Inside the large tent, where the dim red light from the grand chandelier cast mysterious shadows on the ornate furniture, Oliver sat behind a majestic table in the inner part of the tent that resembled an office. The floor was covered with luxurious carpets, and everything hinted at wealth and authority. Yet, the atmosphere was thick with suppressed tension.
"So, Rian..." Oliver said slowly, his voice reflecting cautious confidence, as if measuring the feelings of the boy sitting before him.
Rian sat on the chair opposite the table, looking exhausted and drained of energy. His once lively eyes now seemed hollow. The long scar beneath his left eye always reminded him of what he had lost. He took a deep breath and spoke in a trembling voice: "Why? What did my father do to deserve this fate?"
As he spoke those words, the last memory he had of his father came flooding back. They were sitting under the night sky full of stars, which looked like glowing fireflies in the darkness of the night, with the half-moon shining its silver light.
"Father, why does the moon look incomplete and covered in darkness?" Rian asked innocently, his eyes fixed on the moon.
His father smiled and gently played with his hair, then looked up at the moon and said: "In the past, the moon was full, a large circle that illuminated the night's darkness. But after a strong light engulfed the world, the darkness began to swallow the light, and only a small part remained, symbolizing hope."
Rian was deeply moved by his father's words, but he couldn't fully understand them. "How can darkness swallow light? I don't believe that. In the end, good always wins."
His father sighed at his son's innocence and said: "Sometimes, darkness hides within the light, pretending to be virtuous. You must be careful, for the greatest souls are capable of committing the gravest atrocities."
Oliver cut through Rian's stream of memories, speaking calmly, as if discussing the past brought him discomfort as well: "Your father was a great man, Rian. But greatness can also be a curse."
He continued: "Your father, Asher, and I were the strongest trio in the tribe. There were rumors about opportunities in the ruins in the middle of the desert, so we went together to search."
Rian clenched his fists, rage boiling inside him, but he held back his emotions to keep listening.
"We found what we were looking for — the nucleus injection, a source of pure power. Your father was chosen to take it and bring a golden age to our tribe. But after that, everything changed." Oliver's voice grew softer.
Rian glared at him, his eyes burning with barely contained anger, and said: "In the end, you betrayed him."
Oliver snapped sharply: "We did not betray him!" Then, after calming himself, he continued: "Your father found a plaque in the ruins that had 'York City' written on it, and he began muttering strange things like 'Avalon Nine.' He was trying to control the power he had gained. When he tried to kill Asher, we had no choice but to act."
Rian trembled, his eyes filled with sorrow and shock. He struggled to accept the truth that Asher was the reason for his father's death.
"You're a traitor!" Rian suddenly shouted, rising from his seat with force. "My father trusted you, and you conspired to kill him."
Oliver looked at him calmly and said with cold confidence: "Your father betrayed us first. We could have all become stronger, built a kingdom, but he lost his mind."
Rian stood still for a moment, his words caught in his throat. He wanted to deny what Oliver had said, but deep down, he knew that something inside him had already been broken for a long time.
Suddenly, the tent door opened, and Asher entered with a malicious grin, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"Are you two finished?" he asked in a quiet, hate-filled voice. "It's time, Rian. You're going to the prison, and you'll stay there until we find the ruins."
Rian tried to resist as Asher grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the tent, but his weak body was no match for Asher's burly frame. As they walked toward the prison, the tribe members watched. Some pitied him, but most mocked and laughed.
"What a tragic fate for the son of the former chieftain. His father was a fool, and now he pays the price," one of them whispered.
"We could have been the strongest tribe in the southern desert, but he chose death and suffering for his son," another one laughed.
When they arrived at the prison, which was a deep pit beneath the camp, Asher shoved Rian roughly inside and locked the iron gate behind him. Rian tried to adjust to the darkness and cold, while his heart burned with a mixture of rage and pain.
Back in the main tent, as Oliver finished some paperwork, a large shadow appeared behind him. The rough voice that spoke was enough to freeze the air: "Are you sure this boy knows something about 'Avalon Nine'? The information I have isn't enough to convince that thing."
"Everything will reveal itself in time." Oliver replied calmly without turning around. "Just wait, the show is about to start."
The shadow faded into the darkness after uttering a threatening final word: "Be careful not to fail me, or your fate will be like Ethan's."
Oliver glanced at the spot where the shadow had disappeared, a cold shiver running down his spine at the mention of Ethan's name.