Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 255: Naive

"Why?"

Kalakuta’s voice breaks on the single word, and I feel something twist in my chest.

Genuine pain.

Not for myself, but for him.

"Why did you do all this?" he continues, each word seeming to cost him tremendous effort. "Why betray me? After everything we’ve been through together... brother, why?"

I look at him—truly look at him—slumped against the throne he fought so hard to claim. His body is destroyed, his spirit on the verge of breaking, and yet there’s still that fire in his remaining eye. That unquenchable spark that made me believe, even for a moment, that his impossible dream might actually succeed.

But belief and reality are different things.

"Because your ideals, while grand, are fundamentally misguided," I say, keeping my voice gentle despite the harshness of my words. "You’re too naive, Kalakuta. Your plan was never going to work. Not in this world. Not with these people."

"What are you—"

"Take the Freedom Fighters as an example," I interrupt, gesturing vaguely toward the sounds of slaughter outside. "Look at what they became. Look at what you created."

I step closer, my eyes never leaving his face.

"You wanted to show me the nature of freedom, but instead, you revealed the true nature of humanity. Humans are inherently selfish creatures, Kalakuta. Every single one of us. Even you, as you yourself finally admitted on the battlefield."

He tries to speak, but I continue.

"But here’s what you missed in your grand revelation about personal freedom: humans don’t just want freedom. They also desire—no, they need—a higher power regulating them. Without structure, without authority, without something external to guide and constrain them, they self-destruct."

I think about the reports I’ve received over the past months. Information Kalakuta never saw because I made sure of it.

These are things I know because of my connection to the Dark Guild.

"Do you know what’s been happening in the ’liberated’ nations? The Western Continent would have been controlled by different factions known as the Nine Great Corporations. The Eastern Sects have slowly begun to show signs of chaos now that the Sect Leaders are no longer there to control and distribute resources. There is now constant fighting, and the freed people immediately enslaved others who were weaker. The Northern Continent has seen more deaths from internal conflict in the past six months than in the previous decade of authoritarian rule."

Kalakuta’s eye widens slightly.

He didn’t know.

Of course he didn’t.

"Humans want something to blame," I explain, crouching down so we’re at eye level. "They want to attribute their actions to external forces—to kings, to gods, to fate, to systems. It gives them comfort. It absolves them of responsibility. But they also want the illusion of freedom. The false sense that they’re making their own choices."

I pause, letting that sink in.

"True freedom—the kind you dreamed of—can never come from external actions. Not from breaking chains. Not from tearing down governments. Not from killing kings. Freedom only comes through introspection and personal discovery. And most people? Most people don’t want to do that work. They’d rather be told what to do while believing they’re free."

"That’s... that’s not..." Kalakuta struggles to form words.

"These same people you liberated are already reverting to their old practices," I continue, my voice soft but relentless. "They’re creating new hierarchies. New chains. New systems of oppression. Because that’s what humans do. They bind themselves, again and again, because the weight of true freedom is unbearable."

I stand, looking down at him.

"And right now? The only reason they haven’t completely reverted is because they fear you. They comply with your vision of freedom not because they believe in it, but because Kalakuta the Legend, Kalakuta the Breaker of Chains, Kalakuta the Ebony Giant will punish them if they don’t."

The realization dawns on his face, and I see the exact moment it breaks something inside him.

"You’ve become what you hate most," I say, and I genuinely wish I didn’t have to be the one to tell him this. "A dictator. You’re restricting people from binding themselves under governments, corrupt or otherwise. You’re forcing them to be free according to your definition. You’ve replaced one form of tyranny with another."

"No..." The word is barely a whisper.

"I tried to believe in your cause," I admit, and this part is true. "I genuinely did. When I first met you, I thought perhaps this world could be different. That maybe your conviction could overcome human nature itself."

I turn away, unable to watch his face as I continue.

"But I noticed the cracks. The way the movement began to splinter. The way people followed you out of fear or fanatical devotion rather than genuine understanding. The way your closest allies started to question privately while supporting you publicly. I realized this wasn’t the best situation for the world. It was just... different tyranny wearing freedom’s mask."

"When?" Kalakuta’s voice is stronger now, anger beginning to overcome despair. "When did you plan this?"

I look back at him, and I decide to give him this much. Complete honesty.

"From the very beginning."

His eye widens.

"From the moment I understood what you were and what you wanted to achieve, I knew I couldn’t beat you in direct confrontation. You’re too strong. Too charismatic. Too absolute in your conviction. So I made a different choice."

I smile, though there’s no joy in it.

"I joined you. I became your most trusted advisor. I helped you win battles and topple kingdoms. I guided you toward your dream, all while ensuring that when the moment came—when you were at your weakest and most vulnerable—I could finally remove the obstacle you represented."

’For the Trial Scenario,’ I think but don’t say. ’For my survival in this world. For my return home.’

Kalakuta stares at me for a long moment.

Then, impossibly, he smiles.

"I’m glad to know your true feelings," he says, and there’s genuine warmth in his voice despite everything. "I always suspected you were hiding things from me. That there was more to you than you showed. It’s... relieving, in a way. To finally see the real you."

I find myself smiling back, and this time it’s genuine.

"You’re the only one who understands me," I admit. "Just as I think I’m the only one who truly understands you. We see each other clearly, perhaps more clearly than we see ourselves."

"But we have different ideals," Kalakuta says.

"Yes."

"Different definitions of freedom."

"Yes."

He takes a shuddering breath, and I can see him gathering what little strength remains.

"Is there anything else you’d like to say?" he asks. "Before we end this?"

I think about everything I haven’t told him.

How I systematically ensured his original allies died. Kamal and Garett’s deaths in the Vermillion Trap Array were personally orchestrated by me.

As for Jeophrey, I intentionally messed with his materials so that there would be an ’accident’ in the workshop.

All of this was to isolate Kalakuta.

To mentally weaken him and to increase his trust and reliance on me.

I think about how I carefully cultivated doubt among the Freedom Fighters. Subtle suggestions here, careful words there, always positioning myself as the voice of reason while Kalakuta became increasingly isolated in his absolute conviction.

I think about how I made myself indispensable to him. The only one he could truly trust. The only one who never questioned his dream to his face.

The only one who seemed to understand.

I think about how I initially planned to take control of the Freedom Fighters myself, to use this massive movement for my own purposes.

But then I saw the corruption festering within.

The factions forming.

The incompatibility between what Kalakuta had created and what I would need.

I realized the Freedom Fighters could never truly be mine while Kalakuta’s shadow loomed over them.

So I made a different choice.

If I couldn’t have them, no one would.

The Magivores outside are still tearing through the ranks even now. My creatures, following my commands, eliminating everyone who might have carried on Kalakuta’s legacy.

But I don’t tell him any of this.

Some truths are too cruel, even now.

"No," I say simply, shaking my head. "I think I’ve said everything that matters."

Kalakuta’s smile widens, and despite his ruined body, despite the betrayal, despite everything, there’s something like peace in his expression.

"Thank you," he says, "for being honest with me. For the first time, I feel like I’m talking to the real you. Not the careful persona you crafted, but the actual person beneath."

He reaches for Pathfinder, his movements agonizingly slow. The great club rolls toward his outstretched hand as if drawn by his will.

When his fingers close around it, crimson energy flickers weakly along its surface.

"One final fight, then," Kalakuta says, using Pathfinder to pull himself to his feet. His body is a catastrophe, barely functional, but he stands anyway.

"For our personal definitions of freedom."

I draw my own weapon, feeling its familiar weight in my hand.

"I wanted things to end this way," I admit.

"I lost to you last time, so I had to even things out by resorting to these tactics, but... I really wanted to defeat you myself."

"What are you—?"

"You told us on that battlefield to fight for our own ideals of freedom, regardless of who or what stands in my way. This is me doing exactly that."

"And this is me doing the same," Kalakuta responds.

We face each other across the blood-stained throne room—two men who understand each other perfectly, who might even love each other in their own twisted way, but who have chosen paths that cannot coexist.

The Dark Guild members watch silently, witnesses to this final confrontation. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Outside, the screams continue as my Magivores dismantle everything Kalakuta built.

But in here, in this moment, it’s just the two of us.

Brother against brother.

Ideal against ideal.

Freedom against freedom.

Kalakuta raises Pathfinder, crimson energy pulsing weakly.

I ready my own stance, preparing for what comes next.

And in the space between us, in the heartbeat before violence erupts, I feel something strange.

Respect.

Admiration.

Genuine affection.

And absolutely no hesitation about what I’m about to do.

Because this is freedom.

His and mine.

Colliding at long last!