Chapter 159: The Promise to His Mother
Kael stood in the study long after Edwin had left.
His mother’s name still echoed in his mind.
Ask your father about your mother.
There was something Edwin wasn’t telling him.
And Kael intended to find out what it was.
Darius stood near the window, silent.
Kael looked toward him.
"Darius."
"Yes, my lord?"
"You knew my mother."
Darius’s expression changed slightly.
Kael continued.
"Not just as the Emperor’s wife."
Darius said nothing.
"You were her guard."
Darius slowly nodded.
"I was."
Kael had heard pieces of the story before, but now the timing made everything feel different.
His mother had once been protected by Darius before she left the Empire.
And before she departed...
She had asked him to watch over Kael.
Darius had kept that promise ever since.
Kael looked at him.
"She asked you to protect me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Darius looked toward the floor.
"Because she knew she was leaving."
Kael’s expression hardened.
"And she knew she might never return."
Darius didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Kael already understood.
Darius had been more than a military commander to Kael.
He had been the man who watched over him from a distance.
The man who trained soldiers around him.
The man who later became his first commander.
And the man who had personally overseen the Black Dragon trials and trained the fifty warriors Kael had chosen.
But Kael had never fully understood why Darius had taken such responsibility for him.
Now he did.
It had started with his mother.
Darius had made a promise.
And he had never broken it.
Kael looked at him.
"Did she tell you anything before she left?"
Darius remained silent for several seconds.
"She told me three things."
Kael waited.
"First, that you would eventually need people you could trust."
Kael’s expression softened.
"Second?"
"That you would probably ignore everyone who tried to protect you."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"She knew me pretty well."
Darius almost smiled.
"She did."
"And the third?"
Darius looked directly at him.
"She told me that one day, you would become strong enough to decide your own path."
Kael’s expression became serious.
"And if that day came?"
Darius answered immediately.
"She told me not to stand in your way."
Kael stared at him.
That explained more than Darius probably realized.
Whenever Kael had made dangerous decisions, Darius had argued with him.
He had challenged him.
He had protected him.
But he had never tried to control him.
Because his mother had specifically asked him not to.
Kael slowly nodded.
"Thank you."
Darius looked away.
"You don’t need to thank me."
"I do."
Kael smiled faintly.
"She trusted you."
Darius’s expression became solemn.
"I gave her my word."
Kael turned toward the map.
"We’re going to Aurelia."
Darius immediately nodded.
"I’ll prepare the Black Dragon."
"Ten soldiers."
Darius looked at him.
"You’re certain?"
"Yes."
"The rest remain in Blackwood."
Kael nodded.
"Captain Roland can oversee the territory."
Darius agreed.
"Understood."
Kael paused.
"And you’re coming with me."
Darius almost looked offended.
"Of course."
Kael smiled.
"I know."
Darius looked toward him.
"Your mother didn’t ask me to watch over you so I could let you walk into the Imperial Capital alone."
Kael laughed.
"Fair enough."
By sunrise, Blackwood was already preparing for Kael’s departure.
Edwin reviewed the supplies.
Darius selected ten members of the Black Dragon.
Grom was among them.
Captain Roland would remain behind with the other soldiers.
Kael made sure the orders were clear.
"Keep the western valley restricted."
Roland nodded.
"No civilians."
"No unauthorized travelers."
"No merchants."
"And if someone asks why?"
Kael looked at him.
"Tell them the area is under military observation."
Roland bowed.
"Yes, my lord."
Kael then looked toward the settlement.
Blackwood continued growing.
New houses stood where empty land had been only weeks before.
The marketplace was becoming busier.
Construction continued around the bathhouse.
The new water channels were being dug.
The experimental fields were expanding.
Kael smiled.
He wanted Blackwood to become something greater.
Not merely a noble territory.
A place where people could actually build lives.
But first...
He needed answers.
Before leaving, Kael visited the Black Dragon training grounds.
Darius followed.
The remaining soldiers were already training.
Kael watched them for a moment.
These weren’t simply fifty mercenaries anymore.
They were becoming an actual military unit.
A force with discipline.
Training.
Leadership.
And loyalty.
Darius had helped create that.
Kael looked at him.
"You’ve done well."
Darius shook his head.
"We have."
Kael smiled.
"Fair correction."
Grom approached.
"Are we leaving?"
"Yes."
Grom looked toward the capital.
"Aurelia."
Kael nodded.
Grom’s expression became slightly uncomfortable.
"Many humans."
Darius glanced at him.
"You’re going to have to get used to that."
Grom grunted.
"I prefer Blackwood."
Kael laughed.
"You’re not the only one."
The group departed.
Kael rode near the front.
Darius stayed beside him.
Just as he had many times before.
For years, Darius had watched Kael from the shadows.
Now he rode openly at his side.
Not simply because Kael was his lord.
Not simply because he was the First Commander of Blackwood.
But because a woman had once entrusted her son to him.
And Darius had never forgotten.
Several days passed.
The roads became busier as they approached the heart of the Empire.
Merchant caravans traveled in both directions.
Imperial soldiers patrolled the highways.
Nobles traveled in armored carriages.
Airships could occasionally be seen in the distance.
Then the massive white walls of Aurelia appeared.
Kael looked ahead.
The Imperial Capital.
The greatest city on the continent.
Darius rode beside him.
"You’ve been here before."
"Many times."
"But this time is different."
Kael looked at him.
"Why?"
Darius stared toward the Imperial Palace.
"Because you’re coming here with questions."
Kael nodded.
"About the First Emperor."
"Yes."
"The ancient ruins."
"Yes."
"The people investigating them."
"Yes."
Kael paused.
"And my mother."
Darius’s expression became serious.
"Especially your mother."
The gates of Aurelia came into view.
But something was wrong.
There were more soldiers than usual.
Imperial guards inspected travelers carefully.
Several officers stood around the entrance.
Darius noticed immediately.
"Something happened."
Kael nodded.
They approached the gates.
Before they could enter, an Imperial messenger hurried toward them.
"Prince Kael Asterion."
Kael stopped.
"Yes?"
The messenger bowed.
"His Majesty commands you to report to the Imperial Palace immediately upon arrival."
Darius stepped forward.
"Why?"
The messenger hesitated.
"I was instructed only to deliver the order."
Kael looked toward Aurelia.
"Then we’ll go."
They entered the city.
But they hadn’t traveled far before another messenger came running toward them.
"Prince Kael!"
Kael stopped again.
"What is it?"
The messenger was breathing heavily.
"The Imperial Archives have been sealed."
Darius’s eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Someone broke into them last night."
Kael’s expression hardened.
"When?"
"During the night."
Kael looked at Darius.
Neither spoke.
The timing was too perfect.
Kael had discovered the ancient ruins.
He had discovered the symbol.
Edwin had revealed the existence of forgotten Imperial archivists.
And now...
Someone had broken into the Imperial Archives.
Darius slowly placed his hand on his sword.
"Someone knows."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
He looked toward the Imperial Palace.
"And I think my father knows more than he’s told me."
Darius looked at him.
"Then we’ll get the truth."
Kael tightened his grip around the Blackwood seal Garrick had given him.
For years, Darius had protected him because of a promise made by Kael’s mother.
Now they were entering the Imperial Palace together.
Not merely as prince and commander.
But as two people who had finally begun uncovering the secrets surrounding the woman who had connected them.
Kael looked toward the palace.
"Let’s go."
Darius nodded.
"Together."
And the two rode deeper into Aurelia.
Neither of them knew that, behind the sealed doors of the Imperial Archives, someone had already removed several ancient records.
Records concerning the First Emperor.
Records concerning the First War.
And one record bearing a name Kael had not expected to see.
His mother’s.