“We’re surrounded!” Violet cried.

Kenrich and Violet had their backs pressed together, completely surrounded by masked men all armed with rapiers. The men were converging on them slowly. Kenrich started looking through his pockets but could not find a single magic stone. He also could not locate his sword. A cold sweat started running over his body. He looked over at Violet who was white as a sheet. She too had no weapons. The men were getting closer. It was over. They had failed. The men were now within reach. They thrust their rapier straight into Violet’s chest as she tried a feeble attempt to block it. She hit the ground and was engulfed in the crowd of masked attackers. Kenrich could not see her anymore. He then looked down to his own chest…and saw that a large blade had pierced through his own chest. He touched it with his hand, smearing blood all over his palm. He fell to his knees. A man with a fully white mask then walked up to him, holding Kenrich’s own white magic sword, before swiping it at his neck.

“AHHH!” he screamed, falling out of his bed with a thud.

Kenrich opened his eyes and saw no masked men. He only saw the grey carpet under his face. He then heard a violent knock.

“Why are you screaming?!” he heard a familiar voice yell. “Is my voice really that scary?! It’s your turn for the bath! Get going, dirtball!”

Kenrich quickly got up and ran towards the door, thrusting it open. On the other side, he saw Violet covered only by a white towel. Her long black hair was wet and clumsily laid around her shoulders. This was the first time that she was completely clean since they started their journey. Kenrich’s happiness that it was only a nightmare was immediately changed by a flush feeling in his face by witnessing Violet in such a state. The towel outlined her curves in a way that made him immediately dart his eyes away from her own. Through all they had gone through, he forgot just how beautiful she truly was.

“Ha! Cat got your tongue, Ken? The bath works wonders, so go wash all that stank off. I’m dying to see what you look like…not covered in mud. Make sure to let me know when you’re done.”

Violet then walked off into her room with a cute smile and a wave. Kenrich slapped his face with both hands and got ready to follow Yui to the bath. She led him down the same hallway, and as he arrived, he witnessed a large bath that was larger than his own house. It looked like a bath that could fit at least fifty people. It was not a shade of light blue, but a pearl white that covered the walls and floors. Yui showed him where everything was and then left him to enjoy the place. Growing up in a small village where the only form of luxury they felt they had involved a large harvest of pumpkins; he was not sure if he could get used to this lifestyle for however long they were planning on staying. Maids, a nice bedroom, a massive bath to use…it was something he did not feel like he deserved until he actually managed to complete the mission the queen had tasked them with. This thought and that nightmare brought even more resolve into Kenrich as he promised himself that not only would they complete the mission and stop Admia from gaining the Ring of Life, but he would make sure they all survive as well. Maybe it was greedy of him, but it was the only way he felt he deserved this respite… and if he had to die for it, he gladly would. He took off his filthy clothes and got into the bath with more determination than he ever had before.

After finishing up, he made his way back towards their rooms. On his way there, he was stopped by Yui.

“May I bother you for a second, Master Kenrich?” she asked.

“Of course. And please, you can call me, Ken.”

“As you wish, Master Ken.”

Yui led him to an empty room at the end of the hallway. She opened the door and ushered Kenrich inside. He had no idea what this conversation was going to include, but he was going to give her his full attention regardless. Yui sat on a light blue couch in the center of the room.

“I’d like to talk to you about the queen,” Yui said, gesturing to the spot next to her.

Kenrich sat down at the opposite end of the couch.

“What about her?”

“I have more respect for her than anyone in this world. Coming into power in a kingdom at such a young age and being able to manage such a vast amount of people in this violent world…she truly is amazing, so I only want to ask you one thing: Would you please protect her?”

“Protect her? What do you mean?”

“She talked to you two about training before, correct? There was a part of what she said that was a lie.”

“A lie?”

“Yes. There are no great warriors in Aquarium, none with anything to teach you at least. Admia has gone through great lengths to make our military as weak as they possibly could, and that involved converting our greatest warriors to work for them through monetary promises. Any warrior in Admia that shows promise is swept away by their silver-tongued promises of wealth and fame…”

“I see…”

“She did not lie about training you though. The truth is…she is the only great warrior we have that could teach you two anything valuable.”

“Queen Puri is?”

“It’s true. She truly is our first and last line of defense if war were to come here. Admia knows that they are slowly weakening us through their tactics, but they know not the extent to which they have. We would stand no chance in a war with Admia…The queen puts all of us first no matter what the odds are and no matter what it does to her, so I know she’d lay her own life on the line for us, and I know the day she will is coming…”

“Why do you think that?”

“Admian blood has now been spilt on Aquarium soil…her majesty tells us that she will handle it, but I worry. I worry so much for her. So please…give me the ring.”

“I can’t do that. You know I can’t.”

“Please, Master Ken. I will do anything that you wish. Just please…allow me to undo the queen’s death when the time comes. Don’t destroy the ring! I beg of you! We need her, and I know she will put her life on the line for us until it ends with her death!”

“No one is meant to have this power. The queen herself tasked us with destroying this ring. I won’t go against her will. Will you?”

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“I-I must! She needs someone to look after her for once! There’s only so much I can do and it will never be enough to repay her for all she’s done for me…for all of us…”

“I can tell how much you care for her, but it’s not what she wants. If war comes here, and she dies, then you use the ring on her, would it not be in danger of being taken by Admian hands? Then, Queen Puri would die again, knowing that what she gave her life for…was all for nothing. Is that what you want?!”

“Of course not! I-I would hide it away! They would never find it!”

“You know that won’t work, Yui. If Queen Puri dies, then Aquarium has already fallen. Admia’s reach would be much too wide to hide anything from them. They would find the ring…and they would find Queen Puri.”

Yui put her hands on her face. Kenrich heard her muffled cries. He did not want to ruin Yui’s hopes, but his resolve for helping the queen fulfill her duty was greater than the feelings of her maid. Besides, Kenrich had already decided that no one but himself would be allowed to die.

“I will promise you what you wish, Yui. Just not the way you want it.”

Yui looked up at Kenrich. Her mascara had left black streaks under her eyes.

“I will protect the queen. That’s a promise. But I will also destroy the ring.”

Kenrich then got up and left the room.

Making his way towards Violet’s dorm. He saw that she was already waiting outside the hallway, leaning against the wall between their doors.

“You clean up pretty well, village boy.”

“Why thank you, soldier girl.”

Violet smiled.

“You should have some clothes in your dresser. Go get dressed and we’ll go.”

Kenrich nodded before going into his dorm. He walked over to his dresser in the corner of his room and saw clothing much nicer than anything he was accustomed to. He took out a white dress shirt and a black pair of pants. After removing his towel, he put on the two garments, tucking the shirt into his pants. He then looked for his boots which were in a different spot that he had left them. They were sitting right by the door, looking brand new. Yui must have cleaned them while he was in the bath. This made him feel worse for the way he left things, but he knew that he was doing the right thing. Still, he felt he was a bit harsh. He put on his dark brown boots and left the room.

Once he made his way into the hallway, Violet looked over at him before pushing herself off the wall and placing herself in front of him. She eyed him from top to bottom.

“That looks good on you, Ken. I’m glad you’re gonna look nice when you meet Fae.”

“You look nice as well, V.”

Violet did a little spin. She was wearing a red dress that went to her knees with a pair of black pants under them. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that reached the center of her back.

“I’m already liking it here quite a bit,” she said. “It almost feels like the torment we went through was worth it.”

“Shall we go?”

Violet nodded.

“I’ll lead the way.”

Kenrich followed Violet as they made the way out of the door that they first entered the palace in. It was dark outside. They would most likely not be getting any sleep tonight after this though. Kenrich followed Violet as they made their way down the torch-lit street. There were very few people making their way down the roads. It almost felt lonely with just how full this city was when they first arrived. After a bit of walking, Violet finally led them through a large black metal gate with the words, “Paradise Falls Cemetery,” spelled at the top of it. The place was very well kept, but the eeriness that came with the darkness still gave the scene an uncomfortable and foreboding feeling. They walked for a bit longer through the main path that spanned through the middle, and eventually, Violet stopped, gesturing for Kenrich to follow him down a smaller path that led to the back corner of the cemetery. They were almost there. After a few moments, Violet stopped at a small marble mausoleum.

“This is the place,” she said. “Take your shoes off before entering.”

Kenrich listened and removed his boots, setting them outside the mausoleum doors. He then followed Violet into the small building. Inside it was pitch black. Violet reached into her pocket and took out a small gold ring with a yellow stone encased in it. She put it on her finger and shook her hand. Light started emitting from her ring, and Kenrich could now see the inside. The room was about half the size of his small one-room house. There were light gray tiles spread throughout the floor with small black diamonds at the corner of each one. There were also two gray marble benches on both sides of the small room. In the middle, there was a large gray casket. It was raised high enough to where it was at chest height, and on the platform it sat on, were three passages of words that went from left to right. Kenrich read the first passage in his head:

Fae spent her last years in the Admian military, where she was respected by both her superiors and her peers. A warrior who gave her life for her comrades at the Battle of the Border in Shangloo.

Under this first passage, someone scratched in the words, “Serves that bitch right.” Someone else also scratched in the words, “TRAITOR.” Kenrich read the next passage:

Fae enjoyed reading, spending time with her friends, and sparring with her comrades. She was an alum of Orchid High School and graduated from the 1st Division Military Academy. Her academic achievements had her as valedictorian of her class.

Someone had attempted to scratch out the last sentence. Kenrich went to read the last passage, but before he could, Violet read it aloud.

“‘Fae was someone who cared more about others than she did herself. She lit up every room that she entered and made everyone’s own burdens a little bit lighter just by being there. She was too good for this world, and anyone who met her, was better off for it…’ I wrote that passage myself.”

Kenrich noticed that most of this passage had been completely defaced. There was no way he would have been able to read it.

“It was very nice,” Kenrich said.

“No one knew her like I did. Anyone who would come here and disgrace her memory…doesn’t deserve anything but death.”

Violet was shaking in rage, but before she could let it take over, Kenrich stood next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Violet smiled at him, took a deep breath, and walked over to the casket.

“Would you help me get the top off?”

Kenrich went over and took one end of the lid. It was very heavy. Kenrich and Violet both grunted as they pushed as hard as they could to make it budge. After a bit, they managed to get it to move. They pushed it behind the casket, and it fell with a loud crash on the platform behind it. In the casket…was the skeleton of a young girl. Tears welled up in Violet’s eyes. She wiped them away with the sleeve of her dress. Kenrich took off the Ring of Life from his finger, lightly grabbed Violet’s hand and placed the ring on her finger. Tears still flowing from her eyes, and with shaky breathing, she held her hand close to her chest, embracing it, before placing it on the skeleton. White light shot from the ring, covering the skeleton. After a few moments, they witnessed skin start to appear on the skeleton filling the ragged clothes that sat on it. Kenrich stood there, partially shielding his eyes from the bright light, while Violet looked straight at it with her hands over her nose and mouth, still crying. The white light finally stopped shining. The dry skeleton that had been there only twenty seconds ago, was now replaced with a young girl.

“Wh-what…?” a weak voice said. “Where am I?”

The girl rose from the open casket and looked over at Kenrich and Violet. Kenrich took a few steps back. He did not want to get in the way of their reunion. Violet’s eyes met with the young girl's.

“Vivi?” the girl said.

Violet nodded her head furiously before going over to her and embracing her.