Ethan looked at the murals—the battle, the demon army, the lone warrior at the gate.
"Where do I start?"
『 Start with the names that were forgotten. The ones who were erased. The ones who were betrayed. 』
『 Start with Silas. 』
Ethan froze.
"Silas? You want me to bring back the Betrayer?"
『 Not bring him back. Remember him. Understand him. 』
『 Every story needs a villain. But every villain has a reason. 』
Ethan was silent for a long moment.
"You think if I understand Silas, I can stop him?"
『 I think if you understand Silas, you can save him. 』
Ethan stared at the murals.
"The Betrayer’s Tale."
『 Yes. Find it. Learn it. And then... tell it. 』
Ethan nodded slowly.
He had a new mission.
The next morning, Ethan found Old Man Hemlock in the library.
The ancient servant was seated in his usual corner, a dusty book open in his lap. He looked up when Ethan entered.
"You’re up early."
"I need your help."
Hemlock studied him for a moment.
"You’ve seen something."
"How do you know?"
"I’ve been in this family for eighty years. I know when something has changed."
He closed the book.
"What do you need?"
"I need to know about Silas Blackwood."
Hemlock’s expression flickered.
"That name is forbidden."
"I know."
"It is forbidden for a reason. Silas was erased from our history. His name was struck from every record. His deeds were buried. His memory was cursed."
"Why?"
"Because he betrayed the family. He opened the gates to the demons. He caused Arthur’s death."
Ethan paused.
"There has to be more to the story."
Hemlock’s eyes narrowed.
"Who told you that?"
Ethan didn’t answer.
Hemlock leaned back in his chair.
"All stories have two sides, boy. The victors write the history. The losers are forgotten."
He paused.
"If you want to know about Silas, you won’t find answers in the official records. You’ll need to look elsewhere."
"Where?"
Hemlock smiled.
"The ruins. There are old places on this mountain, places the family has forgotten. Places where the truth was buried."
He stood.
"I can show you."
Ethan nodded.
"Then let’s go."
That afternoon, they left the estate together.
Ethan told Eleanor he was investigating the mountain’s defenses. She didn’t believe him, but she didn’t stop him either.
Hemlock led him through the forest, past the training grounds, past the terraced fields, into a part of the mountain Ethan had never seen before.
The trees grew thick here. The undergrowth was dense. The path was barely visible.
"Where are we going?"
"The old watchtower. It was abandoned centuries ago. The family stopped using it after the betrayal."
"Because of Silas?"
Hemlock nodded.
"It was his tower. His watchtower. He stood there on the day the demons came. He watched them approach. And he made his choice."
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.
"What choice?"
"The choice to open the gates. To betray his brother. To destroy his family."
Hemlock pushed aside a curtain of vines, revealing an old stone structure.
The watchtower.
It was broken—half-collapsed, its stones weathered and cracked. But it still stood. A monument to a forgotten betrayal.
"His records are here," Hemlock said. "His journals. His confessions. Everything he left behind when he died."
Ethan stepped inside.
The tower was hollow, its interior filled with dust and debris. But in the center, on a stone table, was a chest.
Hemlock gestured toward it.
"Open it."
Ethan hesitated.
Then he lifted the lid.
Inside were dozens of journals—leather-bound, yellowed with age. And on top of them, a single letter.
Ethan picked it up.
It was addressed to Arthur.
To my brother, Arthur,
I know you will never read this. I know you will never forgive me. But I need you to understand.
I did not betray you because I hated you. I did not open the gates because I wanted you dead.
I did it because they threatened her. Our sister. Eleanor.
They said they would spare her if I helped them. They said they would let her live.
I was weak. I was foolish. I believed them.
I was wrong.
You were right, Arthur. You were always right. And I was always the shadow.
But I am not the villain they made me. I am not the monster they remember.
I am your brother. And I am sorry.
If there is a way to make this right, I will find it.
I will find a way to save our family.
Even if it costs me my soul.
—Silas
Ethan lowered the letter.
His hands were trembling.
『 New Information Unlocked: The Betrayer’s Tale 』
『 Story Credibility: 25% 』
『 Milestone Reached: Strengthen the Legend 』
『 The truth of Silas Blackwood is now known. 』
『 But the question remains—was he truly a villain? Or a victim? 』
Ethan looked at the journals.
There were dozens of them.
Decades of secrets.
Centuries of lies.
And the truth was waiting to be told.
He took a deep breath.
"I need to read all of these."
Hemlock nodded.
"Then we have work to do."
『 Story Credibility: 25% 』
『 Family Faith: 20 』
『 World Rebuttal: 7% 』
『 Ancestral Debt: None active 』
『 New Milestone Unlocked: Unlock Ancestor’s Memories 』
『 Next Milestone: 50% Credibility — Unlock Ancestor’s Memories 』
Ethan did not leave the watchtower for three days.
He read through Silas’s journals by candlelight, his eyes burning, his mind racing. The pages were filled with cramped handwriting—some entries rushed, some deliberate, some stained with what might have been tears.
The first journal began with hope.
"Arthur says I have a talent for strategy. He says I see things others miss. I will not let him down."
The second journal was darker.
"The demons are coming. The scouts report an army of thousands. Arthur wants to fight. I want to run. But I will stand beside him. I always will."
The third journal was where everything changed.
"They came to me in the night. A demon in human skin. It said it would spare our sister if I opened the gates. It said Eleanor would live. It said no one else had to die."
"I believed it."
"I was wrong."