“Raktus, if you don’t remember them that just means you were probably a baby when they knew you.” Anitus said.
“That’s the thing, though,” Raktus said, “They told me I was five years old when I was taken, but I have no memory of that. I remember living with all of you by then.”
“Who told you this?” Amaro said.
“After the dinner meeting we had near Yvian in that tower, I rode in a carriage with a person who claimed to be my uncle. He was a Venator Knight. Captain Ixtal.”
“Captain Ixtal. That sounds familiar,” Amaro said to himself.
“How do we know this guy wasn’t just trying to lie to you? Or maybe he was mistaken.” Anitus said.
“Perhaps I would have believed that, but the more he told me about who I was when I was little, the more those memories came back to me. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop reliving those moments. I had an older brother and a younger sister. And a half-twin with a different father.”
“I wonder why you don’t remember anything.” Sancta said, “Like everyone else, I remember you being next to me when we were little. We had to have been only three at the time.”
Raktus nodded, “I have two memories which happened at the same time now and I don’t know which one was real.”
“Well what did that captain want from you anyway?” Anitus asked.
Raktus sat there for a long time. So long that Amaro began to wonder if the highly perceptive Raktus had not heard them, “He was there to inform me of my mother’s passing on the battlefield.” he said, finally.
“I’m sorry to hear that, brother. That is the way of the Venator Knights, I suppose.”
“What about your other siblings?” Tulos asked, “If I have an extended family, I wish to know who to send gifts. I’m aiming to be a lovable third uncle when I grow up! Or is it half cousin?”
That broke Raktus from his solemn expression if only for a moment, “They are under the care of captain Ixtal. The eldest has taken my mother’s place as a Venator Knight, but he is still young.”
“Why would he tell you all of this now?” Sancta said, “And normally Venator Knights are assimilated into existing houses if they have a legitimate child with one of the heirs. So why wouldn’t your mother have become a wife?”
“That is because my mother avoided being assimilated into the clan by having two children of equal blood at the same time.”
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“Equal blood? What noble house has equal blood to the descendants of The First King?” Anitus said.
“My twin brother is an Alveridan, apparently.”
“That would be equal blood,” Amaro said, “Especially since one of them holds the Emperor’s seat.”
“What a strange situation. I always wondered why and how your mother retained her independence and duties as a knight.” Anitus said, “But that does not make you any less of a Xirxus.”
“I don’t believe it does either, but that’s not everything. Since my mother has died, my older brother will take the mantle of a Venator Knight. He is only a few years my senior, so he is young and untrained. If he dies, then…” Raktus pasued, “If he dies, then I will have to fight my twin to the death to determine who claims the mark.”
“Sounds like the making of a good legend to me, brother,” Anitus said, “It is the struggles and adversaries which make us greater than others. If you must slay a brother you’ve never known, then so be it. I know you will win.”
“I’m still not entirely certain if I want to win. I don’t want to die, but I am stuck grappling with the idea that I once shared a womb with this person. I recall their face, and I recall getting along with them, but it’s all so foggy and I don’t know what to make of it.”
“It’s not like worrying about it will solve the issue,” Sancta said, “Your elder brother is a knight now, and he is seemingly alive. Not to mention, you could simply forfeit the match if you do not wish to kill your twin. You’ve already got a soul mark anyways, and it’s better than any Venator Knight’s would be.”
“I was told that if I forfeit I also forfeit my life and my current mark. Not to mention, inheriting the mark also means that I decide what happens to my younger half sister.”
“Why would they force you to fight to the death like that? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Don’t you see, Sancta?” Tulos said, “It’s revenge for her mother gaming the system.”
Raktus nodded, “Yes. Since neither family can lay claim to the Venator’s mark, they cannot fully assimilate the bloodline into the family. That mark will always be passed down to the next, so if I win I have two choices: kill my sister and assimilate the Venator’s mark into our clan, or spare my sister and become a Venator Knight myself.”
“But becoming a knight means you would rescind your current soul mark and exit the clan.” Sancta said.
“That’s true, but I do not know if I could bring myself to kill a sibling. My younger sister could have been the same as any of you. I think I would protect them if it came down to it. Though, I do not know if I could even bring myself to kill my brother for it. I don’t even know if he would have the same hesitation as I.”
“No matter what happens, Raktus,” Amaro said, “You will always be our brother. I say go with what your heart says in the moment, and don’t let it weigh you down until you need to make that decision.”
“Yeah,” Tulos chimed in, “Your older brother is keeping you from that fate, so who knows if the day will ever come?”
Raktus nodded, “I understand that. Although this whole ordeal has made me view things differently. The mark of a Venator Knight sounds more like a curse than anything else.”
“That’s because you were born with proper blood,” Anitus said, “Venator Knights are all lowborn, so they must prove themselves through hardship and merit. Though, there is nothing more tragic than a noble Venator Knight.”
“I say we change the subject,” Tulos said, “Although not to anything less grim, admittedly. Since we’ve only got these last days before the ceremony, it’s tradition for the Tibur to leave nothing unsaid. I say we adopt that tradition!” He leaned back in his chair, floating a golden dragon piece in the air, “After all, I have not told my secret yet!”