Chapter 26: One's Truth, Another's Deception

Waver clung desperately to the side of Rider's chariot. His sweaty palms were pressed dangerously close to the blades that lined the chariot's edges, but he was far more concerned with not falling to his death in the middle of Rider's joyride across the clouds.

With his head bent down, Waver's eyes spun in circles. His stomach soured and he felt the urge to vomit out his dinner. But out of sheer stubbornness, Waver adamantly refused to make a fool of himself again aboard Rider's chariot. He had to preserve what little remained of his prestige as a Master in the Holy Grail War.

When he finally felt the sweet stability of ground beneath the chariot's wheels, Waver rejoiced. The restraint he had over his mouth relaxed and he sensed the unmistakable sensation of bile climbing up his throat. He clamped his hands over his lips and swallowed down the acidic slurry in the last minute.

"Blah!" he coughed a puff of hot air out. He glared fiercely at his Servant with tears in his eyes. The big oaf was too busy laughing at something Caster had said to even acknowledge his Master. He heaved a weary sigh and just thanked the ride had been fairly shorter than the last.

"Oh?" Rider turned his head and grinned slyly. "You managed to stay awake this time, eh, boy?" he asked in genuine surprise.

"Of course, I did," Waver barked back defensively. "I am your Master after all, I can handle a little–" he broke off midsentence and covered his mouth again to swallow another load of bile.

Rider broke out into another fit of laughter at the sight of his little Master getting his act together. He slapped the boy's back roughly, doing his best to hold back but still earning a yelp from the lad. "You'll get the hang of it soon, boy! My first few expeditions had a few sore spots as well," he comforted lightly.

It took a few seconds, but Waver managed to appease his stomach through sheer force of will. Once he was certain he was fine, he glared at his Servant indignantly. He wanted nothing more than to get off the chariot and give his Servant a piece of his mind. But they were deep in enemy territory right now and he had to admit that Rider's chariot was the safest place for him.

"Have you two settled down now?" Caster's voice interrupted. Waver got to his feet in the chariot and noted the other Servant standing a few feet away from them in a formal black suit. A skinny man in a hooded jersey followed behind Caster.

"Ohh? Is that your Master with you, Caster?" Rider regarded the man behind Caster. He looked sickly thin, as if a gentle breeze were enough to knock him off his feet. Rider would never have imagined such a man would be Caster's Master.

"Yes," Caster replied, nodding his head. "If we're going to have a serious talk, it's only right that both our Masters be present," he said not shying away from Rider and Waver's appraising eyes.

"Matou Kariya, Master of Caster. It's a pleasure to meet you both, Rider Iskandar and Waver Velvet," Kariya introduced himself formally. He kept his back straight and his eyes forward, doing his best to command even a shred of respect.

"You know my name," Waver noted, feeling both wary and pleased that he was recognized.

"Well, Lord El-Melloi called you out the night before. So, your name's no secret," Kariya said wryly.

Waver groaned internally at the thought of his former professor. That man was the very picture of a sadistic instructor that was the bane of many students back in the Clock Tower. Waver felt a measure of relief that he was dealing with a man like Matou Kariya than Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

Caster coughed into his hand, catching everyone's attention. "Now that everyone's been introduced, I believe we should begin our discussion soon," Caster regarded Rider and Waver with his eyes. "We've prepared a more appropriate space to conduct our talks, away from the temple."

Rider frowned. "Oh? I was looking forward to getting to see what a temple to the gods in the Far East would look. Surely, there's some room inside the temple we could use?" Rider propositioned, not hiding his disappointment.

Caster looked at the King of Conquerors. If a layman were to set aside the massive war chariot he was standing in, they would only see a large Mediterranean man, in a tightfitting shirt with a Japanese game brand on it, staring at the temple with curious eyes. He was the picture of a tourist on a sightseeing spree.

Caster shook his head. "I've asked the monks to hit the sack early tonight, but I still don't think it's right for two Servants to make a mess of their temple. Besides, I guarantee that our choice of venue is of significant relevance to the both of you."

"Oh?" That caught Rider's attention. He detected something funny in the works. "Then lead the way, Caster," he said, dismissing his chariot in a flash of lightning. Rider landed on the ground on his feet with a solid stance. Waver, however, scrambled to keep himself upright and landed less gracefully on all fours.

Waver pushed himself up and waved frantically at his Servant, "Are you crazy, Rider? Don't dismiss your chariot without warning like that! And what do you mean, 'lead the way'? What if it's a trap? We'd need your chariot at the ready at any moment!" he went off like a broken faucet, spilling out whatever concern came to mind.

But Rider just smiled flatly at his Master. "We are here for a talk, not a duel. And even if this is a trap or a fight breaks out, do you really think I could lose?" he asked without a shadow of uncertainty.

Waver's left eye twitched at his Servant's unwavering confidence. He recognized there was some truth to Rider's words, but he couldn't bring himself to relax when he saw how his Servant compared to Caster. While the other Servant was dressed in a sharp formal suit, Waver's own Servant was dressed like a sweaty gamer touching grass for the first time in a long time.

"Rest assured, Waver Velvet. Your Servant is correct. This isn't a trap, but a negotiation," Caster insisted with a smirk. He smiled faintly at the teenage magus. "You shouldn't treat the might of the King Conquerors so lightly. I know I'm not," he said ambiguously.

Waver searched Caster's face for any sign of deception. But something about the Servant unnerved Waver. There was a certain disarming charm around Caster. It was like there was a subtle voice at the back of Waver's head whispering that he could trust Caster with his life. Waver immediately doubted himself. Was this some kind of hypnosis spell? Caster was, after all, a magus. Unlike the other Servants, he should be familiar with all sorts of high-level magecraft.

Just as Waver raised his guard around Caster, he noticed something disrupt the Caster's calm façade. His amiable smile morphed into an ugly frown. He clicked his tongue and cast a silent look to Kariya standing behind him.

Kariya stiffened for a minute before quickly drawing back a few feet with a wordless nod. Caster then looked at Rider and Waver with an inconvenient expression. "My apologies. It seems we have some uninvited guests."

Rider narrowed his eyes dangerously, scanning the dark canopies of trees around the temple. Waver held his breath and asked, "What do you mean?"

Caster shook his head carelessly. "Just a few rats who didn't learn their lesson last night," he said, firing up some magic circuits on his left arm. "You won't raise a hand if I deal with them, King of Conquerors?"

Rider chuckled, bearing his white teeth. "No, I'd rather sit back and watch you work, Caster." He thought it was only fair given the fact Caster had hardly lifted a finger in the fight at the docks last night. Also, these guests weren't invited to their meeting. As the host, Caster had the right to deal with them as he saw fit.

"Very well," Caster said, lowering his voice to a cold whisper. His steely eyes surveyed the slight movements in the treetops.

One, two, three of them. Given the terrain and their abilities from before. Their responses will most likely follow those paths. If they choose the opposite, then it would be it that. Then if I attack with this, then that…

"Trace on," he muttered, swiping his left hand across the trees, and launching several projections simultaneously. They appeared seemingly out of nowhere, dagger-shaped constructs of bright blue energy that homed in on their targets. In an instance, explosions broke out across the trees and three shadowy figures were forced out of hiding.

Three Assassin Servants in their trademark black robes and white skull masks were sent flying into the air. Their lithe figures bounced off the debris from Caster's attack and moved quickly, weaving through mess of dirt and tree branches in the air. They threw their knives at Caster and Rider's Masters.

But Rider just swatted them away with a wave of electricity and Caster projected a few blades to deflect Assassin's knives away from Kariya.

But even before they saw their first wave of attacks fail, the Assassins had pressed on with their assault. They coordinated a three-pronged attack towards Rider and Caster, coming at the two Servants from different angles all at once. With their speed and dexterity, even if they couldn't take down a Servant, they should've been able to kill at least one Master. That was their assumption. It was just a shame that as soon as their feet touched the ground, all three Assassins flinched in pain.

Blood erupted from the soles of their feet. They looked down in horror as they saw the jagged tips of swords jutting through their legs, rendering them immobile. They struggled to free themselves in a frenzy, but before they could even lift a finger, Caster launched another volley of swords. Their white skull masks cracked helplessly in the face of overwhelming force. Blood sprinkled into the air, falling down like rain on the sacred grounds of Ryuudou Temple. The once clean mountain air was replaced by the stench of iron and blood.

Of the four on the scene, only Waver reacted the most violently. He took a step back instinctively. His mouth hung loose and agape, twitching. It all happened too quickly. His mind was reeling to keep up with it the sudden turn of events.

Rider, however, simply stroked his chin. His narrowed eyes carefully drank in everything that just transpired. What Waver's human eyes had struggled to keep up with was crystal clear to his wealth of experience and insight. "Hoh... I see," Rider murmured to himself, nodding. "The Assassins literally fought on enemy soil. Huh, interesting," he remarked with a twinkle in his eyes.

In a stark contrast to his Servant's calm analysis of the situation, Waver panicked at the revelation. He eyed the ground beneath him warily. Could he also be standing on a mass of buried swords? He turned to his Servant frantically. "R-rider! Quick! Your chariot, your chariot!" he blathered, wanting his Servant to bring out his chariot again.

But Rider just turned a deaf ear and laughed off the boy's concern. He was surprised, but he wasn't intimidated. "That was quite the opening act, Caster. Do you have any other surprises?" he asked curiously.

"I wonder about that," Caster said, releasing a sigh. He relaxed his stance and smiled amiably at Rider. "In any case, I'm glad it was to your liking, King of Conquerors." He patted some dust off his shoulder and sent everyone in the temple courtyard a look. "Shall we change venues then? I'll clean up this mess later."

The rest of them took Caster's words to mean that the matter with Assassin was already settled. So, Kariya moved first, leading the way. The group moved deeper into the temple grounds, turning their backs to the three disfigured corpses on the ground. Their bodies steadily returned to the shadows wistfully.

Kiritsugu blew out a small cloud of cold air. The night sky was especially chilly tonight. And standing at the top of the Einzbern Castle, Kiritsugu felt the brunt of that unforgiving cold. His skin stiffened under his thick black coat. Kiritsugu clutched his arms tightly, staring down into he foggy forest below. His thoughts murky and confusing, just like the mist before him.

He heard a familiar cadence of footsteps to his right. Even without having to look up, Kiritsugu could recognize those footsteps anywhere. His heart picked up a beat.

"Iri," he greeted his wife without a ghost of emotion.

"Kiritsugu," Irisviel said, walking up to her husband slowly. "Why did you say that to Saber? That wasn't like you," she probed sternly.

There was a rare chastising sentiment behind her words. Kiritsugu could count the number of times Iri had opposed him on one hand. She must've been truly upset with him. Were his wife and Servant especially close?

Iri waited patiently, but instead of answering, Kiritsugu only narrowed his eyes. He gritted his teeth and clutched the sleeves of his coat even tighter. "If I…" he began weakly. His eyes grew even murkier. "If I ran away now without any hesitation, would you be willing to follow me, Iri?" he asked briskly.

The question came out of nowhere, startling Irisviel for a moment. "What about Illya?" she voiced the first concern that came to her mind. "What about our little girl still at the castle?"

"I'd take her back," Kiritsugu answered instantly. His eyes smoldered with pitch black hatred. "If anyone dares to stop me, I'd kill them." A kind of delirious panic spread across Kiritsugu's face as he continued. "After that, you and Illya would be my entire world."

Irisviel considered the notion. She placed her hand over her chest, feeling the rapid beating of her heart. It was running at a pace that even her driving couldn't compare. "Can we really escape?" she asked, afraid to even hope.

"We can!" Kiritsugu cried out in a fragile, defiant voice. He closed his eyes, imagining all the probable scenarios playing out. But he could only see a thick mist of despair. Still, he pushed past that, desperately searching for a happy ending in an endless ocean of darkness. He thought that if there was even the faintest possibility, he could make it a reality.

But no matter how far he searched, how deep he looked, all he could find was disappointment.

"You're lying," Irisviel refuted with the truth.

Kiritsugu opened his eyes in despair. He could see clearly now, and for that, he despaired.

"You're lying," Irisviel continued to deny his pipe dream. She embraced him from behind, enveloping all of him with all of her. She whispered into his ears the truth he was afraid of. "You can't run away. If you abandon the Holy Grail War and turn your back on saving the world, you would never be able to forgive yourself."

Tears stained the edge of Irisviel's eyes. She nestled her head affectionately to her husband's back. "You'd be the first and last to judge yourself, and that would kill you."

Kiritsugu contemplated his own death. He had done so countless times in the past. But it was only recently that he truly dreaded his death, for he now had a clear picture of who would most likely be the death of him.

"I'm scared," Kiritsugu confessed. Not daring to look at his wife in the face, he kept his eyes to the night sky. "That man… Kotomine Kirei is after me. I heard from Maiya. That man used Kayneth to bait me out. He could read my every move."

A morbid sense of humor ached Kiritsugu's heart. His chest trembled as he ruminated on his recent actions.

"I sacrificed you to fight in this war and left Illya behind. But now, the most dangerous man has made me his target. And he is the one person I don't want to face the most!" Kiritsugu admitted frankly. "The scales of this war are in his favor. Even the overseer is sheltering him despite his Servant being still alive!" he raved bitterly.

He had sacrificed so much and yet now, the prize he sought had been jeopardized. All by one godless apostle of the church.

Irisviel listened patiently to her husband's worries. She felt his pulse quicken and she felt his breath run ragged. She pressed her hand gently on his back. "I won't let you fight alone. I will protect you. Saber will protect you. Also, Maiya is here too," she promised with her every being. They would stay with him to the end.

Kiritsugu knew his wife was trying to comfort him. She was trying to say he wasn't alone, but he only felt more dread at the thought of more lives being placed in his hands. Iri was his wife and Maiya was his confidant. How much would it take for him to determine that their deaths would be the most efficient decision? That their deaths would be his best shot at winning the Holy Grail War?

He felt the urge to apologize to his wife. It wasn't the first time he felt such an urge, but given their situation, he knew how worthless an apology from him was.

Just as he swallowed down the urge to apologize, Kiritsugu felt Irisviel twitch behind him.

"Kiritsugu!" she called out his name hastily.

He already knew what it was. He hardened his heart, throwing away any shred of hesitation he had. He asked, "Is there an enemy?"

With the interlopers eliminated, Caster could relax a bit more. He routinely swept away reconnaissance familiars the other Masters sent to Ryuudou Temple, but tonight's spies had been a rank higher than the usual lot.

Caster had mixed feelings about offing the three Assassins the way he did. On the one hand, he was most certainly not about to let enemy Servants spy on his actions. But on the other hand, he also hated to reveal his cards too early in the Holy Grail War. That fact that Caster had actually buried swords beneath the Ryuudou Temple grounds was a detail he wished had stayed secret. In the right circumstance, it could've been the difference between victory or defeat, a real trump card.

But in spite of this, Caster had been left with no other choice but to reveal his hand. It was the only sure-fire way to get rid of Assassin in a quick, intimidating manner. It was a real shame. Caster wished only the worst for Assassin's Master, whoever they were.

"Is this where you wanted to take us?" Rider asked as they reached a clearing. A small stream of ran across the forest floor as runoff from the nearby lake. If one followed the water's path, they would see an entrance to a cave at its end.

"Not quite. Our destination is further deep," Caster answered as he forged ahead, dragging a silent Kariya behind him.

Seeing how the two entered the cave so naturally, Waver grew anxious. He glanced at his Servant uncomfortably.

"Rider…" Waver murmured reluctantly. He wasn't excited about the prospect of entering an enclosed space with a Caster and his Master. He'd much rather prefer they out stay in the open.

But alas, Rider was blind to his Master's concerns. He was much too interested in what Caster had in store for them to fret about their safety. He stepped foot into the cave without question and immediately felt something different in the air. Waver also paused when he entered the cave. His eyes widened when he saw the extent of the cave.

Despite the small opening on the outside, the interior of the cave was incredibly spacious. And the further they went, the greater the open space came to be. The whole cavern was covered in stalagmites jutting up the floor and stalactites hanging from above. The thick layer of moss growing on the walls bathed the entire cave in a faint green light.

It took Waver's eyes a minute to adjust to the new level of darkness in the cave, but even then, he could only see a few steps ahead of him without having to fear he'd hit his head against a something. The severe lack of visibility in the cave was disconcerting.

However, no matter how dark the cave got, Caster continued moving forward, his stride never slowing. He looked perfectly confident, as if he were already used to walking through pitch black darkness.

Rider and Waver followed Caster and Kariya through the complex cave system. The path was rugged and winding, but strangely neither of them felt it confusing which step to take next. Even without Caster in the lead, it was clear which direction they ought to take, as if something inside the cave was drawing them forward.

They eventually entered a large chamber. They must've reached the heart of the mountain because Waver could see that the ceiling above them reached a towering height. The cave floor in the chamber was congested with giant stalagmites akin to the fangs of a massive beast. Moreover, there was an actual path that clearly cut through the center of the room and at the end of that path was a tall platform carved out of the mountain rocks. The entire chamber was illuminated by a strange purplish light, so Waver could see what was placed at the center of the platform.

A tall slab of stone stood in the middle of the room. Its body was carved with intricate magic formulas.

"That is…" Waver's words trailed off as he already came to the answer before he finished asking.

"The Holy Grail," Caster said as he walked up to the platform, stopping in the middle of a small plateau beneath it. "Or at least, it's the magic circle for the Greater Holy Grail. Once enough Servants have been slain, the magical energy from them would be used to summon the Holy Grail. That Holy Grail will then act as the key to fulfill the Greater Grail's true purpose."

"True purpose?" Rider asked. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the Greater Grail and then studied the look on Caster's face. "What do you mean?"

Caster wore a wry smile. "As both a magus and a Servant, I understood after studying the magic circles for the Greater Grail. I learned of the true purpose behind the so-called Holy Grail War. The grand free-for-all battle royale where the last surviving Master and Servant pair win an omnipotent wish-granting device, that's just a façade to bait gullible Masters and Servants into joining the ritual."

Rider's face immediately grew severe. His usual jovial demeanor was replaced by a growing scowl. "What do you mean?" he asked, arching his brows gravely.

"The three founding families of the Holy Grail War, Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Matou," Caster chuckled, glancing at Kariya. "All of them were proper respectable magus families. It's only natural that the ritual they devised would be designed to achieve the goal all mages aspire to, the Root."

Waver reacted drastically at this piece of information. His eyes trembling as his eyes trained on the Greater Grail. "The Root?"

"Yes, the Swirl of the Root, Akasha," Caster said, nodding. He blinked at Waver's shaken look, flashing a knowing smile. "As a magus yourself, Waver Velvet, surely you should understand their train of thought. Doesn't it seem perfectly magus-like logic?"

"Y-yeah, for a magus, reaching the Root would mean reaching the pinnacle of magecraft and entering the realm of True Magic," Waver blurted out, his voice trembling with excitement.

"So? Does that mean the promised wish on the Holy Grail for the victor was all a lie?" Rider asked harshly. He didn't care about all this talk of reaching the Root or True Magic. He only wanted to know if his prize was fake.

"Oh, no, it's still quite real," Caster said, shaking his head casually. "The Holy Grail that magic circle over there summons is still a device that holds a tremendous amount of magical energy. The Holy Grail is a tool designed for wishcraft, so if you make a wish, it should still do its best to grant the wish."

"Then, why did you go and call all that a façade?" Rider pressed on. His gut was telling him that currently, Caster was not telling any falsehoods.

"The problem is that even if only one Servant remains at the end of the Holy Grail War, that Servant's wish may still not be granted by the Holy Grail if the Master betrays them. For you see, for the path to the Root to open, all seven Servants must be sacrificed to the Holy Grail, even the winning Master's Servant," Caster explained with a light smile. His eyes drifted towards Kariya at his side.

Rider as well, glanced at his own Master in doubt. He couldn't imagine the little beansprout beating him in a fight, but if the boy used those command seals on his hand. "I see. So that's why all the Masters are given command seals."

"As expected of the King of Conquerors," Caster said, sighing in feigned admiration. "If the last Master has even one command seal left by the end of the war, they could simply order their Servant to commit suicide and fulfill their wildest wish of reaching the Root," he explained with mischievous spite, locking eyes with Waver Velvet.

"E-eh?" Waver blurted, feeling the tense atmosphere centering around him. He noticed Rider's contemplative gaze and seized up. "I-I would never–"

"Never what, Waver Velvet?" Caster interrupted. He sneered down at the young man. "Would you never betray your Servant to reach the Root? This could be your only shot to make a name for yourself in the Clock Tower. Can you really swear, right here and now, that you would never be tempted to sacrifice Rider's wish for your own?"

"I-I–" Waver nervously stammered. He hastily wanted to say yes, but Caster's gaze was so piercing that he ended up second-guessing himself. He searched inside himself and couldn't admit on the spot, that he would never betray Rider.

"That's enough, Caster," Rider interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Caster. "I understand the gist of it now. Don't press the boy any further," he warned gruffly.

"Oh, my apologies. It wasn't my intention to sow any discord between you and your Master, Rider," Caster said, now in a much more relaxed manner.

However, in spite of Caster's pleasant demeanor, a wave of killing intent immediately surged from his person, targeting everyone in the room. Waver hastily took a step back and Rider tensed, clenching his fists. Even Kariya a backed away from Caster.

"What is the meaning of this, Caster? Are the talks over already? Are we fighting now?" Rider asked in anticipation. He wore a face that said he was ready to blow off some steam with a good fight.

Caster though just laughed off Rider's excitement. "On the contrary," he said, pulling out a pair of knives from his coat pocket. "This is where the talks really begin."

The killing intent filling the room instantly died down a level. Rider furrowed his brows, refusing to let his guard down. He had already drawn out his own blade, the Sword of Kupriotes.

"Now, now, King of Conquerors, these knives aren't for fighting. They're for talking," he said laxly to diffuse the situation.

"Knives for talking?" Rider asked back doubtfully, raising a brow.

"Indeed. You can consider these knives to be a part of my Noble Phantasm. They act as absolute lie detectors. The way they work is that the whoever holds one of the knives must always tell the truth. If they ever claim one falsehoods, then the knives will reveal the person's deception by releasing a wave of killing intent," Caster explained diligently.

Caster smiled faintly as he clutched one knife in each of his hands. "What you experienced just now was a taste of how the knives work. Here, try one for yourself," he said, throwing one knife in front of Rider's feet.

The knife dug into the ground. Its pristine steel blade pierced through the stone floor with ease. Waver drew back belatedly. Caster had moved faster than his eyes could keep up. He realized he was well within Caster's striking distance even from so far away.

"R-rider!" Waver again called out to his Servant in a panic.

But again Rider just ignored his Master's concerns and approached the knife. He picked it up with a casual tug and narrowed his eyes at its simple modern design. It didn't have an old ornamental design like a Noble Phantasm would.

"I see. So, these knives are your way of proving you said no lies tonight, Caster?" Rider asked curiously.

"Correct," Caster answered confidently.

"Then, I'll have a go at it too," Rider said, clutching the knife tightly in his hands. He suck in a breath of air before loudly proclaiming, "My name True Name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors! I had katsudon for the dinner tonight and it was delicious! I asked permission before I used the boy's wallet to order a video game online today!"

Rider's powerful voice reverberated across the chamber. There was no reaction from the knife for the first half of Rider's statements. But when Rider finished his last sentence, the same familiar wave of killing intent emanated from the knife, startling Waver who stood right beside Rider.

"Oh! It does work," Rider gasped in delight.

Waver, however, froze when he finally registered the last sentence Rider tested. "Wait, what? You did? When? Rider!" he flailed his arms angrily at his free-spirited Servant. But Rider only laughed, keeping his Master at bay with his free hand.

Caster smirked. The power dynamic between the Master and Servant was something to watch. Still, he had to interrupt. "So? What do you think? Can we begin our talks with these knives?" he asked.

"Fine by me," Rider agreed, nodding his head. He pushed aside his flaky Master and locked eyes with Caster and then with Kariya. "What do you have to say?"

If they went through the trouble of preparing lie-detecting countermeasures, then they must have a lot to say that they want to prove was true.

"I have a proposal, Rider," Caster declared. His steel grays eyes lit up with a fiery resolve. "Join hands with me and we'll take this Holy Grail War."

The knife in Caster's hands remained quiet, asserting his honesty. Caster truly and wholeheartedly believed it was possible.

Author's Note:

It took a bit longer for me to get this out than I initially planned. But as promised, here's the new chapter. I'm not entirely happy with it, so I might fix it up in the future, but I already promised to get it out within one week of the previous chapter, so this is it for now.

I'm glad the title came together in the end: "One's Truth, Another's Deception". I really had trouble with coming up with something until I rewrote the last sentence. Caster's trying to get Rider to believe him, while he's obviously cherry-picking the details he gives. Kiritsugu deceives himself into thinking he could still turn back, when deep down, he already knows it's too late for him and his family.

The main body of the next chapter is already written. I just have to edit it until I'm happy enough with it. I'll give myself a week for the next upload since it's longer than all the previous chapters.

Also, it's really great to see familiar names in the reviews. It's a relief to know that this story has some level of audience-retention to it. The numbers of Followers and Favorites for the story don't mean much if none of those people actually still read the story. So, thanks for all the reviews. I really appreciate it.

If you're feeling generous and can afford the trouble, would you buy me a coffee please? (ko-fi dot com slash dhaturas).

Thanks for reading.