Auren’s voice was firm with resolve. “I’m going to start a rebellion. I’ll rally people against the Valthornes, take down Hadric, and show them what happens when you push someone too far.”

Corren raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "A rebellion? And you think you're gonna do that… how, exactly? Walk into the Valthorne estate and demand a seat at the table?”

Auren clenched his fists. "I can do it. I’ve seen enough. I’ll make them listen."

Corren chuckled, shaking his head. "Kid, you’re barely out of the woods. You’re not ready to take on the Valthornes. Hell, you’re not even ready to take on a rabid squirrel without getting yourself killed. Rebellion's a nice idea in theory, but it’s a whole lot more than throwing a tantrum and hoping the world listens.”

Auren’s face hardened. “So what, I should just sit around and wait? Let them walk all over me?”

Corren’s smirk softened into something more serious, but his voice still carried that playful lilt. “You’re not ready for that fight yet. You need to learn how to survive first—how to make it one more day without getting gutted. Once you’ve got the basics down, maybe then we can talk about being a hero. But right now? You’re just a kid with a big mouth and a head full of bad ideas.”

Auren fumed for a moment, but Corren’s words sank in. He wanted to fight back. He needed to, but maybe... maybe there was more to learn first.

Just then, a rustling in the bushes made them both turn. A boy, younger than Auren, stepped hesitantly into the firelight—his eyes wary, his frame thin.

Corren sighed, rubbing his temples. "Ah, hell. Not another one."

Auren turned his gaze to the newcomer, taking in his frail form. The kid looked about ten, maybe younger, his clothes tattered, his face smeared with dirt. He hovered just outside the fire’s glow, his thin shoulders drawn up like a cornered animal.

The boy flinched at the sound of his voice but didn't run. His hands clenched at his sides.

Corren sighed. “Alright, kid, what’s your story? You running from someone? Or just got lost and decided to stroll into the first fire you found?”

The boy stayed silent. His eyes flicked from Corren to Auren, suspicion thick in his gaze.

Auren frowned. "He looks scared out of his mind."

Corren raised a brow. “Yeah, probably because two strange men are staring at him in the middle of the damn woods.” He turned back to the kid. “Relax. If we wanted to kill you, we’d have done it by now.”

The boy took a step back.

“…That wasn’t comforting, was it?” Corren muttered.

Auren shook his head. “Not even a little.”

Corren exhaled, rubbing his face. "Look, kid, we're not gonna hurt you. You hungry?" He reached into his pack and pulled out a strip of dried meat, holding it out.

The boy hesitated, eyes darting between them, but his stomach betrayed him. The softest growl escaped his lips.

Auren took a step forward, crouching to make himself seem less threatening. "I was starving too, y'know. Before Corren found me. Just take it."

The boy's fingers twitched. Then, as if deciding it was worth the risk, he darted forward, snatched the meat, and retreated just as quickly. He tore into it with desperation, barely chewing before swallowing.

Corren let out a low whistle. "Damn. Kids these days eat like a starved wolves."

Auren watched him for a moment, something gnawing at his gut. "What happened to you?" he asked softly.

The boy's chewing slowed. His gaze darkened. He didn't answer.

That night, as Corren snored softly beside them, Auren found Rhett awake, staring at the stars. The boy had barely spoken, but now he seemed… lost in thought.

Auren hesitated, then whispered, "I lost my father."

Rhett's fingers tightened over the tattered fabric of his shirt.

"Hadric Valthorne came to our village, Riverstead," Auren continued, voice barely above a breath. "He took what he wanted. And when my father wouldn't give him more, he made an example of him. I watched him die. I couldn't do anything."

Silence.

Auren had spent enough time around people to know when someone didn't want to talk. Rhett was one of those people. But something about the boy's silence unsettled him. He wasn't just quiet—he was watchful, cautious, like a stray dog waiting for a kick that might never come.

Auren exhaled, rubbing his temples. "You don't talk much, do you?"

Rhett didn't answer. He didn't even flinch.

Auren leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Look, I get it. You don't trust me. But if we're stuck together, we might as well say something."

Still nothing.

Auren sighed and leaned back, staring at the sky. He wasn't good at this. He'd never had siblings, and making friends had never been a priority. But Rhett… he wasn't just quiet. He was wounded. Auren could see the way his fingers twitched when the fire crackled too loudly, the way his eyes darted to the shadows like something might come crawling out of them.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Auren decided to try again. "You ran from something, right? Just like me."

This time, Rhett stirred, but only slightly. His fingers curled around his own arm, gripping the fabric of his ragged sleeve. Then, slowly, he rolled it up.

Auren's breath caught.

Scars. Ugly, twisting lines of healed-over flesh, some thin and surgical, others jagged as if torn open by something not meant to heal. More than that, there were patterns burned into his skin, dark lines like brands, curving in strange, almost deliberate designs.

"What the hell…?" Auren muttered, unable to stop himself.

Rhett met his gaze for the first time. His voice, when he finally spoke, was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "Experiments.."

Auren didn't know what to say. His first instinct was to ask who had done this, but the answer was obvious. Whoever had experimented on him hadn't been kind. They had carved into him, changed him. For what purpose, Auren couldn't guess.

He clenched his fists. He thought he had known cruelty. He had watched his father die. He had felt helpless as Hadric Valthorne took everything from him. But this—this was different. Rhett hadn't just lost something. He had been changed by the hands of those who saw him as nothing more than a tool.

Auren swallowed hard. "You got out."

Rhett nodded. "Ran."

Auren exhaled. "Yeah… I get that."

For the first time, there was something in Rhett's expression that wasn't just fear. It wasn't quite trust, but it was acknowledgment. Auren wasn't sure if that was enough, but for now, it would have to be.

Just then, Corren returned, carrying a pair of freshly caught hares. He raised an eyebrow at the two boys. "You two bonding yet, or do I need to lock you in a cage and let you fight it out?"

Auren rolled his eyes. "Hilarious."

Corren grinned, dropping the hares near the fire. "Good, you're getting used to my humor. Now, since we're all getting cozy, how about a little lesson about the world and survival?"

"The world doesn't work like you think," Corren continued, voice laced with the slightest edge. "You don't challenge those at the top just because you're pissed. There's a chain of power that runs deeper than you realize. And breaking it... it'll break you first."

Auren clenched his fists, the bloodstained cloth tight in his palm. The Chain, he thought. It's always there.

"Hadric Valthorne," Auren said, voice low. "He was untouchable. Even now, he can do whatever he wants."

Corren's eyes darkened for just a moment. "Valthorne... He's only the beginning. There are far worse things than him out there." His tone was casual, almost as if it didn't matter. But the way his hands tightened around the hare he was preparing said otherwise. "Just remember, power doesn't forgive. It doesn't forget."

Auren's mind raced, trying to wrap itself around the idea of power that could stretch beyond Valthorne. "What are you saying? Are there others like him?"

Corren chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Like him? You haven't even scratched the surface. Valthorne's just a piece of the puzzle." He turned the hare over, staring into the flames, his voice steady but heavy with meaning. "House Valthorne is powerful, sure. But they don't rule everything. You've got House Eldrath, for one. They control the mountains, the fortresses that guard the kingdom. They're as stubborn as the stone they live in and just as unyielding. But their strength isn't in their armies—it's in their influence. They pull strings that you can't even see. And they've been enemies of House Valthorne for centuries."

He paused for a beat, his expression unreadable. "Then there's House Varros. They're not flashy like the others, but they don't need to be. They're the quiet hand. Their territory's near the sea, the most strategic position in all of Veltharion. They could cut off trade routes, cripple entire regions, and you'd never see them coming." Corren's lips twitched into a grim smile. "They sit back, let the others fight it out, and only step in when things get really bad. But trust me... when they do, it's because they've already won."

Auren swallowed hard, the weight of those words sinking in. Three houses, each more dangerous than the last.

"Then you've got House Kaelor," Corren continued, his voice darkening with a bitterness Auren hadn't expected. "They're weak compared to the others, but they're dangerous in their own right. They're obsessed with power—artificial power. They've twisted nature, experimented on people. They don't care who gets hurt in the process. They don't play by the same rules the rest of us follow. And you'd better believe they've got more secrets hidden than you can count." Corren's eyes flickered briefly to Auren, as if weighing something unspoken. "I've crossed paths with them before. Trust me—no one's safe when they're involved."

Auren's mind spun as the images of these houses and their power loomed over him, each one like a mountain he could never climb. How the hell am I supposed to survive this?

Corren leaned forward, his expression growing more serious, the firelight flickering over his features like a warning. "The Chain? It's not just an idea, kid. It's real. It's what keeps everything in place. The nobility, the trials, the law... they're all linked by it. The Chain's not just about control—it's about survival. It keeps the strongest at the top, but it also keeps everyone else in check. If you break it... you'll be crushed under it."

Auren looked down at his clenched fists, the bloodstained cloth a reminder of the cost. "And if I want to break it?" he whispered.

Corren's gaze hardened. "If you want to break it, you'll have to be willing to burn it all down. And trust me, kid... there's nothing left when that happens. Just ask anyone who's tried...Now, on with your lessons for survival".

Auren straightened, grateful for the change in subject. Rhett merely stayed still, but his eyes flicked to Corren as the man crouched near the fire, pulling out a knife.

"First thing," Corren began, expertly skinning one of the hares, "you two need to understand something. Out here, no one's coming to save you. You don't eat unless you catch your food. You don't stay warm unless you make a fire. And you sure as hell don't survive a fight unless you learn how to wield something sharper than your own fists."

He finished the first hare in record time and started on the second. "Now, Auren, you've already proven you can bash a wolf's head in with a rock. Impressive, but messy. We're going to work on efficiency."

Auren smirked despite himself. "What, you got a secret weapon stash hidden somewhere?"

Corren chuckled. "Kid, I am the weapon stash."

Auren snorted, but he didn't doubt it. He had seen the man move, seen the way he dispatched the wolves without hesitation. Corren wasn't just a hunter. He was something more.

"You ever used a blade before?" Corren asked.

Auren hesitated. "No."

"Good. That means you won't have any bad habits for me to break." Corren glanced at Rhett. "What about you, quiet one?"

Rhett didn't answer. Instead, he slowly reached behind himself and pulled something from his belt. A small, wickedly sharp dagger. It was well-worn, the handle smooth from use.

Corren whistled. "Well, well. You're full of surprises."

Rhett said nothing, but his grip on the blade was steady.

Corren nodded in approval. "Alright then. Tomorrow, we start with the basics. Blade work, tracking, maybe even a bit of archery if I'm feeling generous."

Auren raised an eyebrow. "And what's the catch?"

Corren grinned. "You keep up, or you don't eat."

Auren groaned. Rhett didn't react, but Auren could swear he saw the faintest twitch of his lips—almost like the ghost of a smirk.

Corren stretched, cracking his neck. "Now, eat up and get some rest. You're gonna need it."

Auren sighed but didn't argue. He had a feeling he was in for the hardest days of his life.

But now he was assured, he wasn't alone.

—————————————————————————————————————

The Power Progression of the nobles(granted by the chain):

Soldiers / Warriors → Initiate

Barons → Ascended

Earls / Counts → Master

Marquesses / Margraves → Saint

Dukes → Overlord

Kings → Sovereign

Emperors → Monarch