Chapter 6: The World That Honors Lies

The capital of Vael'thyr shimmered like a polished jewel, suspended between mountains carved by titans and rivers too clear to be real. Spires of crystal reached into the sky like divine fingers, catching the light of twin suns. Bells rang in perfect harmony, as if time itself bowed to the rhythm of this sacred city.

People called it “The Heart of Truth.”

But to him, it reeked of curated myths and polished delusions.

This was the world that replaced him.

In the center of the city stood the Temple of Valor, a towering monument of silverstone and divine glass. Its walls depicted the Seven Great Heroes—etched in immortal light.

And in place of the one who should have stood beside them…

A blank wall.

Deliberate.

Erased.

He watched silently from beneath his hood as children passed the wall without question, tracing the other faces with reverence. Chanting their names.

Never wondering about the absence.

Inside the temple, the Grand Orator preached:

“Through faith, we shape power. Through belief, we shape history. This is the blessing of the Architects.”

Crowds murmured in awe.

Only he heard the venom underneath the velvet.

He whispered under his breath.

“Through silence, you bury truth. Through worship, you mold puppets.”

A Tsuyoi rune flickered briefly beneath his palm—subtle, invisible to all but those attuned.

His power did not cry for attention.

It waited.

He moved through the city unnoticed, cloaked not just in shadow—but in the void left by memory. No records. No stories. He wasn’t simply dead.

He was edited.

That made him more dangerous than any villain this world claimed to fear.

In an alley behind the cathedral, he met her again.

Short crimson hair. Eyes too sharp for someone so young. She still wore the crest of the false Hero’s guild—but it was smeared with ash.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“To visit a grave,” he said. “One without a name.”

Her lip curled. “You're getting reckless.”

“They already killed me once.”

“They’ll do it again. Especially if you keep invoking Tsuyoi.”

He stepped closer.

“I don’t use Tsuyoi because I want power. I use it because truth isn’t strong enough in this world.”

She paused.

Then whispered, “And what are you trying to do?”

He turned, walking toward the plaza where golden statues gleamed in the sun.

“Unwrite their legends.”

A gust of wind blew through the capital.

The blank wall on the temple’s side cracked—hairline, but growing.

No one noticed.

Not yet.

But soon…

The world would be forced to see what it buried.