael smiled.

"No."

He turned toward the hologram.

"Your arrival changed everything."

Dinraal looked toward the image of his father.

Vael's voice became quieter.

"Because we have been searching for the Mithril Gaunt for twenty-three years."

Dinraal looked down at his restrained hand.

"And now?"

Vael looked directly at him.

"Now we have found it."

Above the Underground Facility

Johanna stopped.

Her remaining guards nearly collided with her.

The street ahead was empty.

Too empty.

Smoke drifted between the ruined buildings.

One of the attendants checked the tracker again.

"They're beneath us."

Johanna looked down.

"Beneath us?"

The attendant nodded.

"The princess's signal disappeared underground."

Johanna looked across the street.

A large circular structure stood between the ruined buildings.

It appeared ancient.

Abandoned.

But Johanna could see something that didn't belong.

Fresh footprints.

Dozens of them.

She raised her weapon.

"Everyone ready?"

The guards nodded.

Johanna stepped toward the entrance.

Then a voice spoke from behind her.

"You really should have stayed on the shuttle."

Johanna froze.

Every guard turned.

The attendant from the jumpship stood at the far end of the street.

Alive.

Johanna raised her weapon.

"You."

The man smiled.

"I missed you too."

One of Johanna's guards fired.

The attendant disappeared.

Johanna's eyes widened.

Then he appeared behind the guard.

A blade flashed.

The guard fell.

"CONTACT!"

Johanna fired.

The infiltrator moved again.

Too fast.

Johanna chased him.

The stranger disappeared into the smoke.

Then she heard his voice.

"You don't understand what you're protecting."

Johanna stopped.

Her weapon remained raised.

"I'm protecting the princess."

The voice laughed.

"No."

The smoke shifted.

The stranger's silhouette appeared.

"You're protecting the daughter of the man who destroyed us."

Johanna's expression hardened.

"You should have chosen a better target."

The stranger smiled.

"Oh, Johanna."

He vanished again.

"You haven't figured it out yet."

Johanna's stomach tightened.

"What?"

The stranger's voice came from directly behind her.

"This was never about the princess."

Johanna turned.

Too late.

Something struck her across the head.

The world spun.

She fell to one knee.

Her vision blurred.

The last thing she saw before darkness took her was the ancient structure opening.

And dozens of armored figures emerging from below.

Dinraal stared at Vael.

His thoughts were moving faster than he could control.

The Mithril Gaunt.

His father.

The final battle.

A conquered people.

A choice to lose.

Every answer seemed to create another question.

Isolde moved closer to him.

Her shoulder brushed against his.

This time, Dinraal didn't move away.

Vael noticed.

"Interesting."

Dinraal looked toward him.

"What?"

"The son of Bahamut."

Vael glanced at Isolde.

"And the daughter of the Chancellor."

His expression darkened.

"Two heirs."

Dinraal's eyes narrowed.

Vael smiled.

"Do you understand what you represent?"

"No."

Vael stepped toward the exit.

"You will."

The door began to close behind him.

Dinraal raised his voice.

"Wait."

Vael stopped.

"Why keep us alive?"

The man looked over his shoulder.

For the first time, his expression seemed almost regretful.

"Because I need you to make the same choice your father did."

The door closed.

Darkness returned.

Isolde turned toward Dinraal.

"What choice?"

Dinraal stared at the place where Vael had disappeared.

For once, he had no answer.

Then the restraints around his wrists began to glow.

Claire noticed first.

"Dinraal."

He looked down.

The Mithril Gaunt was shining.

A word appeared across its surface.

One word.

A word Dinraal had never seen before.

AWAKEN.

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