Everyone was shocked by the man's words. Rivan suddenly stepped forward with quick strides, his eyes blazing with anger.
"What did you just say?"
The man's voice came sharp, like a bullet piercing the silence:
"The revolutionaries… the revolutionaries are attacking the palace! And there are fighters at the Hidden Level."
Rivan shouted his orders:
"All fighters, head to the battlefield immediately!"
Everyone at the Hidden Level moved at once, accompanied by Shikra, Rio, and the prince.
Rio stood within the palace walls, facing a horrifying sight: fighters clashing, corpses scattered everywhere, and the roar of war filling the air.
Suddenly, ten men appeared, flying through the air while carrying the revolutionaries' flags. Rio stared in shock. They were truly at the Hidden Level, ten of them.
Then his gaze rose to the top of the palace, where eight more figures were flying, carrying the flags of the Bone Kingdom.
Everyone left the hall except Jack, who remained seated at the very back, drowning in his memories.
Time carried him back to his childhood, to his small village where he had lost his parents and lived with his grandfather.
One day, Jack had gone to fetch water from the well. There, he saw a man standing beside it. Jack ran quietly, staring at the man, thinking to himself, "He's the captain of the guards."
Standing next to him, Jack shouted with determination:
"Sir! I want to become one of the guards! I want to protect our village!"
The man laughed lightly, as if listening to a child's tiny dream.
"Jack… you're only seven years old. How will you become a soldier? I bet you can't even lift a sword yet!"
Jack smiled defiantly and said:
"Stop laughing! I'm serious, and I will fight with a bow and arrows, not a sword."
The man stopped laughing and studied Jack's eyes.
"Alright… alright. I've thrown the bucket to the bottom of the well. If you can pull it out, I'll make you an official guard."
Jack hesitated before the huge bucket, larger than any bucket he had ever seen. But he remembered his dream, gathered his courage, grabbed the rope, and began to pull. The strength of his heart was stronger than any muscle.
The well was twenty meters deep. Jack pulled the bucket up three meters, then began to gasp for air, but he did not give up. He continued pulling until he reached five meters.
He paused briefly, the bucket floating just above the water's surface. Jack stood there, panting, gripping the rope tightly. Five minutes passed before the bucket finally fell back down.
Jack remained silent, like a statue staring into the well.
After a moment, the man said:
"Hmmm… even though you failed, I'll accept you into the guards. Come tomorrow to begin training."
Jack returned home filled with joy and found his grandfather waiting for him.
Jack shouted happily:
"I'm going to become one of the guards! I'll fight to protect you from now on!"
His grandfather was surprised by the news and listened carefully as Jack explained everything.
When Jack finished, he went to the room where a small boy, seven years old, orphaned of both parents, lived with Jack and his grandfather. His name was Lazarus.
Lazarus lived with Jack like a younger brother, watching him with admiration. Jack said:
"Tomorrow, I'll become one of the guards."
Lazarus stood up curiously.
"Hmmm… that's great, it suits you. But I have a question: what is the most important thing in your life?"
"The truth… the truth is the sword that kills falsehood, and it is the key to goodness…" Jack said with a calm smile, repeating his grandfather's words.
Lazarus smiled, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"If you had to lie to save someone very important to you… would you lie?"
Jack hesitated for a moment, then replied softly:
"I don't know… I truly don't know…"
Their grandfather called them to lunch. They all sat around the table, but Jack did not touch his food, his mind consumed by Lazarus's question.
"Should I lie… or tell the truth?"
The truth… the sword that kills falsehood… the key to goodness… the words his grandfather had taught him since he was four years old. Jack had repeated them countless times; they were part of his soul.
In Jack's mind, lying was an unforgivable crime, and everyone in the village trusted him. They knew Jack never lied, no matter what.
They all went to sleep, but Jack remained lost in thought.
Three years passed, and Jack trained relentlessly among the guards.
The guards gathered to celebrate Jack officially joining their ranks after years of hardship and perseverance.
Jack returned home, where Lazarus was changing his clothes. Jack noticed the tattoo on his back: a dragon pierced by seven swords, with the number seven beneath it.
He whispered to himself:
"This tattoo appeared on Lazarus's body two and a half years ago…"
Jack and Lazarus shared a brotherly bond; neither could live without the other. Jack stopped beside him and said:
"Thank you for the skill you taught me."
Lazarus smiled.
"Why thank me? We're brothers… I give, and you give."
Jack smiled and went back to the kitchen to cook, even though their grandfather had passed away two years earlier. After the meal, Lazarus returned to the old question:
"Would you lie to save the one you love?"
Jack smiled and said:
"You've been asking this question for three years… if it were for you, I would definitely lie for you. You alone."
Lazarus smiled and asked:
"Do you promise you'll lie for me?"
Jack promised. They both rested their heads on their pillows, only ten years old.
But a few days later, Lazarus appeared in front of the village lord's house. He entered quietly and drew a short sword.
The village lord had two children and a wife. Lazarus looked at one of the children, then struck without hesitation, severing the child's head.
He moved toward the room where the lord, his wife, and their other child were. Lazarus entered and killed them all in deadly silence, whispering to himself:
"I hope no one sees me… so I won't force Jack to lie."
Lazarus left the house cautiously, moving like a shadow in the night. He returned home and met Jack. Both were startled when they saw each other. Lazarus's clothes were soaked in blood.
"What happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?" Jack asked, worry filling his eyes.
Lazarus smiled calmly, as if speaking of something ordinary.
"Don't worry… I was hunting some animals. And you… where are you going?"
Jack replied firmly:
"I'm going to speak with the captain of the guards."
Jack paid no attention to the blood on Lazarus's body; Lazarus often returned like this at night. But this time, he had come in broad daylight. A strange feeling crept into Jack's heart: perhaps he would start coming during the day from now on.
Jack entered the tent, where the captain of the guards was already present. Jack sat down and began:
"I want to talk to you about my younger brother…"
The captain raised an eyebrow.
"You mean Lazarus? He's a very withdrawn child… do you want him to become a guard or something?"
Jack shook his head and said gently:
"No… as you know, he is the most precious thing I have in this world. I think he's withdrawn because of loneliness… his mother and father were killed when he was just a child. I have a small request."
The captain thought for a moment.
"Go on… tell me."
Jack answered confidently:
"I want you to adopt my brother."
After long consideration, the captain agreed, and the two talked for hours… until suddenly, several men burst in, shouting:
"There's a very serious problem!"
They all rushed to the center of the village, where the people had gathered around the small execution platform.
Lazarus was placed on the platform. The captain arrived and ordered everyone to remain silent, demanding an explanation.
One man shouted angrily:
"This bastard killed the village lord, his children, and his wife!"
Jack and the captain were stunned as the crowd began chanting:
"Kill the demon! Kill the demon!"
Yet Lazarus remained silent, staring at Jack as if saying, "Fulfill your promise…"
The captain spoke calmly:
"Do you have proof?"
The shouting stopped. One man stepped forward.
"Yes… three people saw this bastard enter the house covered in blood."
The captain replied:
"That is evidence… but it's not strong. There are many deer in the forest… perhaps he only killed one."
The argument erupted again, voices filling the air, until one man stepped forward and silenced them all.
"There are guards watching the forest, and none of them saw anything… but to break the fangs of evil, let us ask Jack."
All eyes turned to Jack, who stood stunned by what was happening.
One man asked with a trembling voice:
"Did Lazarus kill the village lord or not?"
Jack's heart stopped for a moment. He remembered his grandfather's words:
"The truth is everything… never lie."
And he remembered his promise to his brother: that he would lie for him if needed.
Jack stood up, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead. The shock was overwhelming, yet he spoke in a trembling voice:
"No… I don't know…"
A man raised his sword.
"There is proof that he is the killer, and no proof that he is not!"
Another man stood beside Lazarus and raised his sword, as the villagers began chanting:
"Kill the demon! Kill the demon!"
Jack looked at Lazarus. No expression appeared on Lazarus's face, except deep disappointment.
Before the sword fell, Lazarus whispered:
"I will return again…"
But the crowd's screams drowned his words, and the sword severed his head mercilessly.
Lazarus's head fell, and Jack's heart beat faster than ever before… he felt something inside him die.
They hung Lazarus's body by his feet, his head facing the ground so that every drop of blood would fall, a warning to all who looked upon him.
Jack returned to the present and said:
"When they placed my brother's body on the stake… not a single last drop of blood fell from him. And everyone in the village… men, women, and children… I killed them all… without exception…"
Rage ignited in Jack's heart, blood appearing in his eyes like blazing fire.
He grabbed his bow and arrows and rushed to the battlefield beside Rio.