"The Burden of Truth" [Part 17] Leonida's Quest - An Infinity Kingdom Story

🔷 Introduction

Welcome to part 17 of Leonidas' quest. This is a special chapter that is working in harmony with my Wukong’s Quest.

If you are following both stories, please read part 44 of Wukong’s Path before this story! We will be following the story of how he became one of the most formidable leaders in history and all of the trials and challenges he faced in his lifetime to get to the pinnacle of life. It started when he was a young boy and had some incredible moments in his life, which led him to be the incredible leader he is today.

🔷 Summary of Part 16: “Fight In The Pass”

Leonidas and his warriors held the mountain pass against a brutal troll onslaught, aided by Ninetails’ healing magic that kept their forces standing through sheer will and power. As night fell and the trolls mysteriously withdrew, the battlefield lay quiet and bloodsoaked, with the haunting certainty they would return.

🔷 Part 17: “The Burden of Truth”

By the time Leonidas and Wukong returned to the capital, the fires of the evening had already been lit. The city buzzed with cautious energy. News of the battle at the pass had spread, but the silence that followed, the trolls’ sudden withdrawal, had left more questions than answers.

They met in the central hall. Seondeok, Wu, Hippolyta, and Commander Theron stood waiting around the war map. The room was quiet, expectant. Ninetails lingered nearby, pale and drawn but alert. She could sense something had changed.

“You saw the Oracle?” Seondeok asked the moment Leonidas stepped inside.

Wukong nodded. “We did.”

Theron leaned forward. “And? What did it say? Why did the trolls retreat?”

Leonidas exchanged a glance with Wukong, then stepped to the map. He placed his gauntlet on the mountain pass.

“The shaman is more than just a warlock,” he said. “He’s waking something ancient. Tapping into deep magic buried beneath the mountains. That’s why the trolls are stronger and faster. That’s why they fight like they’ve remembered something.”

Wu frowned. “Remembered what?”

Wukong answered. “A war that never ended.”

“The Oracle warned us,” Leonidas continued. “This is not just brute strength. The trolls are becoming organized. And they’re not retreating because they’re losing. They’re retreating because they’re preparing for something worse.”

Seondeok’s eyes narrowed. “And what did it say we should do?”

Another pause.

“It said we had one choice,” Wukong said. “Fight now, while they’re still changing. Or wait and be swallowed.”

Theron exhaled slowly. “So we strike first.”

Leonidas nodded. “We hit their strongholds before they fully awaken whatever’s coming. Cut the head off before the body rises.”

For a moment, the room was quiet. Then Hippolyta spoke, arms crossed. “You’re holding something back.”

Leonidas looked her in the eye. “We’re all holding something back. Because none of this is simple. But we cannot afford hesitation.”

Seondeok’s voice was soft but sharp. “What else did the Oracle say?”

Wukong hesitated. “That war is never clean. That we’ll lose more if we wait.”

It wasn’t a lie. Not exactly.

Theron straightened. “Then we plan the offensive. You’ve seen the terrain. You know what we’re facing. We move at dawn.”

As the others broke into motion, Seondeok lingered behind. She stepped closer to Wukong as he turned to leave.

“You saw something else up there, didn’t you?”

Wukong met her gaze. “I saw what happens when you tell people the whole truth. They freeze. They splinter. I won’t let that happen.”

She studied him a moment longer, then gave a small nod. “Just don’t forget who you are in the story you’re trying to write.”

Later that night, Leonidas stood at the battlements, staring out over the darkened fields beyond the walls. Wukong joined him, silent for a moment.

“We’re building a lie,” Wukong said finally.

Leonidas shook his head. “No. We’re building a reason to survive.”

The wind carried the scent of snow again, faint but certain. Far in the mountains, a horn echoed once more.

The next war had already begun.

📄 Recap Questions

Did they really believe Leonidas's and Wukong's deception?

Will trust be enough to carry them through this war, or will their lies come out to haunt them later?

🔷 Conclusion

Leonidas and Wukong both know the weight of responsibility and what that means for their people. There is no better way to defend themselves than attacking first. For them both, this is the only option, and getting their people on the same page is all that really matters in this moment. 

See you next week!

🔷 Hades, Press Officer.

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