“Kiira, Lou, we need to move, Ark that means you too.”
Kiila’s words were weighed down by her rigid breathing and conflicted expression. She herself hated the idea of leaving her master and captain behind, but she also knew it was the right thing to do.
The others stared at her in confusion, unable to comprehend why she would order them to retreat now.
“why? He only managed to guard a single attack, and couldn’t deliver any of his own. If we all fight him at once we will win, right guys?”
Ark was the first to speak, the intense hatred he had for Adam overruling the fear and shock he and the others experienced while watching from afar; however, while he believed his own words, the others did not.
“…”
Silence and averted eyes were the only answer given by Kiira and Lou.
“we don’t have time for this Ark, this was Jaavir’s last order before making me captain, we will obey it. He… he will stall the human as long as he can, and we will continue our mission of protecting the demon lord while he does so.”
“NO! w-we can’t just leave Jaavir to fight alone.”
“Ark, just—”
“Why are you staying quiet Lou? Wasn’t Jaavir the only captain who would take you in when all the others saw you as a failure and coward?”
“b-but—”
“and you Kiira, a pure mage with no talent for the sword would never make the royal guards, but Jaavir put his reputation on the line to make sure you get accepted and even put into the same squad as your sister.”
“…”
“he helped all of us when we were at our lowest and now your willing to leave him behind to fight that monster alone? You cowards, how dare you call yourselves royal guards! How dare you call yourselves warriors of clan Dra’ig!”
“enough of your nonsense Ark, let’s get moving.”
Kiila turned her back and started walking away from the furious Ark, trying to hide the painful expression forming on her face; however, none of the others followed her.
“he’s right Kiila… we can’t leave Jaavir behind.”
“Lou, what are you—”
“we can win if we all fight together. Kiila… sister, let’s go back for him.”
“are you all insane? We have orders to follow, we can’t just—”
Ark stepped in, stopping Kiila’s attempt at dissuading the others.
“you’re the one giving the orders now, so what will it be captain Kiila?”
Kiila clutched her shield tightly, her grip almost bending the thick metal handle. Her eyes were fixed on the ground below, she couldn’t face Ark, Lou, and her sister out of shame.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
the burden of responsibility weighed down on her. she wanted to go back for Jaavir, she knew that running away was cowardly, but she also understood that it is what a good captain would do.
Kiila finally looked up, fighting her shame into submission and staring at the eyes of those she thought she failed. In there she saw a fire burning fiercely, the fire of a warrior, a fire she herself lacked at that time.
She stared into their eyes as the fire’s warmth washed over her, reigniting her own, and with newfound conviction, she smiled and gave out her first orders as captain.
**************************
In a room not too far away from the battlefield, the demon lord stood.
He stared out of a beautifully decorated window, watching the battle that is about to unfold between the human terrorist and one of his royal guards with peeled eyes and trembling hands.
The calm, noble mask he usually wore dropped completely, even though a mere soldier stood right behind him.
What he felt was not fear, it was something else, something hard even for him to comprehend.
In a single afternoon, his entire understanding of the world and its rules was shattered. He did not know what to believe anymore.
He saw with his own eyes a dead human, risen from the grave by unknown means, slaughter his way through arguably the most secure place in the world and then completely brush off an attack powerful enough to put fear in the heart of any warrior with a single finger.
He saw his royal guards, his most trusted and loyal scurry away in terror like children.
What he felt wasn’t fear at all, it was self-reflection.
He mocked the clans who warned against angering the spirits of the long-lost civilization by trampling their monuments. he thought them to be mere fools shackled in fear of those whose bones withered a long time ago, yet now he watches a revenant of that civilization tear through his palace.
He laughed at the absurd ideologies of the low-borns of the north. Those mutated four-horned demons nearly worshipped the humans and wept their loss in ritualistic ways. He always ignored their pleas for help in times of great famines and disasters so he could maintain his image, were their prayers answered by the humans? Did he bring this upon himself he wondered?
The faces of those he failed to help surfaced in his face, the warnings he neglected to heed out of foolish pride rang in his ears, and the murmurs of the angry spirits of the many innocents killed due to his misguided orders began surrounding him.
A hand landed on his shoulder, cutting through the ghostly whispers and making him jump in surprise.
“my lord, are you listening?”
The demon lord had sweat running down his forehead. His whole body, from the bottom of his feet to his uniquely beautiful horns, was trembling. An unfitting visage for a lord
“Onvyr… is it all my fault?”
He asked in a pure, honest way that even Onvyr himself hasn’t seen him do since he was a child.
“w-what are you saying my lord, of course it is not. This is a mere unfortunate accident and I’ll—”
Onvyr was speaking as he usually does before stopping. His words had no weight behind them, they were there for the simple purpose of furthering his goal of maintaining the balance of power. But he couldn’t carry on with such an attitude.
As he looked at the demon lord, he did not see the ruler of all demons, he saw a frightened, inexperienced young man whom he raised, struggling with no help.
you should’ve never been burdened by the weight of the title at such a young age, and I should’ve protected you from the corruption and pain it could bring with it.
“my lord—”
The sound of an explosion rang in the distance, stealing the words out of Onvyrs mouth. He and the demon lord looked out of the window in a hurry, hoping that the battle wasn’t coming to an end as soon as it began.
“w-what are you doing? We need to leave right now, while the human is still busy.”
The guard, still standing at attention in the room, uttered through his trembling lips.
“that old demon… is he holding his own against the human?”
Once the guard heard what the demon lord said, he too glued his eyes to the battle unfolding outside, a small seed of hope, one that left the heart of the demon lord himself, started sprouting in his.