[BL] I Didn't Sign Up For This Chapter 53: In Which We Discover Azryth’s Brother Is A Compl

"There’s sothing else," Mara said, her tone shifting. "While I was pulling these Kael references, I found sothing about you, Azryth."

His expression went carefully neutral. "What about ?"

"Your exile. The official records don’t match the neutral archive records." She moved to a different section, pulling out a slim folder. "These are from the independent archive network, records that can’t be altered because multiple parties maintain copies."

Azryth moved closer, his hand finding mine.

"According to official infernal records," Mara said, opening the folder, "you were exiled for cris against the council. Unauthorized territorial expansion, forced alliances, abuse of power."

"That’s what they claid," Azryth said quietly. "But none of it was true."

"I know." She pulled out a docunt covered in infernal script. "Because three months before your exile, soone filed a sealed petition with the council. A request to have you declared unfit to rule."

Azryth went very still beside .

"The petition argued you were too sympathetic to mortals, too willing to negotiate instead of conquer, too weak for leadership." She showed him the docunt. "It was denied. Twice."

"Who filed it?" Azryth asked, though sothing in his voice suggested he already knew.

"Your brother. Veyrith."

Through the binding, I felt his reaction, cold fury, but also sothing like bitter confirmation. Like he’d suspected but never had proof.

"One week after the second denial," Mara continued carefully, "you were betrayed by Sera."

"I rember," Azryth said, voice flat.

"But here’s what you didn’t know." She pulled out another docunt. "Two days before she poisoned you, Veyrith t with her privately. There’s a record of the eting in the neutral archives, it took place in monitored territory, which is the only reason we have docuntation."

I felt Azryth’s hand tighten on mine.

"What did they discuss?" I asked.

"The archive doesn’t record conversations, just that the eting happened and lasted three hours." Mara t Azryth’s eyes. "Three hours. Two days before she destroyed you."

"He got to her," Azryth said, the words like ice cracking. "Veyrith convinced her, or coerced her, or..."

"We don’t know what leverage he used," Mara said. "But the tiline is damning, he tried twice to remove you legally, when that failed, your most trusted advisor suddenly turned on you."

The temperature in the archive had dropped noticeably. Through the binding, I felt Azryth’s rage, not the hot, explosive kind, but cold and controlled and absolutely murderous.

"Five hundred years," he said quietly. "I spent five hundred years in that amulet because my brother orchestrated my downfall."

"And then took your throne," Henrik added, looking at another docunt. "According to these records, Veyrith assud your position within a month of your exile, he consolidated your territories, absorbed your assets, and claid everything you’d built."

"He’s been ruling for five centuries," Mara said. "Your throne, your influence, your legacy..he took it all."

I looked at Azryth. His expression was perfectly controlled, but through the binding I felt everything underneath, betrayal, fury, grief for what he’d lost, rage at what had been stolen.

"I’m sorry," I said quietly.

"Don’t be." His voice was still cold. "This changes nothing about what we need to do, we were already fighting the Covenant, already closing rifts, already preparing for threats we don’t fully understand."

"But now you know who’s responsible for your exile," Henrik said.

"Now I know." Azryth’s smile was sharp and humorless. "Which ans eventually, when we’ve dealt with the imdiate crisis, when we’ve closed enough rifts and disrupted enough of whatever’s happening, eventually, I’ll deal with Veyrith."

"He has five hundred years of consolidated power," Mara warned. "Resources, armies, political connections, he’s not soone you can just walk up to and challenge."

"I’m aware." Azryth released my hand, but only to pull closer to his side. "But he also thinks I’m still sealed or dead, he doesn’t know I’m free, doesn’t know I’m bound to a Kael warden with an active inheritance seal. We have advantages he doesn’t anticipate."

"You’re planning revenge," I said.

"I’m planning justice." He corrected. "There’s a difference."

Through the binding, I wasn’t entirely sure there was a difference, at least not the way Azryth was feeling right now. His fury was patient, controlled, but absolutely certain.

"For now," Henrik said, "we focus on the imdiate threat. The rifts, the resonance clusters, whatever’s causing the dinsional instability. Veyrith can wait."

"Can he?" I asked, looking at Azryth.

"He can," Azryth said, though his voice was tight. "Because going after him before we’re ready would be suicide, and I didn’t spend five centuries in that amulet just to die in a pointless gesture of vengeance."

"Good," Mara said. "Because we need you focused, two weeks until the first resonance cluster goes critical, that’s our tiline."

"Two weeks," I repeated. "To figure out what this seal does, to train, to close enough rifts that we actually make a difference."

"You’ve already closed one," Henrik pointed out. "Permanently. That’s more than most wardens manage in a lifeti."

"One rift," I said. "Against how many? Forty-seven major ones? Over two hundred minor tears?"

"You start with one," Azryth said. "Then you close another, then another, that’s how you dismantle infrastructure, piece by piece, thodically, until the whole structure collapses."

He was talking about rifts, but through the binding, I felt that he was also talking about his brother’s operation, whatever that turned out to be.

"Okay," I said. "So we train, close rifts, learn what this seal does, and we try very hard not to die in the process."

"That about covers it," Mara said.

"And Veyrith?" I asked, looking at Azryth.

"Later." His voice was absolutely certain. "When we’re ready, when we’re strong enough, when we understand what we’re actually capable of." His hand found mine again. "But yes. Eventually, I’m taking back what he stole."

Through the binding, I felt his cold determination.

My mother had given tools I didn’t understand yet.

Azryth’s brother had given him five hundred years of reasons for revenge.

And sohow, we were supposed to figure out how to close dinsional tears and prevent an apocalypse while processing all of that.

"This is a lot," I said.

"It is," Azryth agreed.

"I an, yesterday I was just worried about not passing out during rift closure. Now we’re talking about dismantling supernatural infrastructure and eventual demon lord confrontations."

"Welco to my life," Azryth said dryly.

"Your life is exhausting."

"It is." But there was sothing almost affectionate in his voice. "But you’re handling it better than most would."

The seal pulsed on my wrist. The binding humd between us.