Chapter 5

After a few minutes, Thamiso and Ílliou arrive at the military unit where General Wisdow lived. Opening the establishment's door, the friends enter the place and walk to the reception desk to notify that they would meet with the general.

"Good morning, is General Wisdow in?" Thamiso asks the secretary.

"Good morning, he is."

"Great. We've come to provide information about the last mission he assigned to us. Could we go to his office?"

"Of course, feel free to. Go up the stairs at the end of the hallway on the right, as you already know."

"Thank you!" Thamiso says, following Ílliou to where Wisdow was. Climbing the stairs quietly, the two walk a few more steps to the third door on the left in the main hallway. By this point, the general probably knew he would have visitors, as the sound of Ílliou and Thamiso's footsteps on the wooden floor made a nearly unmistakable noise. Arriving in front of his office door, the young man with an eye patch lightly knocks three times.

"You can come in," the man says. The friends then enter the room to give the mission report.

While the duo was in Wisdow's office, Stan and Lian were heading to the group's dormitory. As they walked, Lian decided to strike up a conversation.

"I think you should try to be friendlier with Thamiso; it would be better for the whole group."

"I just worry about him, I want our captain to follow the rules and act accordingly to avoid problems," Stan replied calmly.

"Why do you rigidly follow the empire's rules, Stan? What are your motivations for being a soldier?"

"While I'm a part of the armed forces, I believe the least I should do is follow them. I don't have any particular ambition; I just want to rise in rank and be recognized," Stan explained.

Lian, not entirely satisfied with her friend's response, decided to provoke him.

"I don't believe climbing the ranks in the army is enough for you, Stan. You take things too seriously for it to be just that."

"Well, you know how it is. The higher you are, the more power you have. As you gain more power, you're closer to the truth," Stan replied.

Lian, looking confused and bored, continued, "Huh? What kind of philosopher talk is that, Stan? Now I really can't understand anything. Speak properly, or I'll give you a punch!"

Stan, with a smile, said, "Don't worry, Lian, I'll explain it in a way even an airhead like you would understand."

"What?! Who are you calling an airhead?" Lian exclaimed, getting ready to grab her friend by the neck. Without giving much room for her outburst of anger, Stan continued, "What I mean is that as we rise in rank as soldiers, we have access to more information. That way, I would know more than the rest of the population or lower-ranking soldiers."

"I see. But what do you want to know so badly that you take everything so seriously?" Lian asked, showing genuine interest in hearing what her friend had to say.

"The end of Viguena," Stan replied.

"The end of Viguena? Are you talking about the village that was hit by a snowstorm eight years ago?" Lian asked, not understanding.

"Exactly. It was a complete natural disaster like never seen before."

"As far as I know, no villagers survived, right? There wasn't even a structure left intact in the area," Lian continued.

"Yes, there were no survivors."

"But I still don't understand. What exactly caught your attention about it? It was very cold in the region, and snowstorms were common. Unfortunately, the villagers were hit by something they couldn't control."

"That's what everyone believes, isn't it? That it was a natural disaster."

At the moment Stan said this, Lian stopped walking and looked frightened at her friend.

"Stan, what are you saying? Do you believe it wasn't something organic?"

"I confess I have my doubts, and that's precisely why I'm here."

Lian, not believing what her friend was saying, retorted, "If it wasn't an accident, do you think it was some Kashan? Get real, Stan! This is the most senseless conspiracy theory I've ever heard!"

"What makes you think it can't be true?" Stan asked rationally.

"Well, for starters, there's no Kashan strong enough to do something of that magnitude. Do you realize how much energy it would take? And besides, what other ice-manipulating Kashan exists other than you?"

"That's a key point in this theory. But when Ílliou told me about the Imperial Blades, I thought about trying to learn more about them. These Kashans are the elite of the empire's military, and that's precisely why they're not well-known and rarely show themselves. It's to keep people from knowing about their abilities, faces, and so on. They mostly carry out missions alone without leaving traces."

"Do you really think an Imperial Blade is a genocidal murderer who killed all those people in the village? There wouldn't even be a motive for that. Honestly! You complain about Thamiso, but it's just hypocrisy. I think both of you are crazy to lose your minds!"

Stan continued his reasoning, "Don't you think there's a reason why we don't know anything? We're still just