Blood drips down his neck, onto his clothes, onto the sand below...

The Captain falls, and his crown remains on the Emperor's head.

"No! No, why would you- Captain!"

The kid rushes forward, sits by his victim. The man with the glasses also comes forward, although more hesitant. The blonde is panicking, his breaths quick and irregular, tears pouring out his eyes as he struggles for air.

"...Tomorrow. We will take the Uprising Kingdom tomorrow."

He turns back, beginning to walk away. He can see it in their eyes – Even his own companions are shocked at what he had just done. He doesn't care. He walks, because he knows what will happen if he doesn't.

"You bastard! How can you live with yourself?!", the boy screams, but he does not listen.

I can't but I can't control this either

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you hear me?!", he continues screaming, his friend pulling him away.

It would be better if you did but you know I'll fight back

"You'll fucking burn in hell for this!", he adds before he finally gives up.

I hope I do

"...That wasn't the way to go about that.", the man with the angel wings speaks.

No not you too I don't want you to be disappointed in me

"...We swore to never kill Leaders, did we not?", the older man remarks.

I know we did and I tried to keep it in but you know what I'm like

"It was necessary."

That's a lie.

"I did what I had to do."

The other two follow. They disagree, he knows. But they're too afraid to say it.

The Blade woke up, as he always did, plagued by guilt and with a sick feeling in his stomach. He looked around for just a moment, trying to recognize his surroundings – Everything was always blurry after a nightmare like that. He grabbed onto his water bottle and drank whatever was left in it, his mouth feeling strangely dry after that whole ordeal. He looked around, his campfire as per usual burning gently. He could smell the herbs he placed around in the air – He knew he was safe from the creatures in the woods, but even so, he still checked all of his defences. He taught Nat to always do that, too – Better to be safe than sorry.

Right... Nat.

He never thought himself to be one for friends. He knew better than that. He knew that for the safety of himself, and of others, it was best if he stayed away. But something about Nat was different – Something about her made him want to stick around. Her kind heart, her forgiving nature. And of course, she wanted to find her friend – Such a noble cause. Searching for someone you care for that you lost a while ago... The Blade knew that feeling more than anyone. He wanted to help Nat, no matter what. It was a shame to see her give up on the search so easily.

And even as the search ended, even as Nat eventually gave up on her friend, he still let her stay with him. She thought it was because of her skills – How she could fix up any of his wounds without issues. But to him, he simply liked the company. He liked when she sat by the fire and told him excitedly about all the things her and her friend used to do, he didn't mind when she insisted on braiding his hair when she was bored, and he adored it when she asked him to teach her how to survive out in the woods more and more. She was passionate, sweet, and didn't mind his strange behaviour. How he wouldn't like spending the whole day with her, or how he insisted on sleeping in a separate camp. She didn't care, she didn't ask questions. Because she knew better than anyone that people wandering through these woods had pasts they did not want to turn to.

But he also knew he was risking a lot keeping her around.

The way his hand itched to touch the handle of his sword whenever she turned her back, the way he found himself walking to her camp at night while she slept. He knew more than anyone keeping Nat so close to him put her in more danger than the woods could ever manage. He knew that that strange feeling he got whenever she showed any vulnerability at all wasn't just a coincidence. He knew that the instinct to grab onto the nearest weapon and end her life then and there would come back to bite him eventually. He'd be caught off guard, take his shot, and watch her bleed out just as he watched all of the people in his dreams. And Nat deserved better – She deserved someone who wasn't just a goddamn ticking time bomb. So he showed her the Lasenbergians, hoping one day her kind nature would push her to join their side. And just as he predicted, it did.

And he was alone again.

All alone.

But at least everyone else was safe.

"This is insane, Willz! This is actually insane! Do you know the things he's done-"

"Calm down and stop shouting! We don't want Nat getting suspicious!"

"He's the Emperor, Willz! That's why I was scared of him! In the back of my head, I must have known, somehow, and-"

The President came closer and placed his hands on his right hand man's shoulders, trying to calm him down. He watched him take a deep breath, and then spoke;

"Tom. We still don't know what those dreams are. As far as we're aware, it's all make-belief."

Will paused and gathered his thoughts.

"...We can't just start panicking for no good reason. We need to put our minds together, okay? What do you remember about the Emperor?"

"...He's... he's an asshole! A murdering asshole who doesn't care about anyone!", Tom, once more, raised his voice, but went quiet again when he saw Will's expression change to agitation.

"Every memory I have of him, he... he kills innocent people!"

"It's pretty much the same for me...", Will muttered, glancing aside.

"Toppling kingdoms, taking no prisoners. But... there's this other part of my memory where... we worked together?"

Tom's eyes widened and he stepped back, gasping.

"You worked with the Emperor? Why!?"

Will closed his eyes, trying to recall the dream.

"...He was... training me... I said something about the end of the world?"

The boy shook his head.

"I ain't ever heard anything like that. All he does is kill. I mean, he killed- killed..."

Tom stopped.

"Killed... who?"

Will, instantly, became interested. He watched as the boy stammered, struggling to come up with some sort of lie to cover himself. Tom, on the other hand, already felt himself getting overwhelmed by the usual feelings of helplessness and fear.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"...The... The Captain...", Tom whispered.

Will's reaction to this was strange – First there was shock, then some anger, and finally, unreal amounts of relief. The boy grabbed onto his sleeve and started tugging at it, meanwhile the President spoke up;

"So you've seen it too. You've seen the Uprising Kingdom."

Tom gasped, but didn't have time to say anything.

"I ended up completely losing grip for almost two full days after the duel... that's when I saw it. The Captain and what happened with the crown."

"Well why didn't you say anything?!", the boy almost screamed, sounding more betrayed than anything.

"I've been- I've been thinking over that nightmare since I woke up, and- And it felt so real, but I've never even met that man, so why am I-"

"Why didn't you say anything?", Will cut in, his voice turning spiteful.

Tom looked up at him.

"You think I haven't been scared out of my mind?! You had the luck of at least being asleep when all that happened! I had to just... just turn around and pretend nothing happened after I saw that shit!"

"You're not gonna turn this on me, are you?", Tom's voice cracked as he tried to speak, his expression disheartened.

"I was- I was just scared, okay? I didn't know if I should tell you, because... because... I just-"

Will turned around, letting out an angry sigh.

"Right, you're too scared to tell me about a little nightmare but you have no problem challenging one of the most skilled fighters we know of to a bow duel to the death. You have a real sense of danger, Tom. Really."

At this, the right hand man became furious.

"You're an asshole! At least I tried to stand! You just wanted to surrender!"

"If you had let me, we'd at least have a home to sleep in! Now we have nothing!"

"And you're gonna blame that shit on me? For trying? For almost dying for you?!"

"I never asked you to! I never even fucking wanted you to show up!"

Tom stepped back. This time, the words cut through him like a blade.

"Wait- Wil- You don't-"

He hesitated, stammering. By this point, their argument had gotten the attention of everyone else there, and they were listening in silently. Nat looked like she was about to step in, but Fonda stopped her. Taza stood aside in silence.

"If you had never showed up to my doorstep that night, I would live my life how I used to! No new nightmares or dreams or memories or whatever the fuck they are! No need to be aware and around all the time, but you snapped me out of it and made me live in this... bullshit reality! You and your stupid fucking discs!"

The boy didn't speak any more. He didn't make a single noise. He simply stepped back, nodded his head, and quickly wiped something away from his eye. Will didn't apologize – You'd expect him to, but he said nothing. For a moment, it even seemed like he wasn't really here, nearly collapsing to the floor as he was taken somewhere else by his mind. Fonda was soon by his side, Nat following with some of her medicines. Of course, Tom thought, of course it's 'Mr. President' that's more important here. The boy rushed off to his tent, grabbed onto his backpack and tried to keep his tears at bay as he stumbled about, gathering supplies. Nat looked like she was torn between helping Will or stopping Tom – Of course she chose the other. Of course she fucking did. Taza, however, put his full focus on his best friend.

"Tom? Tom, where are you going?"

He tried to grab onto his arm, but the other pushed him away. Rage was burning in his eyes and hot tears were streaming down his face.

"Which way to the City of Dissonance, Taza?", he asked, his grip firm on his bag.

The boy hesitated, so he shouted again;

"Which is it?!"

"That way!", Taza shouted, pointing into the woods.

"It's a long walk Tom... and it'll be dangerous in the dark."

The blonde's face softened slightly, some anger fading.

"You won't... you won't try to stop me?"

Taza's face, even though plagued by fear and worry over what just happened, showed a smile.

"You're my best friend. Why would I ever doubt you?"

The boy looked briefly towards where Fungi was tied up.

"You know, it'd be a lot faster with a horse..."

"...Let's go then. Before those assholes realize what's happening."

Tom grinned, and the two got to work. They rushed to the horse, untied it, and jumped on.

Taza grabbed onto the reins meanwhile Tom grabbed onto the saddle below, placing his bag before him and holding it steadily. Fungi neighed as they got going - Nat shouted out to them as they did but they did not care. There was this strange rush of adrenaline overtaking both of them, keeping them from listening to anyone else. Taza didn't know what his friend's plan was – But he trusted him more than he did anyone else. The two understood each other far more than anyone else ever could. After all, at their hearts, they were still just teenagers. Teenagers tied up in a war. It just didn't seem right. So, if Tom had a plan on how to change what was happening, Taza would tag along. If Tom just wanted to get away from Will after that argument, Taza would take him out of the forest and beyond. And if Tom wanted him to take Fungi and get him to the City of Dissonance, he would do it without question. He didn't have a plan – He simply had trust.

Tom, on the other hand, had an idea.

There was a reason he grabbed his bag of all things – As Taza forced Fungi to go faster and faster, he looked down into the bag and ensured they were still there. His discs. His three discs, the three things that brought him to Will, and according to him, ruined his life. The only thing that was ever definite in his life, as he ran from city to city and searched for the man who never really cared. He felt betrayed, sure. Overwhelmed with rage, his blood boiling at the thought of the words the President said to him. But he wouldn't cave – He had something else to do, and this fight finally pushed him to take charge of the situation and go. Because Tom understood exactly why his dreams were the way they were. Why they showed him the discs when he was looking for a home, and why they showed him the crown when all hope was lost. Despite plaguing him each night, despite making him ask more questions than he could handle, the dreams wished to guide him to... something. He was unsure of what it was, but as he always had, he followed.

The Captain offered his crown, the only thing he had left over of his old life, to ensure a future for those around him. He gave away the only value in his life, the only source of stability. He put aside his own wants, he put aside the greed burning deep inside of him. And he died for it. He died because the Emperor of the Arctic could not see the true sacrifice happening in front of him. The Emperor wanted control, but the Emperor wanted to gain it through his own means. He'd take nothing handed to him, he'd never ask for anything. He'd come, he'd take, and he'd leave, having conquered everything in his way and ripped it from the hands of those who rightfully deserved it. But Tom knew one thing for sure – He knew the enemy he was facing now was different to the Emperor. He knew what he would do, how he would react.

Unlike the Emperor, Dissonance would take the crown and leave.

Dissonance wanted control. Dissonance wanted power. But not through means as violent and as mindless as the Emperor. He would use Taza to make his potions, he would take supplies from Fonda when he needed them. Never take them himself, never rip them away, he would make it so he could look into someone's eyes, ask for it, and receive whatever it was he wished. Because that was true control. Not strength, not intimidation. Pushing someone into a corner where they could not say no any more, and dangling an invisible prize right over their head. Tom once more looked at his discs, already feeling himself getting uneasy. If Dissonance had control, he'd trade anything for it. He'd trade in his entire city-state just to be able to look you in the eyes and say that he still won. Whether Tom liked it or not, he had been forced into this corner. But he didn't care. He didn't care about Will's words. He didn't care about the significance of the discs. He didn't care about anything.

Like the Captain, he would stand before the Emperor and give up his crown.

The two arrived at the edge of the woods, Taza made Fungi come to a stop, and then they got down, slowly and with hesitation. It wasn't long before they were spotted by someone – Of course, the city had someone put on defences around the clock. While his best friend took care of the horse and made sure he didn't run away, Tom walked forward, his eyes burning with that flame that Will had once admired. Once. Someone moved their sword towards him, but upon recognizing his face, quickly lowered it and ran off. Torches were lit around him as a small group of spectators arrived, watching the boy's every move. He stood tall. He looked ahead.

He watched as Dissonance emerged from the crowd.

"Dissonance!", he started, raising his head.

The other man looked at him, eyes obscured by his mask.

"...Emperor. It is an honour to stand before you.", the Captain speaks slowly.

"...You're not dead. So it's not over then."

The man pauses.

"Are you here for a rematch?"

"Let's cut the formalities. We're a very busy bunch, you know?"

The Emperor walks forward.

"Dissonance, I'm not here to fight."

Tom lifted his backpack.

"I'm here to bargain."

He snatches the crown out of the Uprising King's hands.

"Your discs... so you did take them back..."

Dissonance came closer, glancing at the bag.

He places it on his head as his companions laugh and cheer him on.

"...I have a simple offer, Dissonance."

Tom didn't stutter. He didn't hesitate. He stood tall. Everyone was watching him, and this time, he didn't intend to disappoint.

"...Independence for Lasenberg. Once and for all... in exchange..."

He dropped the bag down on the floor.

"My three discs. The thing I value most. I'll do anything to get them back... they are the single thing I would never give away otherwise.... but situations like these call for desperate measures."

And as Dissonance felt the eyes of the whole city on him, for the first time in his life, he hesitated.