'Rebellion.'
The word reverberated through Anthony's mind.
I've done it, he thought, relieved. Made it to the rebel camp! Hopefully this lifts my status with Sora from 'disappointment' to 'useful'!
His friends gasped in unison.
'Re– rebellion?!' Nadine yelped, bewildered. 'I knew this was something shady, but you're actually doing it?'
She looked more pleased than surprised.
Figures. I've only known her a week, but I could tell from day one she's exactly the type to get involved with rebels.
Kaylie said nothing, trying to come to terms with it .
It was Dan who finally spoke. 'Wait… Anthony, you knew about this, didn't you?'
Anthony blinked, caught off guard. What the–? How did he figure that out? I already have an excuse ready, but still…
'You did,' Dan said, looking thoughtful. 'Yesterday. After school, when we were walking through the streets. You started to say something. "Those re…" something. The word was rebels, wasn't it?'
Immediately, Anthony felt the heavy pressure of four pairs of eyes land on him.
…What a nice reminder of a certain someone, he thought, uncomfortable. I've got to get used to this. Just stick to the role. Curious, harmless, a little clueless, but not dim. That's all I have to be.
'I wasn't sure,' he admitted. 'I just heard some whispers back in Rimont. Something might be going on in the capital. That somebody could be trying to start a… you-know-what. Thought it might be connected.'
'Why didn't you tell us anything? I'm sure you know Nadine would've been thrilled to hear it,' Kaylie said, voice softer than usual.
He shrugged. 'Didn't want to get reported. Or sound insane. It's not like I had any proof. Besides, there's no way I could've known we'd end up here.'
Lena frowned. 'How'd that kind of rumour make it all the way down south? Our informants are constantly listening out every day for any mentions of us, but nothing so far.'
'Oh, it was just the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend-of-an-obscure-relative kind of thing,' Anthony said with a nervous laugh. 'Probably someone visiting family here saw something.'
Lena didn't look convinced, but she dropped it. 'If you say so. Anyway, you're supposed to meet with the boss of our little group. Follow me.'
They made their way forward, past the tents. The people going in and out stopped to look with wary, but passionate eyes.
Anthony tried not to stare. He hadn't really known what to expect. Camouflage, maybe stolen weapons. Some kind of sleek operation that would justify Sora sending him instead of simply handling it himself.
To the left, a haggard-looking man sat on a log, quietly patching a ripped jacket. On the right, an elderly woman stacked mysterious boxes.
Is this it?
The rebels weren't a violent force bent on ripping Laurelian apart. Instead, they were just a single scattered camp deep in a forest. People, all clinging to a single goal.
Honestly, they don't look dangerous at all.
I was expecting more.
But maybe that was the point. Maybe they didn't want to intimidate.
In other countries, he'd read, leaders had to rely on constant propaganda to stay powerful. Posters, slogans, patriotic songs. But in Laurelian, there was no such thing.
The King didn't need to rule through visible force. Not anymore. People simply vanished when they crossed the line. Silently, without warning. Nobody questioned it; no one could.
He rarely appeared in public– barely even left his office, for that matter. Never demanded devotion, nor begged for blind trust. The only thing he cared about was obedience.
If Anthony didn't know him personally, he might've wondered if all the myths surrounding him were exaggerated. But he did know him. And somehow, that only made it worse.
People feared him openly, and hated him more quietly. There were no chants in classrooms, no portraits in every hall. Only silence, a dread that ran deeper than anyone could remember.
And the rebels understood that. Fear would do most of the work.
After all, there wasn't a single Laurelian citizen who didn't already know who the villain was.
Sora.
Anthony almost tripped as the group came to an abrupt stop outside the largest tent. A flap of canvas swung open ahead of them.
Inside, two men and a woman were standing over a table in the centre, arguing.
'I've brought them,' Lena announced, striding up and slamming her hand on the table.
The trio straightened instantly.
The woman– clearly the one in charge– looked up. Her dark, curly hair was pulled into a loose knot, her sleeves rolled, hands calloused with hard work. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, she appeared more alive than anyone Anthony had ever seen.
Excluding Kieran, of course.
'Ah, there you are, Lena,' she said brightly. Then, turning to the group, added, 'I'm going to assume Lena's already told you what we are, so, welcome!'
'Yeah, kind of hard to miss the whole "creepy camp in the woods" vibe,' the younger man quipped, grinning. He grabbed the other man by the arm and ushered him past Anthony and the others, out of the tent.
'We'll leave you the questions and introductions,' the other man called.
The woman nodded and smiled. 'Thanks, Connor, Henry. Well, come closer. I bet you're all dying to know more. First of all, I'm Marie.'
Nadine was the first to step up. 'So… you guys are rebels.'
'Yep.'
'How? How long's this been going on, how haven't you been caught, why we're even here… Tell us everything!' Nadine demanded.
'Those are all pretty fair things to ask,' Marie said cheerfully. She moved closer to the table and leaned over a worn, hand-drawn map of Laurelian, motioning them to join her.
'Our little rebellion officially started about four months ago. Mid-November, to be exact. We'd been talking about it for a while, but that's when we decided to make it real.'
Mid-November. Makes sense.
'It's not like we're openly trying to tear it all down,' she went on, giving a wink. 'We've got a long way to go before we can even think about that. But for now, we're just trying to help people.'
Her smile dimmed for a moment.
'We hide those who've gotten on the wrong side of the law. You know, people in trouble for expressing a forbidden opinion in public, asking too many questions, that kind of thing. We try to rescue as many as we can… but law enforcement moves fast.'
She paused, watching their reactions.
'And as for why you're here… well, our recruiters have been keeping an eye out for people who aren't afraid to go against the rules,' she said, gesturing to Nadine, Kaylie, and Dan. 'You three stood out.'
Then her gaze shifted to Anthony.
'And you, Anthony– well, when we saw how you seemed to share the same fire, our school guys got a bit too excited. I guess they were happy to see someone their own age who still cared enough to question anything. So, yeah… you probably noticed them staring.'
She calls what they did just 'staring'? My god, it felt like being haunted by a vengeful ghost. If rebel schoolkids are that intense, I can't imagine what the rest of them are like.
Marie's expression turned serious. 'We don't just think the system is cruel. We know it's designed to keep us all trapped, for our entire lives. It was never about peace or safety. Whoever built this system only ever wanted control.'
The friends exchanged glances.
'But we don't know who built it,' Dan murmured.
'Exactly. That's another thing I wanted to mention: our history. Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't, but there are little gaps in the story. Parts that just… aren't explained.'
'Like the King and the Guardians…!' Kaylie gasped.
'One day, a few years ago, a friend of mine who works at the palace found something. Evidence that things aren't as they seem. It was an ancient letter, written by… Raith.'
Raith? Anthony thought, surprised. Wasn't he one of the worst Guardians?
'It was dated 1547, about a year before he was killed. My friend showed it to me. From what you're taught, you probably know he was violent and unhinged. But the way he wrote? He didn't sound like a monster. He sounded funny. Caring.'
She sighed. 'It was addressed to someone named Halina. Maybe a friend of his. He teased her, joked about Iselda Revin… and just didn't write the way you'd expect him to.'
Anthony stayed quiet.
Raith, Iselda, Guardians, King. Those were just names and dates he'd memorised for school, facts he'd never really thought about. But suddenly, those facts felt a little thin.
He could almost hear Sora's voice in his mind: Their ideas are dangerous. Their aim is to get inside your head and twist what you know to be true.
'I always thought something was off, in each and every one of those history lessons,' Nadine muttered, arms crossed. 'Everything's so one-sided. And they never explained why Sora got to be the King.'
Kaylie nodded slowly. 'If Raith really wasn't what we're taught, then… is the rest of it a lie, too?'
Marie's eyes lit up. 'You want to know more, right? Because we do. Join us– help us uncover the truth.'
'We need you,' Lena added, startling everyone who'd forgotten she was there. Her voice was quieter, sincere.
'I know it's a lot. You don't have to decide right this second. Think it over. But know this– we're serious. We'll do whatever it takes for change.'
Lena checked her watch. 'That's it for today. It's already past five, so you'll probably need to go now to make it back before curfew. If you're interested, come meet me at that bench tomorrow at twelve. Come on, I'll show you the way back.'
Marie waved gently as they turned to leave silently.
'And hey– just don't go talking about us to your family. This is risky business, after all.'
The flap of the tent closed behind them.
Anthony stepped into the cold forest air and exhaled. The sound of birds and distant wind was strange after the intensity of what he'd just heard.
They walked back, discussing what to do in low voices. By the time Anthony reached the palace, the sky had already turned dark.
He returned to his room. School papers and clothes were scattered across the desk and floor.
I've got to clean up before I leave tomorrow.
He sat on the edge of his bed, mind flooded with exhaustion. Will Sora kill me if I wait a bit before reporting to him…? I don't feel like dealing with him right now.
The room was bright, but it only drained his energy further. He leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
They want change. They want truth.
And I'm the one who has to stop them.
He let out a breath and put his hand over his eyes. No, not stop. Report. That's all I have to do.
Still, the thought of going to Sora tonight made his chest feel tight.
He'd have to go eventually. Sora didn't like waiting.
But for now… just a few more minutes.