| Chapter Twenty-Four | The First Kill
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"Sometimes we're tested not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths."
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As they rushed to the tunnel entrance, Sky found himself watching Mitch whenever they came across another person. Watching him give orders and lead. His eyes looked away, thinking. 'H-How can they expect me to be like that? I'm not the leader type, I'm...I'm the following type.' Sky thought to himself. They went inside the castle, Jason was quick to get in front of the king and Seto while Sky stays behind the three.
"Sure hope this works," Jason spoke making Mitch nod, agreeing.
"It's our last hope, so it better," Mitch spoke. As they rushed, Mitch looked at Sky, seeing he's lost in his thoughts. He looked away from the Skaldian prince. "Which is it, Sky or Adam?" Sky looked at the King, questioning until his question processed.
"S-Sky...call me Sky, not Adam," Sky said. Mitch nods.
"Alright, then just call me Mitch," Mitch told Sky. Sky nodded a bit and looked away from the king. They went down a flight of stairs, reaching underground and stopping at a door with no handle, the door only had three shapes in the wood and that's it. Jason stared at it.
"You have got to be kidding me, what is that?!" Jason asked before Mitch pull his dog tag necklace out from under his shirt and took it off. He fitted the tags to the shape in the middle, holding it there until the metal glowed for a second. The door going from a reddish-brown color to a golden color that matches Mitch's dog tags. When it changed, a door handle appeared. Mitch pulled the dog tags down and put the chain around his neck. He opened the door, revealing a pitch-black tunnel on the other side. Seto was the first to step in, mumbling under his breath and letting a flame ignite and float above the palm of his hand, lighting the darkness. Jason went in, followed by Mitch and Sky.
Hard to breathe and compact, there was barely enough for a person to stand in. Sky could hear the trouble the others were having their footing, but he was going on without a problem, able to see the ground he's walking on. Sky could also hear the stomps and commotion going on on the surface.
"You know, you should clear this damn tunnel out when this is over!" Jason spoke making Mitch chuckle softly.
"Agreed--"
"It isn't that bad," Sky spoke suddenly. Jason looked over his shoulder at Sky, about to speak until his eyes connected with Sky's. Jason's eyes widen a bit looking at Sky. He looked away, making note of Sky's eyes being a different color. 'He definitely has some type of ability in his eyes, that must be why they are such a strange color.' Jason thought to himself. Jason stopped walking once he ran into Seto, Mitch stopping when he heard the crash in front of him. Seto pushed Jason off him.
"Get off!" Seto snapped. Jason felt himself fall back into the king, Mitch grabbing Jason's arms to keep him from falling over. Seto closed his hand, the flame extinguishing, he put his hand out and against a cold stone surface. He nodded a bit. "This is definitely a cave-in, it might be too dangerous to break in such a narrow space,"
"Can you do it?" Jason asked him. Seto nods a bit but speaks since he knows they can see them.
"Yeah, it should be--"
"But the ceiling is caving in above you, there's a crack that it that looks really to give," Sky spoke making Seto look behind him towards the voice.
"What?" he questioned before Seto mumbled a spell and let another flame ignite and let it float up towards the ceiling showing a crack in the ceiling.
"How did you see that?" Seto asked him. Mitch looks at the crack and nods.
"Sky's right, Harvey, how much magic do you have in you?" the king asked him. Seto shrugged his shoulders.
"Depends, what do you want me to do?" Seto asked making Mitch smirk a bit.
"Do you think you can start an earthquake?" Mitch asked making the wizard look at Mitch, stunned.
"A-A what? I'm not an elemental earth wizard, Your Majesty. Besides, I know I don't have enough magic to make the magnitude we need. But I could cause the ground from under their feet to give," the wizard said making Mitch nod.
"That works too," he said. Mitch stepped back. "Let's head back and give Harvey space," Sky turned around to leave but stopped making Mitch walk into him. Mitch stepped back, looking at the princeling. "What--"
"We were followed," Sky said alarming Jason.
"How many, Sky?" Jason asked maneuvering in front of the king and pushing him back near Seto. Sky narrowed his eyes.
"I-I don't know--" He flinched when he felt Jason's hand touch his shoulder, but felt his tenseness relax when he heard Jason speak.
"Try to relax, Sky. Focus," Jason spoke softly. Jason looked at Sky, seeing his once pure golden eyes tainted with mixes of light blue and green coloring making him smile a bit. Jason looked down the tunnel, not being able to see anything through the darkness. Jason removed his hand from Sky's shoulder, he could hear footsteps approaching through the tunnel. Jason looked over his shoulder at Seto. "Protect the king, but do not engage unless you have to. Using magic here could create another cave-in," Seto nods and moves Mitch behind him, extinguishing the light, swallowing them in darkness once again. Once the light goes out, Sky's vision enhances, the golden color leaving his eyes entirely and leaving it in a green and blue mixture. Sky's eyes widen a bit at his clear vision, he takes a step forward, he could see a figure but could tell there was more than one there.
"Five," Sky spoke making Jason nod, drawing his sword out.
"I'll protect Master Azdel and the king. You go and fight--" Sky looks at Jason, able to see him clearly through the darkness.
"W-What?! But I'm not--"
"Sky, I can't see sh*t. But you can," he said alarming Sky more. Sky shook his head. 'No, I can't...I can't take killing anyone else. I may not completely remember what happened at the Nether but I know I killed people and I-I...' Sky thought to himself before he spoke.
"H-How can you be alright with murder? H-How?!" Sky asked Jason. Jason was caught off guard by the question but at the same time, he wasn't. He's seen this before, he's seen people struggle with their first kill. During his General days, he's seen fresh recruits struggle and hesitate when it comes to the first kill and how it can destroy them. Jason's eyes soften, taking a different approach.
"Do not blame yourself for what happened at the Nether, Sky. If you hadn't stepped in, Jordan would have been killed. Those mages picked their side...just like these people did. We need to protect the king. Without King Mitchell...Shivoa will fall and a lot of innocent people will die. And not to mention that if you died here, Skaldia will continue to be ruled by tyrants and their people will continue to suffer--" Sky shakes his head a bit.
"H-How is that my problem? S-Skaldia means nothing to me. I-I can't do this, I can't," Sky stammered. Jason hesitated, hearing the footsteps growing closer. Jason grabbed Sky's arm, yanking him behind him.
"Protect the king and Harvey," Jason spoke making Harvey speak.
"But Jason, you can't--"
"I'll try to hold them off best I can, Harvey, make an exit!" Jason shouted before Sky saw him leave. Sky looked down at the ground, not wanting to watch. His body trembled as his breathing heighten. 'W-Why am I here?! Why?! I can't...I can't take this! I want to go back home...Home...' Sky's eyes widen a bit as they watered. 'I don't have a home and I have no one. All everyone has done in my life is lie straight to my face...' Sky thought to himself before images flashed through his mind making him gasp and tremble. 'H-How could I have let them turn me into a killer?! I'm not...I'm a monster...I--' Sky's thoughts were cut off when he felt a pair of hands grab his arms and push him up and against the wall.
"Pull yourself together, Sky!" Mitch shouted at him. Sky flinched as his eyes flickered up, seeing Mitch in front of him. "I don't like killing people, none of us do, but sometimes it has to be done! Killing does not make you a monster unless you are the one who started the fight! Starting the fight makes you the monster, stopping it makes you the hero! You'll never be anything in life by hiding behind others and staying quiet, Sky! Stop being a coward, grow a pair, and stand on your own two feet for once in your life!" Mitch pushed Sky towards the fighting, he hesitated, he looked over his shoulder at Mitch. Mitch stepped towards Sky. "Jason may be a great warrior, but he cannot win a fight if he cannot see what he is fighting. Go!" Sky looked away, he looked forward, his eyes adjusting to the environment, letting him see that Jason is struggling. He gritted his teeth together, finding his feet moving on their own. His hands grasped the handle of his sword, drawing it before attacking.
He pushed the soldier off of Jason, grabbing a fistful of the back of Jason's jacket and yanking him backwards. Jason stumbled back, hearing swords clanging and fighting but he couldn't see it. He leaned against the wall, clutching his hurt right arm. It was three minutes of fighting before he heard Sky's voice from the darkness.
"There are more coming! Too many for me to take on by myself!" Sky shouted. He felt a hand grab his arm. "Come on!" Sky pulled Jason, leading him to the back. Jason winced.
"Are you alright, General?" Mitch asked.
"I'm somewhat alive," Jason spoke.
"Master Harvey, can you disrupt the earth using your magic?" Sky asked. Harvey paused, thinking. His eyes widen a bit realizing what Sky was asking.
"That's it!" Harvey shouted before he put his hands on the walls. "I would grab onto me or you'll be crushed," Harvey felt the three grab onto him for safety. Harvey's eyes shifted into a purple color, his hands and arms warping in a purple aura as he mumbled in a foreign language. Sky's eyes saw rock dust fall from the ceiling again, light beginning to crack into the dark tunnel from above. They felt the earth under them shake violently.
"W-What are you doing?" Jason asked him.
Harvey let out a pained grunt. "S-Something incredibly s-stupid."
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