Chapter 167
Kane's POV
Caspian walked to the map on the wall, his slender fingers sliding across the regional layout of the Iron Bastion. "Stone Ridge Pack is far from united." His voice was low, carrying a suppressed emotion. "Beneath the surface harmony, reformists and conservatives have been at odds for years."
I leaned against the cold stone wall, arms crossed over my chest, watching him expressionlessly. This chamber was filled with intelligence files and maps covered in dense annotations—clearly he'd been secretly investigating something.
"The reformists advocate for open trade and establishing connections with the outside world," Caspian continued, his gaze still fixed on the map. "We believe isolation will only gradually weaken the pack. The conservatives, however, insist that the 'will of the earth' demands seclusion, with the High Priest serving as the oracle's intermediary, controlling the Heart of Earth—the elemental core."
I frowned.
"What does this have to do with me? Your internal conflicts are your own business."
Caspian turned around, those eyes meeting mine directly, a flash of pain in their depths.
"The problem is, my father, Alpha Tormund—once the leader of the reformists—suddenly turned to the conservative faction three years ago, becoming the High Priest's most loyal supporter."
His tone was suffocatingly grave. I could hear this wasn't simply political disagreement, but a son's questioning of his father.
Caspian pulled a dull amber crystal fragment from his coat and held it out to me. "This is a fragment of the Heart of Earth. I found it in the ruins during an earthquake three years ago."
I took the fragment, its rough surface scraping against my fingertips. A faint earth elemental pulse emanated from it, like some dormant power.
"The Heart of Earth isn't a living elemental spirit like Lightning," Caspian explained. "It's a physical core formed by condensed earth elemental power—like a massive, pulsating crystal embedded in the temple at the deepest part of the Iron Bastion."
"The High Priest claims to be the chosen spokesman of the Heart of Earth." His voice dripped with irony. "Able to sense the 'will of the earth' through it, thereby guiding the Alpha's decisions. My father obeys the High Priest without question, even handing over partial military command to the temple guards."
I tightened my grip on the fragment, feeling that residual power. "What are you trying to say?"
Caspian's voice began to tremble. "I suspect... the High Priest is using the Heart of Earth to manipulate my father's will."
That made me narrow my eyes. I'd seen too many people twisted by power, and I'd seen puppets controlled by dark magic. If what Caspian said was true, then this seemingly prosperous underground city might actually be a carefully constructed prison.
"My father used to love hunting on the surface," Caspian continued, a glimmer of memory in his eyes. "But starting three years ago, he refused to leave underground, as if he'd developed some kind of fear of sunlight. He used to care about the goblins and the weak, but now he's completely indifferent to Lucas's pack's disaster." He paused, his voice growing hoarser. "Most disturbing of all, some of his childhood memories have become distorted. For instance... he got the anniversary of my mother's death wrong."
I looked him straight in the eye. "You think your father... isn't your father?"
Caspian remained silent for a long time, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice barely squeezing through clenched teeth.
"I don't dare say that. But his eyes... that's not how you look at a son, Kane. That's how you look at a stranger, a... tool."
"So what?" I asked coldly. "What do you want me to do?"
"Help me uncover the truth," Caspian said, meeting my gaze. "If my father is truly being controlled, or... replaced, I need evidence to overthrow the High Priest's theocratic rule."
I let out a cold laugh. "Why should I take the risk? What can you give me?"
Caspian didn't hesitate. "I can guarantee your people safe residence rights in Stone Ridge, protected from conservative expulsion. Provide weapons, supplies, and training grounds to help rebuild the Lightning Pack's military strength. Once we succeed, I promise to establish a formal alliance with the rebuilt Lightning Pack."
It sounded tempting, but I wasn't a fool. "If we fail, my people will be purged as accomplices."
"If we don't stop the High Priest, Stone Ridge will eventually destroy itself," Caspian said firmly. "When that happens, you won't escape either."
I thought in silence.
He had a point—a pack controlled by conspiracy would collapse sooner or later. And my people had no way out now; if something happened to Stone Ridge, we'd be the first to suffer.
Suddenly, I changed the subject.
"Do you know Alpha Louis?"
Caspian froze, clearly not expecting me to bring up that name. "The Blood River Pack's leader? I know a bit. Why?"
I briefly revealed the intelligence about Louis controlling the lightning element and creating bone spears that could absorb and nullify elemental power.
Caspian's expression grew increasingly grave.
"Louis's goal is to collect all the primordial elements," I said heavily. "He previously used force against the Silver Moon Pack, trying to seize the ice element. Now he's set his sights on Free Haven's wind element. Do you think he'll leave Stone Ridge's earth element alone?"
Caspian clenched his jaw. "You're right. Louis won't sit idle. That's exactly why I need to uncover the truth quickly—if the High Priest really is compromised, when we're divided internally, that's the perfect time for external invasion."
I thought for a moment, then extended my hand. "Deal. But I have two conditions."
Caspian immediately grasped my hand, his palm warm and strong. "Name them."
"First, during the investigation, my people must receive adequate food, medical care, and basic security guarantees. They can't be implicated because of my actions." I stared into his eyes. "Second, if we discover evidence truly detrimental to Alpha Tormund, you must prioritize protecting my people's evacuation rather than forcing them into a civil war."
"I swear in the name of Stone Ridge's eldest son," Caspian said without hesitation. "Your people are under my protection."
We exchanged no further words, only gripping hands tightly.
I could feel the strength in his palm—another person carrying heavy responsibility, conveying a silent promise.
Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly turned back and asked, "If you ultimately discover your father truly... is no longer himself, what will you do?"
Caspian remained silent for a long time, pain flashing in his eyes.
"If he's truly dead, then whatever's living... is just a monster desecrating him. I'll end it with my own hands, then spend the rest of my life atoning."
I thought of my father Ivan, whom I'd never met but who'd been tortured to death, and said quietly, "Some debts can never be repaid in a lifetime."
With that, I turned and pushed open the door, walking into the dark passage.
Behind me, Caspian stood in the dim candlelight, his solitary figure cast on the wall like a prisoner trapped between past and future.
And I knew that starting tonight, I would fight not only for my people's survival, but also to uncover the truth hidden in the depths of this underground city.