Chapter 21: The Truth in the Council
Rhaizen didn't wake slowly.
He woke with pain.
His back burned.
His ribs ached with every breath.
His eyes felt heavy, like someone had tied weights to them.
He opened them bit by bit and found himself staring at a familiar wooden ceiling.
Elder Jonas' house.
So he survived.
He pushed himself to sit up, but a sharp pain stabbed through his side. He sucked in a breath and gripped his shirt.
"Easy," a calm voice said beside him.
Elder Jonas walked over with a bowl of warm herbal soup. His face had deep lines of worry, and his hands trembled slightly as he set the bowl down.
"You took a beating," the elder said. "But you're alive. Rest as much as you can."
Rhaizen drank slowly.
The soup was bitter but warm, and it helped his throat loosen.
"How long… have I been out?" he asked.
"Only a few hours," Elder Jonas replied. "The town guards dragged you here after the Crimson Fang retreated."
Rhaizen clenched his fist.
He remembered the captain's strength, the burning pain in his arm, the moment he almost collapsed for good.
He shouldn't have survived.
He was lucky.
Very lucky.
Elder Jonas pulled up a chair.
"We're having an emergency meeting," he said. "The council wants to speak about the attack."
Rhaizen blinked slowly.
"The council?"
"Yes," Jonas said quietly. "There are things you need to hear."
Rhaizen nodded and stood up despite the pain.
He couldn't rest.
Not when the town was in danger.
Not when people were counting on him.
He followed Elder Jonas outside.
---
Gathering Shadows
Even walking through the streets hurt.
Children cried.
Merchants picked up broken stalls.
Guards helped the injured walk back home.
Everything looked damaged.
People whispered when they saw Rhaizen.
"That's the boy who fought the captain…"
"He saved us…"
"But he almost died…"
"Will the bandits return…?"
He kept walking.
Elder Jonas led him toward the town hall—a tall wooden building where the council gathered.
Inside, the air felt thick with tension.
Five council members stood arguing loudly.
Their voices were sharp, filled with fear and anger.
Rhaizen froze just inside the door.
He heard every word.
---
The Argument
"We cannot afford another attack!" one councilman shouted. He was a thin man with a polished vest and shaking hands. "The boy's actions made the Crimson Fang angry!"
Elder Jonas stepped forward. "He saved the town."
But another man slammed his fist on the table. "Saved? Look outside! The Crimson Fang will return in larger numbers!"
A woman with braided hair stood with her arms crossed.
"We need to stop fighting them. We need to bargain again."
Rhaizen's eyes narrowed.
Bargain?
Jonas looked tired as he faced the others.
"You can't mean—"
"We don't have a choice!" another council member interrupted. He pointed a finger at Jonas. "You know what happens when we refuse to pay!"
Rhaizen felt something twist in his chest.
Pay?
The thin man spoke again.
"Crimson Fang demands monthly tribute. We pay them, they leave us alone."
Rhaizen's blood ran cold.
Elder Jonas stepped forward.
"You think paying them will save the town?"
His voice grew firm.
"They will bleed us dry. They will keep taking more and more."
Another council member glared at him.
"It kept us alive before!"
He pointed at Rhaizen.
"And now because of him, they want revenge!"
Rhaizen's jaw tightened.
The woman with braids scowled.
"And what about the Shadow Veins?" she asked. "We cannot anger them either. They walk through the night and cause people to vanish! I'd rather pay Crimson Fang than deal with the Shadow Veins!"
A frightened man nodded quickly.
"She's right. Shadow Veins are worse. If they want people, just let them take who they want—better them than all of us!"
Elder Jonas slammed his cane against the ground.
"Enough!"
The room went silent.
"You talk as if you are prisoners already," Jonas said, voice shaking with anger. "Crimson Fang hurts us. Shadow Veins stalk our nights. And you want to surrender to both!"
The braided woman shook her head.
"We want to live."
Jonas glared at her.
"You call this living?"
She didn't answer.
Rhaizen listened quietly, his hands curling into fists.
He finally understood.
The people weren't just scared—they were trapped.
They believed no help was coming.
They believed they couldn't fight back.
They believed survival meant obeying whoever was stronger.
Crimson Fang… Shadow Veins…
Both used fear as a weapon.
And the council…
The leaders…
The people the town trusted…
They had already given up.
One councilman saw Rhaizen standing there.
"You!" he snapped. "Leave this town!"
Rhaizen stared at him, stunned.
The man pointed at him angrily.
"We don't want your help! Every time you fight, the danger grows! If you leave, maybe they will leave us alone!"
The woman nodded.
"Leave by morning. We don't want more conflict."
Rhaizen felt something sting in his chest.
They wanted him gone.
After everything he did…
Everything he tried…
After almost dying for them…
They still wanted him gone.
Elder Jonas stepped between them.
"You can't ask him to leave."
"We can," the thin man snapped. "We vote. And our decision—"
Rhaizen stepped forward.
"Enough."
Everyone froze.
Rhaizen's eyes were cold and steady.
"If you want me gone, say it clearly."
The thin man swallowed.
"We do."
The braided woman nodded.
"Leave tomorrow."
Rhaizen stared at them.
He wasn't angry.
He was disappointed.
Elder Jonas reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Rhaizen… don't take their words to heart. They speak out of fear."
Rhaizen removed Jonas' hand gently.
"It's fine."
He took a breath and turned toward the council.
"You're scared," he said simply. "And you think pushing me away will solve everything."
No one answered.
"But fear doesn't disappear just because you ignore it."
Still, silence.
Rhaizen shook his head.
"I'll leave if you want. I won't force myself into your town."
He turned toward the door.
"But remember this…"
He stopped in the doorway.
"When you close your eyes tonight, ask yourselves what you're really afraid of—Crimson Fang, or the truth that you already surrendered long ago."
No one spoke.
He didn't wait.
He stepped out of the hall and left.
---
Walking Away
The sun was setting as Rhaizen walked through the streets.
People looked at him with gratitude…
…but also fear.
Fear of trouble.
Fear of retaliation.
Fear of being caught between two terrible groups.
And Rhaizen realized something painful:
It didn't matter how strong he was.
If the people didn't fight for themselves…
They would always lose.
He walked until he reached the quiet edge of town.
He leaned against a tree, breathing deeply.
His body hurt.
His heart hurt more.
He clenched his fists.
"So this is what it means… to be trapped by fear."
He had seen it before.
In the Silent Veil.
In himself.
Even in his master.
Fear changed people.
Made them weak.
Made them do things they hated.
Rhaizen looked toward the forest where Shadow Veins moved.
Then toward the road where Crimson Fang would come again.
He exhaled slowly.
"I'm not leaving yet."
He stood straight despite the pain.
"Fear won't control me."
He turned back toward the town.
"I'll protect Ashveil. Even if they don't want me."
He walked back into the darkness, ready for whatever came next.