"Iren?"

The Paladin slashed through the Onfae's body like cutting grass with a knife. The beam blades did their job right, as the enemy combatant slowly fell to the ground in a heap. No breathing ensued. 

Sweat rained down Iren's forehead as his eyes scanned the battlefield, seeing his fellow Ahnerovans fighting against their mortal foes. Another raid had been announced earlier that day, thanks to the heads-up from the Sentinels monitoring Onfae activity on their home planet.

They saw the fleet heading to Ahnerova way before the Onfae realized they'd been spotted. They were greeted by a battalion of armed forces waiting for their landing outside the city gates. Soon enough, the Danger Alarms rang across the city, warning Ahnerovan citizens to hide out in their homes as the soldiers took care of the attack. 

No surprise, the Onfae were back on their planet to steal their precious technology. 

And although this raid had more Onfae soldiers, midway through the conflict it was clear that without their advanced machines, the enemy would always lose against Ahnerovans.

"Iren!"

The renowned Paladin searched through the crowds of armed aliens, trying to find out who was calling out to him. An Onfae saw the distracted soldier and took it as an opportunity to take him out, aiming the tip of his matter spear on his back.

The Onfae cried out, already chanting victory when the perceptive Paladin spun around with impressive speed and cut through the spear with his blades. The weapon, now reduced to metallic splinters, fell to the ground with the yellow tip slowly losing color, indicating that it was no longer usable. 

"What, you thought I didn't hear you try to sneak up on me?" Iren smirked, the almost holographic blades attached to his tendrils raising in the air as he pointed them at the enemy. "You're dumber than you look."

Without another word said, the sharp blades materialized and sliced through the alien, life fading away in an instant. After making sure that the alien wouldn't get up again, the Paladin stared at the rotting piece of weaponry his blades had managed to tear. 

"Matter spears... by Kos, I hate those things," he muttered to himself and swiftly kicked the spear away, almost in disgust. 

"Iren!"  the voice who'd called out to him rang out one last time, but closer to where he was. The soldier only had to look up to connect gazes with a shorter Ahnerovan who was running up to him.

He grinned. "Thought you had missed the party!"

The alien stopped in front of him, bending on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. Their skin, a deeper shade of purple-blue, rippled with different shades at his exhaustion; a feature amongst their kind. 

Once his stamina returned, the soldier stood tall. "And what, let you take all the glory? Not a chance."

"I already have glory," Iren remarked with a sly grin. "I've been doing all the hard work since the battle started."

The Paladin paused as he nodded at his friend. "Speaking of, where have you been? I didn't see you in the trenches."

Covek rolled his shoulders, his tendrils unraveling and flexing. "Our Commander had a special task for me," he said. "He needed me with the rest of the Sentinels for aerial strategies. Said the Onfae had extra firepower this time, and he needed to make sure the Dome would sustain the cannons."

Iren scoffed at this. "As if the Dome could be damaged by their tacky cannons. Come on, everyone knows the Dome is ten times stronger than whatever bomb these guys have."

His fellow Paladin brother shrugged and laughed. "That's what I said, but the Commander wouldn't let it go."

Suddenly, the sound of a projectile piercing through the air rang out. A tipped Vrazier arrow- sleek metal with a bronze tip and end- flew in between the soldiers before embedding itself on the blue grass. 

Both Paladins turned to look at a group of seven Onfae, all wielding Vrazier bows and arrows. Their sights were set on the duo, intent on defeating their mortal foes. 

Iren grinned in their direction as he willed his blades to materialize, rolling his shoulders and willing his tendrils to form four arms. Covek, in turn, fought two-armed, his trusted sword Ketsetter unsheathed from his back belt. 

"Want to bet who can kill the most Onfae?" Covek glanced at his friend. 

The Paladin beside him let out a laugh. "You're on."

Arrows whizzed past their heads as both brothers charged at the enemy, weapons raised to attack. Since they had some distance between the two, Iren and Covek had to run and avoid getting hit.

The sound of knives slicing through metal was quickly overpowered by the cries of Onfae shrieking as they dodged the two soldiers' attacks. With expert maneuverability, Iren and Covek disarmed the aliens, shredded weaponry littering the ground. 

An Onfae spat in Iren's face, anger rising in him. With a yell, one of his blades pierced the alien, causing the body to fall limp. Covek grunted as he struggled to fight two aliens at once, going from offense to defense in an attempt to get away from the Vrazier arrows the enemy was using as their only weapon. 

"Covek! Duck!" his brother shouted. 

With quick reaction time, the Paladin crouched as a beam blade tore through the open sky and nicked the two aliens. The blade came flying back to its owner, who nodded at his comrade with a sly grin. 

"You're losing the bet, you know," he said out loud. 

The remaining four aliens gathered around the Paladins in a circle, the tipped Vrazier arrows gripped in between their hands. The yellow ooze that could disintegrate flesh and bone sizzled menacingly. 

Iren and Covek, knowing that if they let their guard down they'd be killed stood shoulder to shoulder, their weapons raised high in the air to create some distance between them and the Onfae. 

"You know," Iren spoke out to the aliens around them, spitting out grime from his mouth as he did so. "You could all just run and save us the trouble of killing you. You can go back to your planet, maybe have a nice night out with your partners. If you're capable of finding partners that care about you, that is."

The Onfae snarled at the insults. 

The Paladin grinned at their hatred toward them. "Or not. Fine by me, I've got a bet to win."

"Not if I kill them first," Covek remarked with a grin of his own.

Iren raised his blades. "Shall we?"

All at once the aliens pounced on the soldiers, arrows directed at their hearts. As the two Paladins fought and defeated the enemy, Iren had to commemorate their bravery. To be able to stand against two aliens with superior technology- knowing that their chances of winning were slim to none- was admirable, in a twisted way. 

Like the Ahnerovans, they were willing to die fighting for their cause no matter how devious it was. From all the alien races discovered by his people, Iren had to give it to Onfae for being loyal to his kind just like how Ahnerovans were to theirs. 

But as they lay limp on the floor, it was clear that no matter how loyal they were still public enemy number one. They've terrorized Ahnerova for many years now intending to steal what wasn't theirs.

And that wasn't admirable at all. 

He was brought back to reality when Covek sheathed his sword to his back, staring at the downed aliens with something akin to annoyance. "That Onfae tried to steal Ketsetter," he said as he pointed to a particular pale soldier. "Nobody touches Ketsetter."

Iren raised a teasing eyebrow. "You big baby, how will you survive this atrocious event?"

The soldier spun his head, glaring daggers at him. His mouth began to open when a loud booming sound echoed through the valleys. The two Paladins scanned the scenery, catching sight of smoke billowing from a nearby building.

"The weapon storage," Covek breathed out. "They're trying to get inside."

Iren groaned out loud. "I can never get their obsession with stealing our stuff."

Covek didn't respond. He simply stared at the building in silence, as if his mind was occupied with other matters than talking. Iren, noticing his comrade's muteness, placed a hand on his shoulder.

The Paladin looked at him in suspicion. Iren, the ever-cunning soldier that he was, had a sly grin displayed on his face as gears turned inside his mind. 

His Ahnerovan brother caught onto it right away. "No, that's not our job."

"Oh, but part of our job requires us to protect Ahnerovans and all that surrounds us, right," Iren countered. "And what surrounds us is technology. And technology is weaponry."

Covek narrowed his eyes at Iren. "Those aren't our orders."

"Orders or not, we both know that if that building is unprotected, the Onfae will get their grubby hands on things that aren't theirs," the Paladin argued. "We have to protect the storage."

"But-"

Iren gripped his shoulder and gave it a reassuring shake. "If you're too chicken, stay behind. I don't mind. I certainly won't tell the rest of the battalion that one of Ahnerova's strongest soldiers got scared and decided to touch some grass instead of protecting our weapon storage," he said with a hint of amusement laced onto his words. "Although, if someone were to tell them, I'm sure they'd make that soldier's life very difficult. Maybe fill his recovery cot with Shisa worms? Or throw his clothes on the Yelven River? Maybe steal Ketsetter when he's sleeping and-"

Covek growled. "Okay, fine. I'm in." He then raised an accusing finger to Iren. "But if our Commander finds out we disobeyed orders, I'm blaming you."

"On the contrary," his friend replied. "He'll be pleased to know we fulfilled our duties on defending our weaponry supply. You'll see, we'll be praised for it when the battle ends," Iren spoke confidently.

They quickly made their way to the seemingly abandoned building, black fire beginning to spread its deadly flames across the land. As they ran through the pasture, they saw figures sprinting through the tall blades of grass and heading to the storage.

"Daena," Iren cursed. "Told you they'd be going after the weaponry."

Covek heaved behind his friend. "We need a plan. We don't know how many Onfae are going to be inside that building."

The taller Paladin turned to look at his friend with an incredulous look. "Yeah, they might be more, but we got the upper hand. I mean, we just took down seven of them. We can manage a few more."

"I'm not saying we can't," his friend said back. "I'm saying we have to come up with a strategy in case something goes wrong."

They stopped at the base of the building, the white tech walls doing their best to ward off the fire. Although the technology was adept at protecting the structure from nature's storms, they weren't that prepared to repel Kito Fire- the Onfae's synthetic flames. 

Iren breathed in as much air as he could to ease his beating hearts. "Look, Covek. The building's already starting to burn down. We need to defeat those Onfae and get the weaponry to safety before time runs out. We don't have time for a strategy."

His friend stopped beside him, looking tired way before fighting the next round of foes. As he looked between his comrade and the structure, even he, an intellectual, knew that his friend was right. 

"Okay," he conceded as he brought out Ketsetter once again. "I'll cover your back."

Blades materialized around Iren's arms. "And I'll take the front."

They nodded at each other before entering the hot building. Immediately, sweat began to form across their skins as they went farther in, weapons at the ready should the enemy surprise them at any corner. 

Crates upon crates were filled to the brim with Ahnerovan weaponry, all stacked one above the other and pushed into walled shelves. The almost transparent wall separating the goods from the two Paladins rippled with translucent energy every once in a while, letting both soldiers know that the perpetrators still hadn't found the way to unlock their padlocked wall. 

Once they entered the main hallway that led to different vaults, they realized that no sounds could be heard. The occasional booms of bombs echoed outside the building, but apart from that, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Nothing seems to be out of place," Iren voiced his suspicions. 

Covek grunted in agreement. "The vaults haven't been opened. The shelves outside this hallway were still locked. The Onfae did come through here, right?"

His comrade glared in every direction. "Last time I checked, yeah."

Iren grunted when he felt something hit him from behind, quickly turning around to see an Onfae with an Ahnerovan Lotten pole in his grasp. Before his blades could attack the alien, the long holographic pole materialized and rippled with the same translucent energy as the wall blocking the weapons. 

The Onfae smashed the tube against Iren's back, energy rivaling that of electrical storms coursing through the Paladin's system in a hurry. 

The soldier screamed out as he felt his veins fry under the influence of electricity, his back arms immediately unfurling from the outburst of energy. Gravity took over and directed Iren's body to the floor, where a resounding thump echoed across the walls. 

Multiple footsteps rang out.

"Take whatever you can," Covek's voice boomed in Iren's ears, a strong ringing threatening to smash his eardrums. 

The electricity coursing through his body caused the soldier to shake uncontrollably. He had no control whatsoever but managed to lift his head a bit ways off the ground. Standing there with Ketsetter to the side was Covek, looking at the crowds of Onfae with a disapproving glare. 

He must've felt the pair of eyes boring into him because he turned to look at the shaking soldier. Iren was terrified, but not because he had just been ambushed by the enemy combatants. 

Rather, the look his friend was giving him. 

Dead serious. No emotion. Uninterested, even. 

For the first time in the many years that they've known each other, Covek was looking at Iren as if they weren't brothers. All those battles they've conquered together seemed to have been a mirage- a myth, even. Covek, the same Paladin who Iren had saved his life countless times, and he who had done the same, was staring at Iren like he was a foe.

The enemy. 

Now, he saw as his once-brother talked to the Onfae who had ambushed him as if they were under his command. Urging them to steal every piece of weaponry, armor, and technology the aliens could get their hands on. 

At that moment, Iren didn't know who was more disgusting. 

The Onfae, or Covek. 

The Paladin hadn't realized his face had scrunched up in disdain until he saw Covek press his lips together. 

"Don't torture yourself, Iren," the soldier spoke with no remorse. "Nobody could've known about this."

Through the jostling pain, Iren clenched his teeth together. "T-Traitor."

Covek blinked at him, unfazed. "Yes, well, one thing for the other." He then crouched to be close to Iren's level, Ketsetter nearing his body dangerously. "If I hadn't struck a deal with the Onfae, I wouldn't have lived another day as their operative."

The soldier looked back at the running aliens, weaponry clutched in their grasp. "You know why I had to do this, Iren?" 

The Paladin stayed silent. 

"Remember that raid that happened five years ago? The one where you gloated that you could take a whole battalion of Onfae on your own? You left me to fend on my own. You left me to defend myself from hordes of enemy combatants, even though we knew we were outnumbered. But you didn't care. You went on your own, for glory, right?"

Covek gripped onto the hilt of Ketsetter. "You wanted more bragging rights, didn't you? And you left your friend to work it out on his own. You never asked how I did it, by the way. How I didn't let myself get killed by the Onfae."

He let out a dry laugh. "But you see, unlike you who boasts on strength and power, I boast on wisdom and planning. My deal with the Onfae? Help them steal Ahnerovan weaponry in exchange for my life. And you know, it was all so easy too. Nobody knew about this.

Well- maybe not nobody. That meeting I had with the Commander earlier? It was to speak to me in regards to a potential mole flitting amongst our ranks. You see, two raids ago, the Commander found it extremely suspicious that the Onfae managed to take down two central towers, despite our energy powering its defenses. He knew someone from inside- someone who knew how to operate the cannons must've spoken to the Onfae about it."

Iren grunted as another surge of electricity flowed through his body. No longer could he feel his limbs. It was only a matter of time until he couldn't feel anything at all. 

"Everyone knows many soldiers know how to operate the cannons," Covek continued. "It's part of our training, after all. Even the dumbest Paladin can fire, now isn't that right, Iren?"

The traitor stood up from his spot, dragging Ketsetter behind him. Iren's eyes followed his every movement. 

Out of nowhere, an Onfae stopped running, holding a firearm in his hands. "We're done here."

Covek nodded at him and the alien disappeared. Then, his attention turned to look at his fallen comrade. Ketsetter rose so its tip was directed at Iren.

"When the Onfae retreat, the Commander will know that there is, indeed, a mole in our ranks. That someone from inside planned this all along, and was waiting for the perfect moment so no Ahnerovan forces could stop this. If I kill you, I'll be able to escape the planet but the Commander will know it was me all along. I'll be hunted down for my crimes against Ahnerova and I'll be dead before the start of the next year."

Ketsetter rested against Iren's forehead, its burning energy searing his skin. A cry of pain cut through the Paladin's throat. 

"But, if I die, nobody will suspect a thing. I'll be cleared of all suspicion and I won't be remembered as a traitor to my kind. I'll escape exile, torture, and finally execution. I'll be a victim; the Ahnerovan who tried to uncover a heinous plan, all fabricated by the soldier who'd sworn loyalty to his race, but was in it to ensure a future where only he would come on top."

Realization dawned on Iren as he heard his friend speak. "I- I wouldn't."

Covek scoffed. "You would. All for glory, right? A man who's obsessed with being the greatest- whose ego is so inflated he'd go to extreme measures so his name becomes famous across the galaxy?  That it would cause great civilizations to tremble at the mention of him?"

Iren stared at his friend, horrified. 

"Yes, you would do that," Covek said. "You'd even go so far as to kill your best friend to try and keep this a secret."

Ketsetter left the fallen soldier's skin, rising so it was more level with Covek's body. All Iren could do was watch as his best friend positioned the tip of the sword at his right heart, the most fragile organ of the two. If it were ever pierced, the probabilities of an Ahnerovan dying were high. 

The traitor looked down at his friend, with no emotion. "Don't beat yourself over it. We're soldiers. We deal with death constantly"

"But n-not betrayal," Iren countered. 

Covek's eyes narrowed upon hearing this, a new emotion displaying itself to his best friend: fury. 

"Now you feel what I felt back in that raid. What I've felt multiple times with you. You've only cared about yourself, on your quest to glory, that you haven't stopped to realize how bad of a friend- a brother, you are. That your selfish actions have caused me pain and you never apologized for them. And the many times I was there for you, you were never there for me. Betrayal is all you know. You're just not willing to accept it."

Ketsetter sizzled Covek's clothes and tore through them, causing a grunt to leave the Paladin.

"It's my time for glory. It's your turn to feel betrayed," he turned to look down at the agonized soldier. "Good luck trying to get out of this one."

The blade sliced through the skin, the tip appearing from behind Covek's back. With a sickening twist, silver liquid began to rain from the Paladin's chest and taint the white floors. The light blue shine of life began to dull on those irises of his as the soldier's knees hit the ground. 

Iren was soon face-to-face with Covek, tears flowing through his eyes like cascades. His hearts beat erratically, seeing how silver caused a river around the two Paladins and soaked their clothes. Still shaking, Iren couldn't move and had lost all sensation.

He didn't notice him screaming at his dead friend. He didn't notice him wailing out in despair. 

The last thing he remembered, was Covek's paralyzed face.