The room was large, rectangular, and deliberately plain.
K-10 examined it from his seat.
There was one exit. No windows. The walls were solid stone, and guards were positioned outside the only door. A long table occupied most of the room, with chairs arranged along both sides. At the head of the table sat a Vend officer.
She wore light military armor beneath a green robe inscribed with intricate silver runes. Her red hair extended past her shoulders and was secured behind her head with a simple ribbon. Green eyes watched the room through a pair of spectacles, framed by long pointed ears that curved slightly upward at the tips.
Like most Vend, she possessed an almost unnatural physical beauty.
K-10’s attention settled on the robes and their runic inscriptions. The woman was almost certainly a military mage.
In front of her sat a black orb mounted on a short base covered in additional inscriptions. It was roughly the size of a bowling ball.
K-10 studied it without touching it.
A magical verification device, he assumed.
The Vend officer scanned everyone seated around the table.
Her eyes stopped on Milfern.
“Milfern Galenwood.”
The young soldier straightened slightly.
“Yes, Mage Officer Hazelthorn.”
The recognition seemed to pull him out of the lingering shock of the battle.
Hazelthorn shifted her attention to the older soldier beside him.
“Sergeant Kimlorn.”
Kimlorn straightened as well.
“Mage Officer.”
Hazelthorn then examined the unfamiliar Vend woman.
Long silver hair. Blue-green eyes. Striking features. Her clothing and bearing suggested a noble background, but Hazelthorn could not immediately place her.
Her attention moved to the Darvenim.
His sturdy build, broad shoulders, and heavy frame marked him as a warrior.
Finally, Hazelthorn looked at K-10.
Her gaze stopped on his short black hair.
Then his obsidian eyes.
A chill passed through her.
K-10 simply looked back.
Hazelthorn placed one hand beside the black orb.
“Before we begin, I will demonstrate the function of this device.”
Milfern, Kimlorn, and the others looked toward the orb.
“This is a truth orb. It does not reveal thoughts, memories, or intentions. It only determines whether a spoken statement is truthful based on the understanding of the person making the statement.”
K-10 studied the orb.
A verification system based on the subject’s own knowledge rather than an external database.
Interesting.
Hazelthorn noticed his expression.
“You understand the principle?”
“The general principle.”
She studied him for a moment.
“Most people don’t.”
Her hand rested beside the orb.
“The enchantment was developed in Tharmatur. It does not determine whether a statement is objectively true. It determines whether the speaker believes the statement to be true.”
K-10 nodded.
“A semantic verification system.”
Hazelthorn paused.
She wasn’t sure what semantic meant in this context.
“Yes,” she said anyway.
Hazelthorn turned toward Milfern.
“Milfern Galenwood.”
“Yes, Mage Officer.”
“I want you to provide a false statement.”
Milfern looked confused.
“A false statement?”
“Yes. Say something you know to be untrue.”
Milfern thought for a moment.
Then he spoke.
“Tarmynia only has one moon.”
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the inscriptions on the black orb illuminated.
A low hum resonated through the room.
The orb activated.
Milfern looked at it nervously.
Hazelthorn nodded.
“As expected.”
The light faded, and the orb returned to its dormant state.
“The truth orb does not judge morality. A person can lie for noble reasons or speak the truth with malicious intent. It only identifies whether a statement matches the speaker’s understanding of reality.”
Hazelthorn looked around the table.
“Now that its function is clear, we will begin.”
“Milfern, I want you to recount everything that happened during your patrol.”
Milfern swallowed.
“Yes, Mage Officer.”
He began with the patrol through the Northern Forest. He described the strange behavior of the beasts, their attack, and the discovery of the Flame Gajra. He explained how the creature had emerged from the forest and attacked the soldiers without warning.
Hazelthorn listened without interrupting.
Every so often, her eyes moved toward the black orb.
It remained completely still.
Milfern continued.
He described the beast’s flames, the soldiers’ attempt to hold their formation, and the support of the human.
He explained how K-10 had engaged the creature directly.
Then he described receiving help from the Vend woman and the Darvenim.
Hazelthorn’s eyes briefly shifted toward each of them.
The orb remained silent.
Milfern finished his account.
Hazelthorn studied him for several seconds before looking at the orb again.
Nothing.
No glow.
No movement.
No sound.
“Sergeant Kimlorn.”
Kimlorn looked at her.
“Was anything left out?”
Kimlorn shook his head.
“No, Mage Officer.”
He hesitated.
“The human saved my life.”
Hazelthorn’s eyes returned to K-10.
The orb remained undisturbed.
She leaned back slightly.
“So the human did save your life.”
“Yes.”
“And you witnessed him fight the Flame Gajra?”
“Yes.”
Kimlorn’s expression hardened.
“I watched him stand against it when the rest of us couldn’t.”
“And you are certain?”
“Yes.”
Hazelthorn looked at the orb.
Still nothing.
“Then that is what happened.”
She turned toward K-10.
“Your name.”
“K-10.”
Hazelthorn paused.
“Kaiten?”
K-10 said nothing.
She accepted the answer.
“Is it true that you fought the Flame Gajra alone?”
“Yes.”
Hazelthorn glanced at the orb.
Nothing.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Is it true that the Flame Gajra pinned you beneath its body and burned you with its flames?”
“Yes.”
Again, Hazelthorn looked toward the orb.
Nothing.
She looked back at K-10.
Only then did she notice how little clothing remained on him. His armor was gone, leaving his upper body exposed.
“What happened to your armor?”
“The Flame Gajra’s heat caused it to burst into flames.”
Hazelthorn looked toward the orb.
Nothing.
Her expression became more focused.
“Was your body injured by the flames?”
“Yes.”
“How badly?”
K-10 answered without hesitation.
“My skin evaporated. My hair caught fire. My eyes melted.”
The room became silent.
Seralyth’s expression tightened.
Hazelthorn noticed.
She also noticed that K-10 showed no hesitation when describing what had happened to him.
Hazelthorn slowly turned toward the orb.
Nothing.
She stared at it for several seconds.
No glow.
No vibration.
No change in the inscriptions.
The orb had accepted the statement as truth.
Hazelthorn looked back at K-10.
“How did you survive that?”
“My body adjusted to it.”
Hazelthorn’s eyes narrowed.
She looked at the orb again.
Nothing.
The mage officer’s fingers tightened slightly against the table.
She had expected the device to expose an exaggeration.
Instead, it had confirmed every word.
“How did you drive the Flame Gajra away?”
“I hit it with shields until it retreated.”
Hazelthorn blinked.
“You hit it with shields.”
“Yes.”
“Until it retreated.”
“Yes.”
Hazelthorn looked toward the orb.
Nothing.
She slowly removed her spectacles, wiped one lens with a cloth, replaced them, and looked at K-10 again.
“Do you understand just how dangerous a Flame Gajra is?”
“Yes.”
“Then explain it.”
K-10 considered the question.
“The Flame Gajra is an extremely dangerous enchanted beast. Its physical strength, speed, durability, and fire affinity place it well above the creatures I have previously encountered.”
Hazelthorn listened.
“I would classify the Flame Gajra as an S-Class beast.”
The orb remained silent.
K-10 continued.
“The High-Amorak was dangerous because of its physical strength, durability, and paralyzing howl. The Death Knight possessed superior combat ability, lethal weapon proficiency, and an absence of fear. The Minotaur was physically powerful and highly aggressive.”
His expression remained clinical.
“The Flame Gajra is more dangerous than all three.”
Hazelthorn stared at him and immediately looked at the orb.
Nothing.
Her gaze returned to K-10.
“You fought a Death Knight?”
“Yes.”
The orb remained completely undisturbed.
Hazelthorn sat motionless.
For several seconds, she appeared to have forgotten the rest of the room.
She finally looked toward Tomand.
“And you.”
The Darvenim straightened.
“Your name.”
Tomand drew himself up proudly.
“Tomand of Clan Skarn, from Tharsis, capital of Darven-Imus. I was in Ansell-Vend delivering Lunarium ingots. I completed my deliveries and was returning to Darven-Imus when the divine beast attacked.”
Hazelthorn stared at him.
The orb remained silent.
Tomand continued.
“I engaged the beast alongside the others and—”
“I only asked for your name,” Hazelthorn interrupted.
Tomand stopped.
“Oh.”
Hazelthorn pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Tomand.”
“Yes.”
She turned toward the silver-haired Vend.
“And you. Your name.”
Seralyth did not answer.
She was still pale.
The battle had ended, but the memory of K-10 disappearing beneath the Flame Gajra’s flames remained fresh in her mind. She had watched his body burn. She had watched the creature’s flames consume him.
She had believed him dead.
Hazelthorn’s voice became firmer.
“Vend. What is your name?”
Seralyth slowly raised her eyes.
“I’m an adventurer from Geldanos.”
Hazelthorn frowned.
“I did not ask for your occupation. I asked for your name.”
Seralyth said nothing.
“Your name.”
“No.”
The room became tense.
Hazelthorn’s expression hardened.
“Refusing to identify yourself to a military officer during an active investigation can result in imprisonment.”
Seralyth’s eyes shifted toward K-10.
He looked at her.
Then gave a small nod.
Seralyth hesitated.
The conflict on her face was obvious.
Hazelthorn’s hand moved toward the door.
“Guards—”
“Seralyth Gloomstar.”
Seralyth’s voice stopped her.
Hazelthorn turned back.
Seralyth slowly straightened in her chair. The fear and hesitation that had been visible moments earlier gave way to quiet resignation. Her eyes remained on Hazelthorn.
“I am Seralyth Gloomstar, daughter of the Vine of Absolute Frost, daughter of the Scion of Enduring Wind, and heir to the throne of Ansell-Vend.”
The words settled over the room.
No one moved.
Hazelthorn’s eyes immediately snapped toward the truth orb.
Nothing happened.
The black orb remained perfectly still upon its inscribed base.
No light.
No vibration.
No magical pulse.
The truth orb had accepted every word.
Milfern stared at Seralyth.
Kimlorn’s expression went rigid.
Tomand looked from Seralyth to Hazelthorn, seemingly trying to understand the significance of the declaration.
Hazelthorn did not move.
Her gaze slowly returned to Seralyth.
The silver hair.
The blue-green eyes.
The features she had noticed when Seralyth first entered the room.
They were no longer merely familiar.
They were unmistakable.
Hazelthorn had seen the royal portraits.
She knew the face of Queen Ilriath Gloomstar, the Vine of Absolute Frost.
She knew the name of the late King Valoryth, the Scion of Enduring Wind.
And she knew the name of their daughter.
Seralyth Gloomstar.
The missing heir.
Hazelthorn’s face lost what little color remained in it.
“You’re…”
The words failed her.
Milfern slowly turned toward Seralyth.
“Princess…”
Seralyth did not respond.
Hazelthorn’s expression changed from disbelief to alarm.
This was no longer a routine military inquiry.
The heir to the throne of Ansell-Vend was sitting in a military barracks under an assumed identity, accompanied by an unknown human who had just survived being burned alive by a Divine Beast.
And Hazelthorn had just confirmed the truth with a truth orb.
She immediately stood.
Her hand rose.
Intricate discs of magical patterns appeared above her palm, rotating around one another as silver light formed across their surfaces.
“Barrier of Silence.”
The magical discs expanded.
A pulse swept through the room.
The air itself seemed to tighten as the spell enveloped the chamber.
The door fell silent.
The walls fell silent.
Every sound from beyond the room disappeared.
Hazelthorn lowered her hand.
No one outside could hear what happened next.
And no one inside would be leaving until she understood exactly why the heir of Ansell-Vend had returned.