SURPRISE!

We're finally going to finish the Civil War arc! And boy, is it a big update. Hold onto your mage hats and your chocobos, because you're in for a ride.

For maximum enjoyment, please listen to FFXIV's Garuda Battle theme for the boss fight sequence (ya'll knew there was a boss fight coming, let's be real).

As always, I don't own the characters, locations, FF3, stuff like that. They belong to our lovely overlords at Square Enix.

Enjoy!

"Your highness?"

The four eyed the man as he entered the tavern. Their hands inched slowly towards their sheathed weapons. It was beginning to look as if you couldn't trust anyone in this country.

"Wait," Alus rose from his seat, prompting the four to shift their gazes to him, standing down when a look of recognition seemed to cross his features. He directed an expression of relief at this apparent friendly face, and he approached the older man as he quickly came inside, shutting the door behind him as he cut off the outside world.

"Prince Alus! Thank the heavens you are safe." The man was more than twice the age of the four Warriors was adorned in colours of yellows, much plainer than the prince's attire, but his robes and his demeanour reflected that of a royal official. There seemed to be a weapon secured on his back, but he most definitely didn't seem like a man proficient enough to use it.

"Cordell, how did you get outside of the castle?" Alus stared to the older man, fraught with concern and curiosity.

"With some difficulty," The man murmured, his brow creasing heavily. It was either through stealth, bargaining, or much more nefarious means. Though, the latter was quickly dispelled as he quickly explained, "I managed to sneak away before the warring got heavy. I heard the news of your banishment from the castle and I resolved to find you myself."

There was an awkwardness from the four as they sat and listened to their conversation. They were unsure as to make a move to speak up and explain who they were.

Alus sensed both the four and Cordell's uncertainty towards one another. He spoke up as he looked to the four. "Forgive me. This is Cordell, one of my father's councillors. Cordell…these are the souls who saved me from harm."

The prince listed off the four's names before the councillor could interrogate him on what harm almost came to him.

Luneth grumbled at the man upon hearing his name. Arc gave an awkward wave and greeted him. Refia smiled warmly, also greeting the councillor. Ingus' expression was calm as he nodded to the man.

"I appreciate what you did for Prince Alus…" Cordell thanked them before he turned to Alus, hastily asking. "What trouble did you encounter? Are you hurt at all?"

"A scuffle, nothing serious," Alus lied, attempting to move onto his own questions. "Is there no more news of my father?" He enquired, desperate for the tiniest shred of hope that the King had seen through his mistakes and would end this war once and for all. But his shoulders dropped, and his eyes lowered at Cordell's apologetic glance.

"I'm afraid not, your Highness," Cordell's tone was as sorry as his look was and he sighed, clearly frustrated by the turn of events also. "The King has locked himself away inside the throne room and he refuses to grant an audience to anyone."

Alus's constant enquiries did not stop there. "And what of Gigameth? Where is he?"

Cordell once again shot an apologetic look. "I cannot say for sure, my prince." He watched Alus' despairing figure, frustration and confusion taking hold of the boy once again. It was the last thing a youth like him needed. He swallowed back before he felt himself speak out of turn. "I can only suggest you take shelter from this madness until His Majesty comes to his senses."

No quicker than he had suggested this, Alus turned back to the man, already protesting his claims. "And what if he never does? I cannot hide knowing innocent lives are at risk."

"My position is to best advise you on the situation…and with Saronia tearing itself apart, it is far too dangerous for you to be going alone to try and reverse your father's judgement." His next words were grave, his voice low and full of sorrow. "The last person who tried to advise your father after you… he was cut down." He watched the horror and realisation sink in on Alus's face and he continued, "If the same thing happened to you, I would not be able to live with myself."

"Nothing will happen to him." Arc rose from his chair, catching glances from the councillor and the prince. His stare was firm. "We'll make sure of it."

Cordell blinked, regarding Arc with a long and skeptical stare. "It's very kind of you...but I cannot ask such a thing from youths such as yourselves."

"We've been through worse," Refia commented, rising from the table with folded arms. "You'd be surprised what the Crystals put you through."

"The Crystals…?" He trailed off, again, his furrowed brow and his narrowed eyes disbelieving of what the young woman was implying.

Arc's gloved hands fumbled in the pockets of his robe before he pulled out the pouch containing his own job crystals. He opened the pouch, carefully pinching one a random shard; one of the shards they had earned from the Fire Crystal. He held it up for both Cordell and the prince to gain a closer look.

Alus' eyes gleamed with wonder as he surveyed the bright, crimson shard in front of him. "So, you all are the prophesied Warriors of Light?"

Arc smiled and nodded along with the others, confirming it.

Alus's smile widened and with some childlike naivety, he reassuringly resolved, "Then you can aid me in convincing my father to stop this war. Surely he would listen to Warriors such as yourselves."

Though this seemed to comfort the prince greatly, there was still an uncertainty lingering in the councillor's eyes. Cordell folded his arms, rubbing his face for a moment. "As much as we appreciate your help...war is a serious matter."

For a fleeting moment, Luneth's features scrunched up. "And being tasked to save the world isn't?" His retort came sharply. Though before any comment could be made on it, Ingus stepped forward.

"Eight more hands are better suited to aid you than none at all."

Arc nodded as his eyes met Cordell's own. "Exactly, and the prince will be safe with us."

The councillor stood still, regarding the four thoughtfully. When it looked like he would reject him again, he instead nodded. "You four have proven yourselves to be capable. But, should anything happen to Prince Alus in your care…"

"Don't worry, he's in safe hands," Refia interjected, smiling rather confidently.

"What of you, Cordell?" Alus enquired, his small brow wrinkling with concern. "You sound as if…"

"The soldiers won't let me return to the castle now that I have departed," The older man explained. "I'm afraid these hands won't benefit you. I am no fighter. But I will give my assistance to the people here." He reached for the weapon on his back and managing to dislodge it from the makeshift sling he had to keep it still, he gripping it in both hands. Upon looking at the weapon, the Warriors recognised it as a spear, with wings crafted at its base and a cerulean ribbon partially tied at its head. "One of you will have more use of thisWind Spear than I. Please, take it, in case the worst should happen."

Alus had taken it before any of them had stepped forward. He was hardly proficient with the weapon but he could pass it onto another. The prince exchanged a small smile with Cordell, grateful yet anxious. "Thank you, Cordell. Please, keep yourself safe in this chaos."

Cordell nodded and he bowed his head. "I will try my best, Prince Alus. I pray that His Majesty will come to his senses and this war will come to an end soon."

Alus nodded in agreement. "As do I."

With that, the councillor bowed respectively to Alus, hoping it wouldn't be their last exchange. He nodded to the four Warriors before he backed away and turned to the door, exiting swiftly.

Alus turned to the four, still holding the spear. He gripped it a little too tightly, the weapon wobbling slightly. There was a prickling of heat dancing across his face as he tried to balance it in his hands. Arc was quick to relieve him of the burden, to which he mumbled his thanks.

Refia pursed her lips for a moment before she spoke up. "That Dragon Spire...do you think it's worth checking out?"

"Perhaps..." Ingus began, though, by the look of his eyeing towards the door, he seemed troubled.

"I feel a 'however' coming here."

Ingus's eyes drifted to Refia raising an eyebrow at him. His lips formed a swift, thin line as he kept his mouth shut.

"It sounds like that place has some useful stuff," Arc piqued up. "And if it's just lying around and no one's using it…" He turned to Alus, adding, "If it's okay, could we stop off there along the way?"

The prince nodded, much to the others' hidden relief. "I wouldn't deny anything that might come to aid you. Allow me to lead you there."

"Monsters...but the Spire has always been closed off. And surely someone would notice their presence…"

"Sounds as if the darkness is at work here. I don't see how the monsters could have gotten into the tower without some help."

Arc led the befuddled prince up another flight of spiralling stairs. Indeed, the passerby who commented on the tower 'crawling' with monsters hadn't been untruthful and whoever summoned the monsters here made sure there was a varying selection of them.

"If I see another one of those Needle Monkeys, I'm liable to throw a fit." Refia mumbled.

Ingus hummed in agreement with her.

Needle Monkeys weren't the worst to deal with but they were pesky rodents. One had clung onto Ingus's leg in an attempt to limit his movement but Refia's weaponry were enough to knock the creature off. Though, she expected Ingus's legs to be coloured blue by now. He wasn't the type to complain, but she could see the mannerly youth cursing in his head.

Luneth tended to handle the larger creatures. It seemed to give him more of an excuse to throw his Souleater attacks at them. It did sizeable damage but it meant Arc had to use up more of his magic to compensate for Luneth's growing injuries. The blood trickling down his armour didn't seem to phase him but Arc had a feeling his injuries which the blood streamed from would build up to some sizeable pain.

All the while, his concern for his brother continued to mount.

"So, why is the Spire closed off?" Arc asked, glancing over his shoulder to the young prince. "And surely the equipment here would benefit the army?"

"It used to be a central hub for the Dragoons that used to operate in Saronia, though, it was long before our time," Alus explained, still following the White Mage as they continued to ascend the tower. "I'm sure the soldiers could use some of the equipment here, but it's better suited to those training as Dragoons. I heard they could Jump so high, that their descent could land a devastating blow on enemies. Even more with two spears."

"And what of these Dragoons?" Ingus questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Saronia seems scarce of such fighters."

"Some tales tell us they were massacred. Others say they simply left Saronia. There are hopes that a few have survived to pass on their knowledge."

"And Saronia doesn't think of training more?" Arc asked once again.

Alus shook his head. "It never came to pass. With the eventual loss of airship superiority, it seemed like there wasn't much point in training them."

"You had airships too?" Refia was astounded.

Alus couldn't help but chuckle a little. "We did. Though, most of them were lost too. The same stories apply; lost in combat, lost in the depths of the world...a few of the great minds that built them too had moved on from Saronia also." The boy added, just in case the same question were to pop up again. "I'd like to see the country restored to its former glory. Resources and knowledge pending, that is."

Arc hummed to himself. He'd have to look into such findings when he had the time.

A few moments later, they filed out onto another floor. A quick glance around them had revealed there were no more stairs to take. During that glance, they spotted two areas fit to burst with chests and other equipment.

"Well, looks like we found our equipment," Refia resounded cheerfully, taking a left towards the chests. "Luneth, give me a hand with some of this, would you?"

Luneth grunted some sort of response before he followed dutifully along, probably to keep Refia happy.

Ingus turned to Alus and Arc, who glanced to the area on the right. It seemed they were all thinking the same thing. They approached, peering inside for any signs of monsters lurking about the area. None, it seemed.

Ingus was the first to wander to a chest. With surprisingly little effort, he lifted the lid of the chest to reveal the contents inside; armour shaped and cut in scales, designed in ways that could be attributed to the appearance of a dragon. "Armour." Ingus confirmed, lifting out some of the armour to inspect it further.

"Phoenix Downs in this one," Arc replied, holding up two of the fiery coloured feathers.

There came a grunt from the corner with a loud thump following soon after. The older youths cast their attention to Alus in the corner, who had barely managed to open a longer chest on his own. Still catching his breath, he rasped, "More spears."

Arc neared the longer chest, lifting out a steel spear with two jagged, yellow points sticking out at the head of its spear.

"Do you think it has the same properties as the Wind Spear?" Ingus asked, approaching Arc. He watched the youth rise to his feet, investigating the weapon further.

"Probably. These kinds of spears wouldn't go amiss in a fight," he responded, before he laid his eyes on Ingus. He held the spear out to him. "Could you…?"

"Certainly."

Whilst Ingus took the spear into his grip, Arc reached into the pouch, its contents chinking with every small movement. The Sasune knight regarded Arc's searching. The boy soon pulled out a handful of the gifts the Water Crystal bestowed upon them, his finger poking and turning over each of them until he lifted one. He dropped the remaining crystals back into the pouch. That was when Ingus spoke his wonderings.

"What are you thinking?"

Arc flinched at the enquiry, having been snatched away from his thoughts. He looked from the crystal to Ingus before he managed to find his voice. "I'm thinking...the Dragoon is one of the job classes that the Water Crystal gave us."

"That is correct."

"And we've got plenty of weaponry and armour to support someone taking on the job."

"That is also true."

"So…"

Ingus raised an eyebrow, though, he found it difficult to hide his amusement at his companion's hesitation in expressing what he wanted to do with this job class.

"...I figured I'd try it out…"

Ingus considered the youth for a moment before he replied, "We would be left without a healer."

Arc nodded with some hesitance. "I-I know. But we have extra healing items with us if anything goes wrong. Plus, it'll only be temporary." He watched Ingus, holding his breath as he waited to hear Ingus's approval. Not that he needed it but he didn't want to change jobs so quickly without consulting someone. He barely let a breath slip through his lips when Ingus nodded.

"If you feel strongly about changing, then I am in no position to stop you."

Arc gave another meek nod, his gaze falling to the crystal shard in his palm. His fingers trapped before a magnificent, luminous light veiled his body. Moments later when the light faded, the youth had been garbed in an entirely different get up.

Had it been ill-fitting, the boy would have been lost in this suit of dragon-esque armour. Though, the copper armour seemed fastened securely and fit him well. On his back were a pair of wings, pointing to the obvious draconic creature they took inspiration from. Underneath the armour was that of a green, cape-like material, sticking out from the back of Arc's legs. His helmet was shaped to resemble that of a dragon; on the back of it were another pair small wings, each edge pointed and curved in a way resembling a dragon's head. The bottom of helmet covered part of Arc's jaw and mouth, but his eyes, seemingly lost under the helmet, were easily seen along with his nose and freckled cheeks. His arms were clad in a purple undershirt for comfort, and the guards on his legs were also a matching purple. Though not entirely obvious, his gloved fingers had pointed claws.

Alus blinked, unable to close his mouth to keep it from dropping so low. Ingus had to hold back a chuckle at the younger boy's amazement.

Arc felt his cheeks reddened and he apologised, "Sorry...I forget that others aren't used to that happening in front of them." He glanced down at his armoured figure, the pieces clanking together with each small movement. It would take some time to get used to.

Ingus would have reassured Arc that he could change back whenever he could, but watching the proud smile appear on his face and the gleam in the prince's eyes at watching Arc being able to change classes held him back. He understood now why Arc was so eager to change.

"Guys! We got a good haul!"

Refia cheered from the other side of the tower. Ingus didn't want to keep the girl waiting, so he turned to Arc, raising an eyebrow.

"Shall I explain your job change?"

Arc blinked at him, confusion flickering in his eyes for a moment, until he realised he would have to relay the same reasons back to the others for his job change. He shook his head, smiling at Ingus. "Not at all. Leave it to me." He reassured him, striding on ahead with Alus following dutifully behind.

With four very capable looking warriors surrounding the prince, the group seemed to be a deterrent towards anyone who wished to cause harm or a scene. Despite these few moments of peace, the prince's worried glances to civilians and deserting soldiers alike gave much thought to the current situation. The country was being torn apart. Alus had to witness men cutting each other down, chaos reigning in the streets, all because of the inexplicable actions of his father.

From the moment Arc swore that the Warriors would protect the prince, not once did the older boy leave Alus's side. That much was evident in their trek through the Dragon Spire, and it never seemed to change once they had left.

Any glance to them would show the two embroiled in deep conversation. Alus had spoken with revere in regards to north-western Saronia's library, which would have excited Arc had he not been told immediately after that it had been shut until the war ceased. Apparently it made for an effective hiding spot for soldiers on account of its size.

The two ambled side-by-side, caught in an endless cycle of active conversation. They were some distance ahead, perhaps a few feet in front, too distracted to notice the stares they earned from a certain red-haired girl. Refia walked in tow with Ingus, eyeing the boys.

"So, am I the only one who notices that Arc…?" She tread along the subject, glancing to Ingus. It was almost as if she was desperate to know someone else could see this too.

"You are not," Ingus answered, much to Refia's relief as his gaze returned to the pair in front. "He seems to have taken to the prince."

"But why?" Refia's voice lowered to a hiss. Her forehead creased as she stared at the boys in front as well.

"I cannot say," Ingus murmured. It was clear Arc saw something in the young prince. The two seemed to share similar interests but there was something else fuelling the bond. Perhaps it was something to do with those men in the tavern…

Though, whilst Ingus was caught up in his investigation, he hadn't noticed a rather jittery soldier in his path. A deserter, no doubt, by the way he constantly eyed everyone around him, and not much older than what the Four Warriors were. Though the impact wasn't strong enough to knock either down, it was enough to make the soldier yelp and back off like a pup that had been kicked. Ingus blinked, temporarily stunned by the impact, stepping forward towards him. "My apologies, I did no-"

"S-stay back! Don't make me use this!" The soldier's arm trembled as he gestured to the sword on his hip, an almost pleading expression in his eyes that told Ingus he didn't want to use it.

"You don't have to," Refia stepped forward, though, seeing the fear flash across the soldier's eyes, she held her hands up. "We're just passing through. We don't want any trouble."

The soldier swallowed back, his eyes darting between each of the Warriors, the prince who had kept behind Arc, the rest of the Warriors, and the prince once again. He stared at Alus for a moment, in a way that seemed like his next action could be wildly unpredictable. Instead, he asked, "You're going back to the castle, aren't you?" When he received brief nods, a pure fear remained in his eyes, his entire visage turning to the colour of a linen bed sheet. "Do you all have a death wish?"

Luneth rolled his eyes, responding in an irate tone. "Yeah, yeah, we've heard the King and the soldiers will-"

"Them?" The soldier forced a laugh, his fearful expression unchanging. "You'd wish they were the only monsters up there that could cut you down."

At that, Alus couldn't keep quiet, and he stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

The soldier's erratic manner hadn't changed, even when Alus stepped forward. In fact, every bone in his body trembled with the words he parted with. "G-Gilgameth...that advisor...h-he's not human. I've seen his shadow…" He started wildly gesturing, trying to come out with his explanation. "I-it was shaped like this...giant bird fiend…" He swallowed back as he looked the confused group in front of him, before he parted with a warning. "I'd stay away from that castle...if you know what's good for you…" Without taking questions, he wandered off again, the colour finding difficulty in returning to his face.

There was a silence among the group for several moments as they watch the soldier mutter to himself, returning to looking in every possible direction. Arc rubbed the back of his head, and murmured, "I...think we need to pick up some extra spears. Just in case that soldier is telling the truth."

Alus shook his head, murmuring, "Nonsense. Surely if Gilgameth was a fiend like that soldier said, people would have become aware of it before now."

Arc put his hands on his waist, pondering to himself for several moments, before he posed a question to Alus. "How long has Gilgameth been in the service of your father?"

Alus went to answer him with confidence, only to pause, ponder himself. He looked dreadfully confused about when Gilgameth joined them. "You know, I cannot say for sure. I suppose he's just...always been in the service of my father."

Arc blinked at Alus. "I see…" His gaze drifted off to Ingus, whose brow furrowed with a questionable nature. So, he found the answer to be just as vague. Arc shook his head and reasoned. "Anyway, we can stop off at that weapon shop. One small detour along the way shouldn't set us back. We could do with the extra weapons anyway."

"A weapon shop?" Alus enquired, his brow furrowing in a thoughtful frown. "Father ordered all shops to be shut."

"This one thinks he can profit off the war and get away with it," Refia mumbled.

"As much as I disagree with returning to the shop," Ingus began, his nose wrinkling at the thought. "We should not think of it as him profiting off the war in this instance..."

"...rather profiting off our efforts to stop the war and continuing to save the Crystals and the world?"

Ingus paused for a moment to consider, mumbling with some annoyance at the statement, "I suggest we hurry before he decides to shut shop."

Hopping to yet another district, the group were greeted once more by the shopkeeper, lounging behind the counter with the pipe still stuck between his teeth. They perused the spears that the shopkeeper had on offer, and upon hearing the prince's promise that he wouldn't mention the treasonous act of keeping the shop open if he gave them a discount for the spears they were interested in. The shopkeeper was rather disgruntled, but not wanting to risk his own hide, obliged.

Soon, they arrived back at the castle walls, with the four Warriors staring at the carnage that lay ahead. If it wasn't bodies that lay strewn, it was blood splattered against the ground that lay there.

"How do we get back in?" Refia asked, a frown evident on her lips.

"We have to walk straight through to the gates."

The youth blinked at the prince's insistence, watching him ready himself to move into the yard ahead. Arc just stared with wide eyes, his mouth gaping.

"You can't possibly believe you can walk straight through there without…!"

Alus shook his head, swallowing back. "There is no other way into the castle. We must cut through here," he insisted once again, beginning his walk in with his head held high. Though the youths could see his hand was trembling slightly as he walked.

For a few moments on their trek through the yard, the fighting subsided as they stared at the prince and what looked like an entourage behind him. Alus didn't gratify any of them with a look back. He didn't need to when he heard the whisperings around him.

"Isn't that Prince Alus?"

"Crawling back to the king for forgiveness again, no doubt…"

"He's looking a death wish."

Alus swallowed back, keeping his gaze straight ahead. His hand at his side grasped at his clothing as if it would stop the trembling.

They crossed the bridge, the trickling of water still very much alive under their feet. Three helmeted heads swerved to face the young Prince who had returned. The King had taken no chances with security, it seemed. The surprise in their widening eyes had been much the same as the soldiers fighting on castle grounds.

"P-Prince Alus…!" One of the guards stepped forward, blinking at the appearance of the boy and the other four youths that accompanied him.

"Stand aside, and let me through," Alus ordered, his eyes pinned on the soldier in front of him. "I must speak with my father."

The soldier looked regretfully at the boy, hesitating as he admitted, "Sire, I...I can't. I'm under orders not to let you pass."

Arc stepped forward. "If he can't pass then surely the King can come down here to speak with his own son?" The words were bold, even for someone as reserved as what Arc was. The soldier was speechless before he lifted his arms up in a half-shrug.

"What am I to do? Sire, you've been banished from here. I have no other choice but to bar you from entering through these gates."

There was a hissing from behind Arc and Alus. When they turned, Refia getured with her head to approach them. They did so, and she began to relay her concerns.

"You're sure there's no other way in?" She murmured under her breath, to which Alus shook his head.

"Breaking and entering is never a wise decision…" Ingus warned under his breath.

"Then how are we going to get in?" Arc questioned with a sigh. "We can't wait outside all night."

"Sire?"

The five's heads rose up at the voice like unsuspecting chocobos caught off-guard in a herd, finding another soldier had approached in the short time they spoke with one another.

The soldier addressing them spoke again. "My apologies. The King has given you permission to enter."

The five stood aghast for several moments. That was...easy? The soldiers stepped aside to let them enter, the fourth looking like they would escort them somewhere. Alus and Arc were the first to traverse through the gates, and Ingus and Refia followed. Luneth lingered. He had the odd sensation that someone was watching them…

It was only when he glanced above, he caught a figure. Hair as bright as Refia's and clothing so green it was the embodiment of envy. Luneth stared up at dark, narrowed eyes which refused to look away from his. The King…? But if he had locked himself in the throne room, why would he choose to come out now? And the heavy, narrowed eyed look, the weird unblinking look that a bird would give you...

"Luneth, are you coming?"

Luneth's eyes snapped down to the voice. Ingus's eyebrows were threateningly low, so far down they'd probably fall off if they had the chance. Luneth watched Ingus jerk his head towards the castle as if they wouldn't get a second chance like this. Disregarding his insistence, Luneth glanced above him again.

Gone.

Before Ingus could come and drag him along like some impatient father, Luneth followed Ingus in, unable to shake the weird feeling of being watched.

Once inside the castle, the soldier led them to the rooms they would be staying in for the night. He explained that the King was involved in business and wouldn't be free until the morning. The five shared a stare with one another. Each shared a common feeling of that of a rug beginning to be tugged at underneath their feet.

The groups had been given two seperate rooms across the way from one another; one with four beds, another with two. The intention was that the four Warriors would sleep in the first room and the other was to occupied by Alus alone. Arc had other ideas, however, and stated he would plan to share with Alus, to which the young prince agreed. The soldier escorting them had little power to separate them.

Seeing they had little choice but to wait it out until the morning, they all retired to their respective rooms, stripping off their armour and settling in their original Freelancer garbs, seeing as the King hadn't even the common courtesy to send new clothing their way.

There was a belief that all would be quiet until the morning came, that they would go to bed without another exchange.

But it was becoming apparent inside the guest room across from Alus and Arc's that someone needed to address the metaphorical Fat Chocobo in the middle of the room.

Luneth holed himself into the corner of the window. He had no flesh of armour to hide in. His next best option was to take his armourless self to the window and to avoid his comrades.

Ingus had been watching Refia from the other side of the room. Her toes curled against the tiled floor as her gaze refuse to leave Luneth. He could tell what she was thinking of doing. What she wanted to do. He didn't expect her to do it, until she rose from the bed, turning so she faced him. As soon as she started moving to the window, Ingus unstuck himself from the wall to follow. Part of him intended to stop her. Another intended to defend her from the foreseeable explosion that could happen.

"Luneth. We need to talk."

Luneth's dulled eyes dragged themselves towards Refia, who stood metres away from him. He swallowed back, trying to keep the dullness in his eyes to stop himself from looking so surprised. When his eyes moved away, he could see Ingus's anxious stare moving between them. A heavy sigh passed his lips and he sluggishly got up to retreat. "There's nothing to talk about," he mumbled, intending to pass Refia.

The confronter had other ideas. Her hand reached out, her fingers tightening around Luneth's arm. She could feel his muscles tense and watched his body grow stiff as if he had been petrified. She didn't hold back. "Then why are you running away from it?"

Luneth flinched at the remark. It stung like the waves of darkness he had been lashing out at any opportunity. His body refused to move. But he also refused to even cast a glance to Ingus or Refia.

"What happened with Aria…" Refia paused, watching Luneth's head lower itself at the mention of her name. She swallowed back and continued, "It wasn't easy to watch that happen. I know...you've taken it harder than the rest of us."

Ingus kept silent but those hard eyes of his were enough to use when words weren't appropriate. He stared firmly at Refia, warning her not to take this far. He couldn't think of a worse time to do it. Not when a civil war was brewing under their feet and a young prince needed as much support as he could get. Their troupe was fragmented enough.

Refia caught the warning but returned her gaze to Luneth. "I know you're still coming to terms with it. But there comes a time when we need to move forward."

Silence. She was chipping away at Luneth and it was hurting him.

"I...I know it's hard. But you're not alone in grieving here. I found it hard after Desch…" She had to stop herself after her throat let out a choked sound. She inhaled deeply. "After he died. And that poor man, I..."

Luneth tensed, a twisting, though not visible to the other two, was forming on his face. It was the first real show of emotion she had gotten out of him for a time. He swallowed back, trying to control his tone. But it came out harsher than he intended. "It's different from that, Refia."

Refia paused, her mouth agape. She was stunned. Suddenly, something within her snapped. "It's different? How is it any different?!" She yelled, her grip tightening on Luneth's arm. He tried to pull it away but she wasn't letting him wriggle from her grasp so suddenly. "No, Luneth, it's not! It's not any different from how crushed I felt when Desch died or how I felt after that man at the Hollows died!" Refia could feel a stinging at her eyes, and she squeezed them shut, bowing her head for a moment to rid herself of the tears. "I had to put that behind me. I had to move on or else I would have held all of you back…"

Luneth, again, kept his lips pressed firmly together. He had no words to string together for her on that matter.

"'You can't save everyone'. That's what you told me, isn't it?"

The words were heavy. He almost regretted saying those words to her. Now they were just being thrown back in his face and it looked like he couldn't follow his own advice. "Refia…"

"People are going to die. This journey comes with a heavy cost." She gave Luneth an imploring look, unsure if she was getting through to him. "What Aria did…she did it for the Crystal, for us. She had to know that being a Maiden of the Water Crystal came with consequences like our roles do…"

Luneth whirled on Refia, causing the girl to retract her grip on the sudden movement. What had gone from emotional blankness and grief was a vision of fury burning in his eyes. "So, you're saying that she had to die? That she had to bleed as part of some greater plan?!" He growled, a viciousness rising in his voice unlike ever before.

Ingus watched the realisation settle in Refia's eyes and her failed attempts at trying to think of something to say back. He stepped forward, keeping his voice firm but quiet. "Luneth. You know she did not intend it to sound that way."

Luneth turned on him as well, much like a rabid animal reacting to the noises around it. "Well, she did a pretty horrible job at making it sound like anything else." He snapped.

There were many things Ingus could stand for. His comrade being insulted in such a manner was not one of them. "You have no right to be so spiteful to her like that." His voice rumbled but Luneth was in no right mind to step down.

"You don't get it...she didn't have to die." Luneth faced Refia again. "Aria didn't have to go through what she did! I could have done something to stop it! Do you know how many times I've played it over and over in my head?!" His voice rose significantly, almost to that of a yell as his feelings poured out and lay in front of them all.

"Luneth, you'd be dead!" Refia cried.

Luneth went silent. His chest rose and fell abnormally, watching Refia sniffle and hearing her breaths come out in short succession, one after the other. Realising he had upset her, he felt like retreating into himself, to put on his mask and shield he had been trying so desperately to hold up for the past few days. It wouldn't stay up for him.

"Luneth…" She was crying now, her tears dripping from her eyes. "You...you saw what happened to her. What if you didn't survive that blow? What would we do then?" When Refia got no answer from him, she continued, despite her sudden gasps in between the hot faucet of tears still dripping. "We might be the Warriors of Light, but we're not invincible. Any one of us could die on this journey. We need each other. We can't go on like this." She couldn't help but grab his hands, willing for some way to get this through to him. "We need you, Luneth. The old you."

The girl watched something flutter in his eyes, some glimmer of realisation and emotion come through. But as soon as she wanted to latch onto it, it had been snapped away, and Luneth had shut himself off as he snatched his hands away. He brushed past Refia and to the window, his gesture leaving her still and shivering. She would have confronted him again, had Ingus not stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Leave him. You did what you could." Ingus reassured with a soft tone, pulling her away gently. He could see her willingness to follow, wiping at her eyes with the cuffs of her blouse as she did so. When he cast his sights to Luneth, he found him nestled again at the window.

Anyone would say the encounter hadn't changed Luneth at all. Ingus knew better when he watched his body jerk with silent weeps.

The clashing of swords and the screams of men had died down. For now, at least. The only sounds reaching Arc's ears were the crickets outside. Silence had otherwise fallen like a blanket over the city.

He'd been staring at the high ceiling for more than an hour now. Being in the castle unsettled him. Maybe being in a war-torn city, where anything could have happened, greatly unsettled him the most. He had been listening out for any noises he deemed suspicious, waiting for the door to the room to open with someone entering, intending to slit their throats. But there was nothing, and Arc began to wonder if he was being paranoid.

There was a ruffling of bedsheets beside him. His thoughts turned to the young prince as he continued to watch the ceiling. He was only a few years younger than what he was but he felt an odd kinship with him. Maybe because he could see himself in Alus. The prince was just as meek and shy as what he could be, after all. Unable to stand up for himself. Unsure of himself and his own abilities. The boy only had his father to guide him along and teach him these things.

Yet, this same man was the one who banished his son for gathering up enough of his courage to protest against his father. No wonder Alus was so distraught over it.

"Arc. Are you asleep?"

That meek voice called out, his voice raspy with having to keep it so low. Arc had felt his eyes glued to his body for some time, but didn't want to frighten the boy by turning and looking straight at him.

He shifted his weight onto his side, finding the boy not lying down, but sitting up with his legs dangling at the side of the bed, staring at him. "No. Not yet anyway." He replied, his voice hushed too. He watched the boy nod disjointedly before he cast his glance to his feet. Arc lifted his body with a quiet groan, sitting up under the sheets. "Something wrong?" He enquired, his brow creasing. The boy looked as if he had been tiring himself out with internal dialogue for the past hour.

Alus was silent, his gaze still fixed on his toes. Before long, he murmured, "I don't know what's happened to my father." When Arc didn't answer, he shifted his gaze towards him, continuing. "I was trying to do the right thing. To make him see the errors of his ways." His voice pitched a little, and was genuinely filled with confusion and hurt. "Why would he expel his own son like that?"

Arc ran his teeth over his bottom lip. He didn't have the answer to that. He wished he did, just to comfort Alus. But he couldn't sit in silence as Alus stared at him, wanting some resolution to his thoughts. He pushed himself off the bed before he travelled to the prince's bed. He lowered himself down onto the bed beside him, all the while trying to compose an answer in his head. He eventually spoke. "People...do confusing things sometimes. We can't always understand why they do them." From Alus's creased brow, it was clear that his answer wasn't enough. But they both knew that anyway.

They sat together with their lips pressed, staring at the tiles of the floor. Then Alus's voice bounced off the walls of the empty room once again.

"...maybe he doesn't love me anymore."

The words felt like a stab to the gut for Arc. He watched Alus take a sudden gasp of breath, struggling to hold back tears. The older youth turned to the boy, putting two hands on his shoulders to prompt him to look at him. "Alus." His voice was quiet, yet firm, and hesitantly, the prince turned his gaze to him. Arc paused for a moment, mulling over the words he was about to say.

"Your father...I'm sure he loves you with every fibre of his being. No parent could lose the love for their child even if they did something that they didn't agree with." Even as Arc told him all of this, he had an unsettling feeling in his stomach. The behaviour of the king didn't seem consistent at all. Something wasn't right. Though he tried not to let his hesitance show, Alus was bound to suspect something suspicious in his father's mannerisms too.

Arc swallowed back that hesitance and continued. "Your father must have had his reasons for starting this war. Maybe we should listen to his side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."

Alus sat in silence, taking in the older youth's words. Maybe he was right. His nod was hesitant but nonetheless he responded, "Perhaps...maybe there's something I've misunderstood…" He murmured but it was more an act of reassurance for himself.

Arc let one hand slip from Alus' shoulder, but he kept the other on the boy's shoulder. "You've had a long day. Maybe it's best if you rest and wake up with a clear head."

Alus nodded carefully. His forehead was creased with deep thought over recent events.

Arc finally let go of his shoulder and rose from the bed. His feet scuffled against the ground as he moved back to his own bed.

"Arc."

The older boy swerved his body to face Alus again. The prince managed a smile for him.

"Thank you. For what you've done today."

Arc blinked. "For what I've done?" He questioned, the prince nodding in confidence.

"For you and your friends standing up for me. And for bringing me here," Alus regarded him with thoughtful eyes, before he finished. "I don't know what would have happened had you not spoken up in the tavern. Cordell could have found me in worse circumstances."

Arc's mouth lay open for a moment. "I...well. It was the right thing to do. N-not that I did it solely because of that," he added, stumbling over his words. He had no idea what to say back to him, to what he said. He knew the Crystals chose the four of them for a reason; he just wasn't sure why he was ever one of them.

He had figured the conversation was over but as his feet scuffled against the ground, he heard the reserved voice behind him.

"The Crystals made no mistake in choosing you all as their protectors."

Arc stopped at the side of the bed. The words that reached him sent his thoughts tumbling. He knew Alus meant all four of them; but the words struck something in him. He was sure the other three had come to terms with their position, their role to cleanse the darkness from this world. He hadn't quite accepted it yet. As always, he needed someone else to reassure him of his role in the world.

He tried not to let his front falter. Arc glanced to him, giving a weak smile. "No, they didn't. Goodnight, Alus." He murmured, before he shimmied under the sheets again. He heard Alus do the same, before silence took hold of the room once again. The youth's eyes closed, but his mind was not ready for slumber.

Saronia finally seemed to sleep. The soldiers now slept with one eye open. The civilians rocked in and out of sleep. The prince managed to lull himself into a slumber and the Warriors had to convince themselves that a quick nap would be beneficial to them.

Even Arc had himself fooled by the prospect.

The door of their guest room had been nudged open. The opening was noiseless, giving nothing away. Slinking in under the guise of darkness was a tall, robed figure. His movements seemed almost stilted, like a puppet on strings. Before long, the light scuffling ceased. The figure loomed over one of the beds.

The prince slept like any other young boy would. Cocooned under the sheets, he had fallen asleep on his front, his head nestled into the pillow. His breathing was calming, regular; a sign he had fallen to the comforting warmth of sleep. His pale locks had gone wild, ruffled by the pillow, and there was a hint of drool lingering at his open mouth.

The figure stood for longer, staring at the sleeping boy. His eyes never shifted from the boy. There was a blankness in them, yet, a sense of purpose. He reached into his robes. Finding the hilt, he pulled out a dagger, its blade sheathed by the darkness of the room. He raised his arm, grasping onto the hilt.

"Alus...it is time for you to die." His voice was unwavering, monotone. His arm soon plunged down as fast as a guillotine's blade. But the dagger never met its target.

There was a scraping of steel. One spear had deflected the attack of the dagger, sending it and its wielder stumbling back from the bed.

Arc retracted the spear, clambering over the bed and readying himself for another assault. By then, the racket had awoken the prince, who threw his sheets aside in a daze. It was only when his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and to the figure who stood regaining himself that he recognised them.

Alus stumbled onto his feet, his eyes wide and focused solely on the figure. Arc held his arm out, urging Alus to stay back. It was only then the younger boy noticed the dagger in the darkness. "Father, what are you doing?!" He cried out. His voice made the figure stir, mumble something neither youth could work out.

"Alus, keep back!" Arc ordered, his eyes stuck firmly to the figure who finally made his move to approach them. The two of them had little else to back off to; the bed was right behind them and if they went any further, they'd back themselves into a corner. Arc knew they had to stand their ground if they were going to make it out of this situation alive.

The King had reached the two lads, his arm raised again, ready to strike. But he paused. The arm never swooped down upon them. Rather, he stared at Alus, who watched on in terror and confusion behind Arc. There was something fighting behind his eyes...like something in the man was trying to escape.

By then, the three from across the way scrambled into the rooms, weapons at their sides. However, they stilled at noticing the blade possessed by what seemed to be...the King? No wrong moves could be made here; else it meant not one, but two lives hanging in the balance.

"What's all the commotion? Has it been done, Gorn?"

Arc and Alus's eyes swept over the room and the others swivered. It was only then that the light came up in the room, and standing there was a man. He had been dressed in green official garments, not unlike Cordell's. His hair was wildly unkempt, an intense colour rivalling even Refia's. His stare...not once in the few moments he watched the man did he blink.

That uncomfortable feeling of being spectated returned to Luneth in an instant.

Realisation seemed to snap back to Alus too and his face spelled naivety and confusion all at once. "G-Gigameth? What are you...?!"

"You...you were the one watching us from above the gates..." Luneth ascertained, raising his weapon and readying it.

"No more sudden movements!" Gigameth shouted, his gaze fixed firmly on King Gorn, who in his puppet-like state hadn't moved. "Else that will be two lives upon your heads. The populace won't be happy to hear of the murder of the Prince and his dear friend after all, and you'll go down for it."

Luneth glanced between Alus and Arc, who shot a worrisome gaze back at them, but he had no choice but to back down and keep still.

"Now, no more lulling about," Gigameth raised his arm, pointing towards Alus. "Kill the boy already!"

The King stirred. Alus stood frozen, unable to run or even step away. Arc stood at the ready, waiting to defend the boy, but even he stood with a slight tremble in his hands. Almost like clockwork, King Gorn raised the dagger again, his eyes cloudy...until he jolted, like he had just woken up from his nightmare. His arm already came swinging down, but it met an entirely different target.

There came a sound of the blade ripping into flesh. The others behind the King had no idea who suffered the blow. In fact, it felt like time had frozen again. Everything had come and gone so quickly.

Alus's face turned white. Still as stone, he stared down at where the dagger had met its target. "F-Father…?" He whimpered, watching the blood latch onto every fibre of robe it could find. All he got in reply was a groan. He watched as the King stumbled, hand still on the dagger, before he dropped to his knees. "FATHER!" The boy landed on his knees in front of him, trembling as he watched on, eyes wide with horror.

The four Warriors were stunned. They froze, weapons still poised but the shock had slapped them square in the face.

It was as if the stabbing had stirred something in Gorn. He turned his eyes to Gilgameth behind him, who had stumbled back, bewildered. "There...I'm...I'm free of your bonds!" He hissed.

Gilgameth stiffened at his words, stammering, "B-but how?! All this time you were under and you never flinched against my word!"

The King groaned again, his son shuffling towards him as if he could ease the pain. "No...but I would never hurt my own son! Your plans are foiled, Gilgameth…"

Despite now standing as a man with the guilt of a crime written all over his features, his expression darkened. "Bother. Well, if you won't do as you're told like a good little puppet..." A puddle of darkness formed around his feet, before it rose and began to lick at his features. "I'll have to skip to the part where you all die!"

The Four could do nothing more than watch as darkness engulfed what was once Gilgameth, and replaced him with a hulking, aviant creature. Its hardy feathered wings outspread were almost as tall as what the room was, its curled talons almost scratching against the floor. Its eyes were unblinking over an orange beak,yet the tongue hanging out of it was almost snake-like. It was becoming increasingly obvious there was nothing human about this creature; bar the feathered humanoid body.

Before any of them could act, they had to shield their poor ears from the deafening screech bouncing off the walls of the room. It ceased, and they watched the creature plow through one of the walls of the room, revealing the still grey sky overlooking the kingdom, before he had flown upwards.

Ingus advanced to the hole, peering out of it and upwards, careful not to fall to his own doom. He grunted before he looked to the others, "He seems to be making his way towards the roof."

"Of course, that gives him more aerial space to play around in…" Arc mumbled, already making a move towards the armour he had dumped by his bedside. "But if we head up there, it's more space for me to jump around in," he paused for a moment, considering the options. He turned to the three of them. "For us to jump in."

"What do you propose?" Ingus asked, an eyebrow raised, but very much open to any plan that Arc had unfolding in his head.

"We Dragoon it. All four of us. Gilgameth won't take the time to touch the ground."As he shimmied into his armour, he gave the order to the other three."Switch jobs, grab some armour, and those weapons we found! We have no chance unless we're up in the air with him!"

Though none of the three confirmed this was the plan they were sticking with, Ingus was the first to nod, darting from the hole towards the guest room across the way. Refia made to follow, though, cast a glance to the trembling boy and his father. The King's robes were staining crimson the longer she stared. She looked to Arc.

"What about the King? And Alus?"

"Please, go," the Prince's voice managed to muster amongst a growing urge to sob. "Before Gilgameth harms anyone else."

Arc's eyes darted from Alus to Refia, who could only frown and regretfully nod. The youth swallowed back as Refia made a headstart out of the room, and he tried to reassure Alus as he had that entire night, "We'll take care of this, I promise."

Luneth had frozen, staring at the carnage in front of him. For once, his eyes didn't look so dull, so dead. Though, what they looked like wasn't much of a comfort; his eyes were alive with fear, with guilt, and practically on the verge of watering. Blood...so much blood. As much blood as what stained Aria's dress. He could feel the scene practically warping back to that fateful scene, one he had been trying to repress for so long…

"Luneth!"

He was quite literally shaken out of his frightened stupor by Arc's hand on his shoulder. The Dark Knight moved his gaze towards his brother, his face paler than the hair on his head. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. A ghost of his past, that was.

"Luneth, come on, we need to go now!" Arc urged him, before he sprinted out of the room. He had no time to wait on Luneth to see if he would follow, and ran through the hallways, narrowly avoiding concerned guards and frightened servants in the process.

By the time Arc, Refia, and Ingus reached the roof, the sky had been enveloped in the darkest of greys, the clouds swirling around the castle as the thunder roared above their heads. Even if there were bright flashes in the sky, they weren't a comforting source of Light, what the Warriors needed most. A storm was brewing; a herald for the dangers to come. Gilgameth hadn't been spotted. That was, until there was a loud screeching behind the three, with the aviant creature diving right towards them.

They managed to duck or roll away when Gilgameth simply swished over the top of their heads, before he flapped his wings, rising high above them to look down at them. His voice was an amalgamation of garbled screeching, but his words were still clear enough for the Warriors to hear.

"Prepare to meet your end, Warriors of Light, by the talons of Garuda, Lord of the Birds!"

There was a flash of light as lightning scratched the sky's surface, and a rumbling that could be heard for miles even outside Saronia. The three stood off against the avian lord, watching, waiting to see who would be the first to throw themselves into battle. It was Garuda, who took the plunge downwards.

Ingus was the first to advance, and with hardly any effort, launched himself into the air to meet Garuda. With the Thunder Spear poised in his right, he threw his arm into jabbing one of Garuda's wings, finding himself hanging off the spear as the monster shrieked. Though, in not mastering the Dragoon's technique so regularly, he had alarming difficulty in trying to dislodge the weapon and was quite physically hanging from it. Garuda flapped his wing furiously, until he found landing a powerful hit with his other wing was enough to send him back to the ground.

Ingus was lucky enough to land back on his feet, though, stumbled as he felt a pain searing up his side. It would be another bruising to add to the list, though, much blacker than Refia's staff could ever make it. Ingus was barely lucky to not have his foot jabbed by the same Thunder Spear he pierced Garuda with, who had launched it down with the hope of it landing into Ingus. With a grunt, Ingus yanked the weapon out of the surface of the roof, gripping it once again.

"Careful," he shouted towards his comrades, trying to ignore the pain developing further in his side. "His physical strength is beyond what I anticipated."

Arc had inspecting more of the environment around them. They needed higher ground, and perhaps the battlements rising above them would give him the angle they needed to jump. "We need to jump from higher ground! That way we can come down on him even harder!" He explained, to which the other two nodded, their eyes shifting between him and Garuda.

Refia readied her spears. "You and Ingus make your way up! I'll keep him distracted," she stood with resolve. When she noticed neither youth moved, she growled. "Get going already!" She glared at the two lingering, hesitant to leave her. But they soon obeyed, gripping their weapons and nodding before both sprinted towards two seperate battlements. Refia in the meanwhile made a run and jump, propelling herself into the air as she went to jab Garuda with her Wind Spear. The winged creature veered out of her way. Refia cursed, landing on the ground again before turning and using the same tactic once again. Garuda, this time around, was motionless in the air, and it was only until Refia gravitated closer to it that she realised something wasn't right.

Garuda's wings spread, pulled back, before they flew forwards, a powerful gust hurtling towards Refia. She had no way of avoiding it, so braced for the force, and was sent flying back through the air. Before she could think of landing, Garuda torpedoed towards her, before its wing flung into her chest, sending her hurtling to the ground with such force, the tiles below her shattered and tore apart once she landed. It waited, laughing with a cacophony of screeching, the distinct voice he used to disguise himself, whatever other garbled noises he mustered. For several moments, Refia didn't move, but her groaning and her feeble attempts to at least sit up were signs that she was gripping onto consciousness.

What Garuda hadn't noticed whilst keeping his unblinking eyes on Refia, was Arc coming down upon him, jabbing a spear into his back. Garuda's tongue flailed as it let out an unholy screech, shaking its body in an attempt to get the boy off his back. Arc desperately held onto the spear that was still embedded, trying to pull it out without losing his grip and landing as hard as Refia did. He grunted as he continued the attempt, and shouted, "Ingus, go for it!" Arc finally was able to pull the spear out when Garuda had ceased his shaking for curiosity as to where Ingus may be coming from, and landed back on the ground.

Ingus, in the meanwhile, was making his descent towards Garuda, both spears ready to strike into the beast.

The weapons wouldn't meet their mark.

Garuda spread his wings, screeching at the billowing, dark clouds above. There came a crackling, a flash, before several bolts of lightning zipped past and around him.

Ingus was struck, sending him off balance of his descent and barrelling to the ground. He landed on his back, his spears landing with a clattering about him. He tried desperately to rise once again, but he yelled out in pain as the lightning still bounced in every bone in his body.

If Refia was barely conscious before, she would be fully conscious now. The lightning, too, struck her body, and she jerked and screamed at the burning against her skin.

Arc was sent onto his hands and knees, the pain that lightning had struck him with rendering him immovable. Yet, still he found the strength to fight, blindly feeling for his spears. He grimaced as he heard the harsh laughter that grazed his ears.

"How disappointing! I had expected more from the Warriors of Light."

Arc cast his eyes up at Garuda, who landed a few feet from him, lowering his wings for just a moment. The youth's hands scrambled across the ground, before his eyes landed on one of his spears. He willed his hand to edge closer to the spear, only for it to be pushed away by Garuda's talon.

"I guess the Crystals were wrong. They chose weak, spineless children to do their bidding." Garuda leaned down closer to the youth, and hissed, "What can little specks of Light hope to achieve against a torrent of Darkness?"

His assured victory speech came too soon, for a Wind Spear had been thrown, and lodged itself into Garuda's side. The sheer force of it pushed him a considerable distance away from Arc, who watched the creature be carried away. He stared, stunned. Though, his glances between Ingus and Refia, who were still recovering, showed neither of them had pushed Garuda back.

"Ask the spear in your side, you ugly chicken."

Arc's eyes widened, turning his body to look behind him, finding Luneth decked in full Dragoon gear, twin spears in hand. His face brightened, laughing in a flood of relief. "Luneth!" It wasn't long before he was hauled onto his feet by him.

"You still need saved from big bullies?" Luneth asked, staring at Arc with almost heavy disapproval. Before Arc could start stammering, he grinned. "I'm messing with you."

"Uh, boys? Hate to break this up, but…!" Refia yelled towards them, motioning to the especially pissed bird unlodging Luneth's spear and dropping it to the ground.

"Agreed," Ingus joined in, brandishing his spears once again. "Such jests can wait!"

Luneth and Arc exchanged glances, before they both nodded in agreement.

"You three keep him busy," Arc ordered, eyeing both his Thunder Spear and Luneth's Wind Spear discarded near Garuda. "I'll grab the nearest spear and pass it onto you, and I'll grab the last spear."

Luneth didn't think to question him. "Got it." With that, with the one Thunder Spear he had, he charged towards Garuda, who was more than ready for him. He leaped, slashing at the creature with his spear, only to be met with his wing, brought up in defense.

In the meanwhile, Arc had managed to slip by and slide underneath Garuda, grabbing the Thunder Spear, thrusting it towards Luneth as gravity took its toll on him. He watched as Luneth caught the spear mid-air before landing on the ground again, bringing both of them up to shield against a hit from Garuda. Arc continued onward, grabbing the Wind Spear, and turning to find both Refia and Ingus up in the air, and back in action. It wasn't long before Arc was charging, and found himself in the heat of the airborne battle.

The four had been jumping at any opportunity, slashing at Garuda, impaling him with the spears. All four attacking at once didn't give Garuda much of a break, even if his hits were devastating against each one of them. Hell, even if his lightning attack struck any of them, they were back on their feet in no time, thanks to the plethora of Hi-Potions on hand. Over time, it became clear that four were becoming a nuisance to handle - a tiring nuisance. That was when they knew they had to finish this.

Ingus attracted the attention of his comrades. "Prepare yourselves to jump again! Use each others' spears as leverage, and we may be able to jump even higher!"

Refia nodded, and turned to Luneth and Arc. "You two find a vantage point and I'll give you a boost up when I get high enough!" Without waiting for so much as an answer, she sprinted towards Ingus, jumping as he had done. She landed on both his spears which had been crossed over into an 'x' before he pushed her forward as he jumped again.

Luneth and Arc had made their jumps from nearby battlements, reaching Refia in an instant. She, too, crossed her spears in the same position Ingus had. Luneth, grabbing Arc's arm, jumped from Refia's spears as the two were thrown upwards. Luneth managed to lift Arc high enough for his armoured boot to land atop of Luneth's spear, before he thrust it upward as Arc pulled off his jump.

Arc practically flew above the roof at this point. It was enough to make him nauseous, but the fight in him took precedence over all other feelings of nausea and dizziness. With both spears poised downwards, he began his descent towards the ground, gaining speed the further down he travelled. He gripped his spears as the small, avian figure, became a much larger, yet, more terrified looking creature. He felt his spears pierce through flesh, taking Garuda straight down to the ground with him, and landing with such force, an explosion of dust surrounded them.

The other three landed, hurrying towards the dust cloud whilst screaming out to their comrade. It was only when the dust dispersed that they found Arc yanking out the spears of what was now their fallen foe. Garuda's eyes remained as they always had - open, and unblinking - and his tongue hanging out of his mouth and on the ground.

Luneth couldn't help but burst into rapturous laughter, and fist pump the air in their victory. "Take that, you overgrown chicken!"

"Would you stop calling him that?" Refia rolled her eyes, folding her arms. Though, she couldn't help but let a smile play on her lips. It was a nice change from seeing Luneth so gloomy. It was a side she never wanted to see again.

Arc couldn't help but laugh a little in relief too - even Ingus had something of a smile creeping on his lips too. "So...does this mean…?" He raised an eyebrow at Luneth, who returned him a grin as he put his arms behind his head. He smiled then, feeling relief wash over him.

"I, for one, am glad to have you back, Luneth," Ingus expressed his gratitude, genuinely meaning it. Though, he cocked his head at Luneth's chuckle.

"I'm gonna make you regret that one, Ingus."

The four laughed amongst themselves. They were exhausted, aching, but nonetheless grateful the four of them were a team again. Though, the happy reunion was cut short by a look of horrified realisation on Arc's face.

"Alus!"

With that, he sprinted towards the steps that would take them down from the roof, and the other three followed behind with equal horror at only remembering both the Prince and his father.

Though the four were certainly aching and exhausted from the battle, they sprinted down the well-adorned hallways, willing for some sort of miracle to have occurred in the time the four hadn't been present. By the time they had stumbled into their guest rooms, they came to the realisation that there would be no miracle this day.

Alus's hands were painted with his father's blood, where he had desperately tried to quell the bleeding. The king now leaned against the bed but his life continued to fade further and further away. It was too late to change Gorn's fate; but Alus, desperate to keep his father alive, bitterly held on. "Y-you'll be okay… we'll get you help…" His voice strained itself as he snivelled, trying to reassure his father and quite possibly convince himself that he could come out of this alive.

Gorn stared back as his son, this unwavering acceptance settling in his eyes. He carefully placed a hand over Alus', grabbing his attention as his young and distressed gaze turned back to his already tiring eyes. "Alus…my son…" The King started softly, his voice strained and already weakening with every breath he struggled to take. "I was…foolish…foolish to let myself fall victim to… Gilgameth's power." He felt himself violently cough and splutter, his son afraid but still holding onto his wound, still holding onto hope. He swallowed back, taking in another deep breath before he spoke once again. "…I was afraid that you would never forgive me…for what I had done to you…to our people…"

A hand slowly reached to Alus' cheek, wiping away the oncoming torrent of tears. "…but you came back. That…that was what gave me the strength…to break Gilgameth's bonds…"

"And you still have enough strength to recover…" The prince's words were barely uttered above a whisper, his breath hitching and his tone pitching with every tear that fell past his father's hand. Gorn did not answer him. By now, he knew his son was holding onto a false hope that he could survive this. He could see the fear dancing in Alus' eyes at the prospect of losing his father and taking on the responsibilities of a king onto his small shoulders.

Even as he lay dying, the life slowly flickering from his eyes, he still managed to use his voice unwaveringly, with the strength of a king. It was a final decree to his son. "Alus…Saronia needs…you. A king who will stop this war…and bring peace back to this realm. That…falls…to you…" Gorn's hand began to slip, his body finally giving in but stubbornly, he held on, just for a few moments.

"Father, please, don't go!" Alus cried, gripping onto the falling hand as tightly as his hands could muster. His father weakly squeezed it and he smiled softly.

"I love you, Alus…"

The boy could barely hear his father's final breath. His passing came and went with a blink. The light that had always burned so fiercely and full of life in his eyes had disappeared. The longer Alus stared, the heavier it hit him.

"F-father…?" Alus weakly called to him. He still gripped onto his hand, stared at Gorn for what seemed to be an eternity. Realisation crossed his gaze. He was as still as what his father was now. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting a few more tears fall.

The Warriors could do nothing more than watch the tragedy unfold as if it was completely separate from them. It certainly didn't mean the grief wasn't felt or expressed by any of the Warriors.

Arc was the first to break the stillness of the moment, approaching Alus with tentative steps. "Alus…" He began, but became unsure as to how to continue. Luckily, he hadn't needed to say anything more, for Alus rose to his feet, wiping at his face with the backs of his arms.

"We must stop this war," Alus announced, turning to Arc. There was something different in his gait now; a sense of purpose. "I need to appeal to the soldiers outside."

Arc had clearly expected a different reaction, judging by how taken aback he seemed. Though, he just nodded, and once again, spoke for the party. "We're right behind you."

Alus nodded back, a small smile of thanks, before he turned and marched out into the hallway, not waiting to see if the Warriors followed him or not.

Sunlight peered over the castle walls, signalling another day. For soldiers, it signalled another day of fighting, bloodshed, horror. That was, until Alus had descended the steps and onto the dry soil of the battlefield. Those who had been preparing to fight paused to watch the exiled Prince Alus stop, stare, muster up the courage to speak.

"This war is over. Put down your weapons and cease this fighting immediately."

Somehow his voice managed to reach over to all the men as the battlefield was enveloped in silence. Alus felt dozens of pairs of eyes on his small, unassuming figure. But he couldn't falter, not now.

A soldier narrowed his eyes at the boy, before he retorted. "We take orders from the King, not an exile."

"The King is dead."

Silence reigned over the heads of the soldiers. They stared at Alus, stunned, confused, their mouths open but no words coming out.

Alus swallowed back. Feeling so many stares on him, only him, made his skin tingle, his small shoulders tense. "The King…willingly sacrificed himself so that he would spare my life. This civil war, this fighting and bloodshed, was all orchestrated by Gilgameth. My father fell victim to his spell…"

The Prince watched each soldier, their ears open to the boy, their eyes still expressing disbelief and confusion.

"My father urged me, before he died, to stop this war and bring peace back to Saronia. I will take his place on the throne and undo what he was made to do against his will. Please…let me help you rebuild our home."

Alus watched the countless faces drinking it all in, wondering what their thoughts must be. A boy, taking on the role of a king. It must have seemed ridiculous to them, preposterous perhaps. He stood completely still, watching for some reaction, any reaction.

The soldier refusing to listen earlier suddenly stepped forward. He took another step. Another. Another. He approached Alus, sword still in hand, his eyes unwavering, his intent unknown. He stopped in front of the young boy, his gauntlet tightening on the hilt. His eyes never moved from Alus, and Alus' own eyes refused to move away from the soldier's, even as the gleam of his blade in the sunlight caught his attention.

Arc almost sprung to action, had Ingus not thrown an arm in front of him. But they had nothing to fear.

The blade pierced the soil. The soldier slowly lowered himself onto one knee, bowing his head.

A few others launched their swords into the ground below, or laid them down, and followed suit on one knee. Then another few. Then another group. It continued, with men dropping their weapons and falling to one knee in their droves, until the very last soldier had done the same as the first.

Now, for the rest of Saronia.

I feel like in hindsight, three chapters would have been more appropriate for Saronia, given the content wedged into this update. Hmm.

Seeing as we've had a lot of stuff going on in the last few chapters, I'm hoping the next one won't be as heavy. Even our hard working Warriors of Light need a break now and then. And trust me, they'll get a break.

Thanks again for reading/reviewing/following/favouriting, etc, etc. Now, I'm going to bed.

Ciao!