Omna and Tutsoi walked through the halls alone. They had just sent Corrin away with Mary to a house where he could stay. They walked down the halls in silence.
Soon they came to a door and entered the council hall once again. From there, they turned and left the building. The cold screeched in the air as they went.
Omna turned to Tutsoi as they walked.
"I could see the connection flowing through him. The same connection Lukas had. It's clear who he is. So I believe we should tell him the truth, Tutsoi.
Tutsoi nodded his head.
"I hate this lie. Lukas hasn't done anything to us; he was the victim for the gods' sakes."
Tutsoi took a deep breath. Omna stayed calm.
"I understand your want for justice, Tutsoi. Anybody would want to hurt somebody like that, and it's the right thing to understand Lukas's innocence."
Tutsoi gripped the sword on his side.
"But it's also difficult to see him and not think of what happened."
Omna rested his shoulder on Tutsoi for a moment.
"Tutsoi, do not worry. Your sister's killer will be found. Lukas will be redeemed.
Far away, Corrin dropped his sword off at the city's blacksmith.
"It was nice of you to let me bring this here, Mary."
The name 'Mary' still gave Corrin a slight sting when he spoke it. The blacksmith looked at the sword and cringed.
"Gods, what did you do to this thing?"
The man was large yet stubby. He had a long beard and a bald head.
"I…"
Corrin looked at Mary. Mary spoke up.
"He was attacked by Lukas outside the walls."
The man nodded slowly.
"Ah, that would explain it."
Corrin looked at his sword.
"Do you know what kind of metal Lukas's sword is made out of?"
The man took one last quick look at Corrin's blade before setting it down.
"He has some kind of Resonance that can turn things into this black metal. I don't know what it's made out of, but only a few rare ores can withstand a direct hit from it."
Corrin gave an earnest expression.
"Then reinforce my sword with that metal!"
The man looked at Corrin with a blank expression.
"I don't have them stocked, and even if I did, it would cost you extra for me to make the sword with those materials."
Corrin felt foolish and defeated. Mary turned to Corrin for a second.
"Were you planning on fighting Lukas?"
Corrin remembered Axel saying something along the lines of Vrebathia becoming an Empire to look for the shards. If Lukas had or was looking for a shard, Corrin didn't see it past Axel to join Lukas in trying to find it. Not only to return to the Holy Realm where they lived, but also so that Vrebathia could become stronger.
"I want to help with finding the shard, Mary."
Mary put her finger on her lip, clearly in thought.
"I'll… run it over with Omna. How about we just go to where you'll be staying, okay?"
Corrin pointed to his katana.
"But what about my sword?"
"It's fine, he'll just fix it as is!"
Mary ushered Corrin to a house not too far away. She shoved him inside a room.
"Stay here!"
Corrin looked around before hearing a thud as the door swung closed.
Mary took a few steps back and turned to a few guards, who were standing outside the house.
"Make sure he doesn't leave this house, Omna's orders."
The guards nod and stand near the door.
Mary begins to run through the city, the people getting in her way. She runs all the way to a large building made of stone. She walks past the guards standing outside. Inside are a few different people. Omna and Tutsoi stand out immediately. However, there are also a few other individuals standing around a table.
Mary walks in and walks closer to Omna.
"Omna… Corrin wants to fight against Lukas… he told the blacksmith that he wanted him to make his sword out of Heavenly metal to fight against Lukas's Resonance."
Omna scratched his chin.
"Interesting. Unfortunately, that will do no good. We have to stop Corrin before he hurts an innocent person."
Omna raises a hand. The others immediately stop talking to allow Omna to speak.
"The boy we found earlier this morning wants to fight against Lukas. However, as you all know, we cannot allow this to happen for obvious reasons. Our lie against Lukas has gone on long enough; we must confess."
Another man speaks up. He has a scar on his left eye and a black coat.
"Lukas was a sad case. With Corrin, I believe we can find him and bring him here. If we do that, then perhaps he will be spared.
Tutsoi agrees.
"Lukas did nothing wrong… it wasn't him who killed my sister. But the man who did is still out there."
Omna nods his head.
"We must keep an eye on Corrin. I'll visit him in a few days and tell him the truth about Lukas."
The days pass, and Corrin finds them extremely boring. Not a single person visited him aside from a guard who came in to give him food. Corrin began to feel like a prisoner again.
However, one night, Corrin heard a creek on the window while in bed. He shot up Staying vigilant at night was a skill he picked up while training for the Hidden Vanguard nearly a year and a half ago.
Corrin watched as a black figure snuck in and stood up. It walked closer to Corrin. Corrin leapt out of bed and tried to attack the strange figure who got in through the window.
The figure pulled Corrin around and pinned him to the ground.
"Stay quiet. I'm trying to get you out of here."
Corrin was a little shocked. The voice he heard was extremely familiar, yet he couldn't place it.
The figure pulled off his hood.
"I'm Lukas Hisstion. I've come to get you out of here."
Corrin looked up at Lukas.
"Lukas? What?!"
They both heard a thud from outside, and they shushed. They waited for a few tense seconds before Lukas turned to Corrin again.
"Do you want out of here or not?"
Corrin thought for a few moments before deciding it would be better if he went with Lukas. He wanted to fight Lukas, but he seemed more like a savior than a killer at this moment.
"Okay, let's go."
Corrin quickly put on his clothes and dove out the window with Lukas. They snuck through back alleys and around guard patrols until they reached a ladder that led to the top of the city walls. Lukas climbed up about halfway before kicking in a brick in the wall.
The brick falls to the inside of the wall, and Lukas jumps inside. Corrin follows quickly after. Lukas grabs the brick and, with help from Corrin, they set it back where it was.
They hear a bell go off in the distance. Lukas sighs.
"They know I'm in here."
Corrin turns and goes with Lukas until they reach the stairs that go down. Lukas walks with Corrin as Lukas walks down and kicks another brick out.
They follow the same process as before as they lift the brick into place from the outside of the city walls.
"This is how I've gotten in. I used to take this route when I'd sneak out as a kid."
They begin to run through the snow, and Corrin follows Lukas as they go. They take a few turns around trees, rocks, and hulls before eventually making their way to a large tower.
Lukas leads the way to the tower. The tower was brick and tall, easily 100 feet tall and twenty feet wide in a circle all around. Lukas walks up a few stairs that circle before entering the tower. Corrin looked around as they entered.
"What is this place?"
The walls were rotted wood, and large support beams held the roof up, which was around twenty feet tall. Cabinets and barrels filled the space everywhere. To their right were stairs that went up to the next floor.
"An abandoned tower, probably used in the War of the Gods a thousand years ago."
Corrin looked around.
"But… They were gods. How come they needed towers?"
Lukas turned to Corrin.
"Mortals fought in the war, too, you know. The gods called on thousands from their race to fight in the war."
Lukas brought them up the stairs. On that floor was a bedroom on the left, pristine and dustless. It seemed to shine even in the cold dark. On the right was the same bedroom design, except full of dust and decay; cobwebs had overtaken that side years ago.
"This is where I stay."
He turns around and brings his hand up to Corrin.
"You're welcome for getting you out of that makeshift prison."
Corrin didn't know what to do now. He turned to Lukas.
"Who… are you? Where exactly are we, and why are you here? What did you do that made the people hate you so much?"
Lukas smiled.
"Well, I'm Lukas Hisstion. I came from the same realm you came from: The Holy Realm. I was sent here as an infant, though. I nearly froze to death. We're a few miles south of Avitou City, and I came here because of what people think I did to them."
Lukas sighed.
"I'll explain why everybody hates me tomorrow, though. I'm tired."
Corrin pressed further.
"Wait, how is your name Hisstion if you're a Shem?"
Lukas turned and looked at Corrin.
"I don't know, the council knows more than I do on that matter."
Corrin began to put the pieces together. When Corrin's grandfather had fallen in love with the Queen of the Shem, she must have had a child. This child's child must be Lukas. Except, if that were the case, why does he look more like a Shem and not like an Anees? Corrin couldn't say.
But one thing was for certain, Lukas was more than what he seemed.