The forest was still. Not with peace, but with the weight of something unspoken.
Harkin's breath came in short, furious bursts. His sword trembled in his grip, still slick with blood.
"A slave?" he echoed, voice low, raw. "He just tried to kill all of us."
Barek didn't flinch. "And what choice did he have?"
The Brute groaned on the ground, bloodied, barely conscious…. yet he didn't crawl, didn't run, didn't beg. He simply lay there, breathing shallowly, fists twitching like a wounded animal still trying to fight.
Barek approached with slow, steady steps.
"What's your name?" he asked, voice low, almost gentle.
The Brute's eyes fluttered open, cloudy with rage and confusion. With a strangled growl, he swung an arm at Barek. It was more reflex than intent- the strike barely made it halfway before falling limp.
Harkin's hand shot to his hilt. "Tch-"But Barek raised a palm, stopping him.
"No," he said. "I killed one of this poor child's so-calledsuperiors. It makes sense why he won't listen to reason."
Without another word, Barek bent down, picked up a length of chain from the wreckage, and with swift, practiced motion, bound the Brute to a fallen tree. The Brute struggled not out of fury, but instinct. His limbs flailed in protest, yet his body had long since given up.
Silence fell again.
Barek knelt before him, face softening. "What's your name?" he asked once more.
The Brute blinked slowly. His lips moved - hesitant, like a child learning to speak."Lettuce...Lettuce…" he muttered."Lettuce... lettuce…"
Harkin frowned. "What the hell?"But Barek's breath caught. His gaze lowered. A tear welled in the corner of his eye.
He nodded."I see," he whispered. "They called him that."
"But Dad, why would anyone call someone lettuce?" Aylin asked innocently.
"Well, you see, Aylin dear, there are some despicable people who think they have the power to do so," Barek said, his voice sounding almost murderous.
He looked back at Harkin for a moment, then returned his gaze to the Brute tied to the tree.
"So..... Lettuce," he began carefully, choosing his words with care, "could you tell me how you got associated with these, uh... hoodlu-"
He stopped himself mid-word, his voice softening.
"-these people?"
The Brute blinked at him. Then slowly, a strange light flickered in his eyes — pride, almost. His lips curled into a bruised smile as he began to speak, like a child reciting a favourite bedtime story.
"They took me from the monsters' den place," Lettuce said, his voice gaining a dreamy rhythm, "with the wicked old man and his big old cane. I was their long-lost brother who got lost during a storm. They took thirty years to find me. Thirty."
Lettuce… when were you born?" Barek asked, gently.
"Oh, this I remember," Lettuce said, perking up slightly as if proud to finally recall something clearly. "It was the year of the Bratis Battle, or something like that. That old man told me — told all of us in the den — that's when we were born."
There was a pause.
"…Wait, what?" Harkin furrowed his brow. "The Bratis Battle? I was like… one when that happened. So how's he thirt-"
"I suspected as much," Barek murmured, already piecing things together. He didn't need Harkin to finish the sentence.
Lettuce smiled, oblivious to the tension around him. "We were special, he said. Children born in chaos, meant to fix the world. That's why he had to be harsh with us. Said pain made us pure."
Barek's jaw tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
"That was until Big Bro Velgrin came," Lettuce continued, eyes shining like he was remembering a dream. "He took us out of the den. Said I was one of his most special brothers. 'Cause we were blood-related… or something like that."
Barek's expression flickered when he heard the name Velgrin, but he stayed composed, allowing Lettuce to finish his story.
Harkin leaned forward, frowning. "So…. you're saying Velgrin's your brother?"
"Yeah! That's what he told me." Lettuce beamed, as if that answered everything. "Said we were both born under the same star, or moon, or maybe storm-he kept changing it. But he meant it. I know he did."
Barek's gaze stayed steady, but the sadness behind it deepened.
"So why do you wear the chains then?" Barek asked finally, his voice low, almost hesitant.
Lettuce's smile faded. His hands twitched against the bindings. "Oh… that's because Velgrin said our father told him all his little brothers-like me-had to wear chains. It's tradition," he said matter-of-factly. "Said it's how we show our loyalty… and serve the rest of our family. Like the ones you just killed."
His voice grew tight. "You weren't supposed to do that. They were my brothers. They were good to me."
Barek took a slow breath, steadying himself. "And you believed that?"
Lettuce's jaw clenched. "Why wouldn't I?"
Harkin started to speak, but Barek raised a hand again—gentler this time.
"Lettuce.…" Barek said, voice soft like worn cloth. "Who chained you up first? Was it Velgrin?"
"Of course it was. He was my older brother—of course it was him," Lettuce said, grinning wildly, almost proud.
Barek finally let out a long, steady sigh. "Well, Lettuce… I feel like you're lying."
The smile vanished. In a heartbeat, Lettuce lunged forward with explosive fury, chains groaning as they strained under his strength. He nearly ripped the knot loose from the tree.
Harkin didn't hesitate—he was on him in a flash, slamming the brute down with both hands and pinning him with sheer force.
"Calm down!" Harkin snapped, teeth grit, but Lettuce kept thrashing, spit flying from his mouth as he screamed:
"HE WOULDN'T LIE TO ME! VELGRIN LOVES ME! HE SAVED ME!"
Barek stood still, eyes full of pity. "No, he broke you."
"I owe him! I was nothing before-"
"You were a child."
Lettuce froze, chest heaving.
"You were a child," Barek repeated quietly. "And they built your world out of chains and lies."
"Let me tell you what," Barek began, his voice steady, eyes locked with Lettuce's."I swear upon all the gods… O Almighty-" he raised his voice to the dark sky.
The pitch-black, sunless sky rumbled. Just for a second. The clouds churned as if something ancient had stirred.
Silence returned.
Barek lowered his voice again, slow and firm."We'll take you to Craigspine Court. You'll learn-truly learn. You'll be educated there. Taught how to think, not obey."
He leaned in, gaze unwavering.
"And when that's done…. when your mind is yours again…. if you still believe I was wrong-"He placed a hand over his chest."Then I want you to kill me. Right there."
Lettuce didn't speak.
The only sound was the low crackle of the distant storm still echoing through the sky.
Lettuce finally nodded.
Harkin broke the chain binding him to the tree. Lettuce tried to rise, but his body gave out. The pain hit him hard now that the adrenaline had worn off.
Harkin didn't feel his own wounds as much anymore. Since being Marked, his body healed—slowly, but surely.
He stepped forward and, with some effort, slung Lettuce's massive frame onto his back. The brute was still over two feet taller than him, yet Harkin carried him without complaint.
As they walked, Harkin asked, "Who's Velgrin?"
Barek glanced at him. "Eh just one of the three most wanted men in all of Craigspine Court-and every nearby guild, too."
Harkin blinked. "Wait, what?!"
But before he could follow up, he asked the other question that had been bothering him.
"Why do you care so much about this Lettuce guy's past, anywa-"
Barek interrupted without looking back.
"Because I was one myself."