Continuation of Chapter 2

LIN ONGRO

We walk in silence, the atmosphere between us heavy with unspoken fears. Akilhi’s steps are unsteady, his dread palpable. I could see the tension in his every movement, the way his hands trembled as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“What’s wrong?” I asked gently, trying to ease his anxiety.

He hesitated, his voice a mere whisper. “I have a confession to make.”

“Speak, Akilhi,” I urged. “There’s no need to be afraid.”

He takes a deep breath, steeling himself. “Do you remember the old man, the prophet, who warned us about Erebus?”

I nodded slowly. “I remember. Why?”

“Everything he said is true,” He confessed, her words rushing out in a desperate torrent. “He wasn’t lying. I tried to ignore it, but I can’t anymore. We have to do something. We have to stop Erebus.”

His words hit me like a physical blow. I freeze, muscles tensing, my mind reeling from the revelation. “You must be joking,” I managed to say, my voice strained.

“I’m not,” Akilhi insisted. “We have to warn the others. We need to prepare for what’s coming.”

I stare at Akilhi, trying to make sense of what he was saying. My mind races, grappling with the idea that the people I had trusted all my life could be plotting against us. 

“Didius Julianus won’t allow that,” I said, my voice strained. “He has the support of my father, my mother, my uncle, and grandfather. All of them. And the other gods—they’ll back him too. Erebus is nothing compared to them.”

Akilhi shakes his head, his face lines with worry. “Lin, some of them are already working with Erebus. Your grandfather, your mother, they’ve secretly aligned with him. Path Finder showed me everything.”

“No,” I said, almost choking on the word. “No, I don’t believe you. I can’t believe this.”

“Whether you believe it or not, it’s happening. We’re going to be let down, Lin. We can’t trust them blindly. We have to tell your father and the others what’s really going on.”

“Stop!” I snapped, the weight of it all pressing down on me. “Just stop, okay? Garma and Aynat would never betray my father. They wouldn’t betray us. We’ve been through too much together. Why would they turn on us now?”

Akilhi’s expression softens, but his voice remained firm. “I don’t know why. But I do know that it’s the future. We have to act now, or it’ll be too late.”

I can’t stand to hear any more. “Didius Julianus will win the imperial election, and there will be peace,” I insisted, as if saying it aloud will make it true. I turned away from him, the anger and confusion swirling inside me, and walked off without another word.

As I walk, I feel the tension knotting in my chest, but I can’t bring myself to accept what Akilhi had said. The idea of my family betraying us feels impossible, like a bad dream I can just shake off. I convince myself I was doing the right thing by staying silent, by trusting in the bonds that had held us together for so long.

But deep down, a part of me knew I was wrong. I ignore the truth Akilhi had tried to show me, and that choice—my choice—would come back to haunt us all. When the betrayal finally came, when the crisis unfolded just as Akilhi had warned, it was too late to stop it. And in that moment, I knew that I had failed.

Next on Chapter 3: Crisis on Megan Planet