"(Well, to be honest... I'm afraid you are on hostile grounds... And judging by the time Creete has been in the back room, he went to his teleport stone to inform the Copper patrol Union...)" I only tighten my grip to his words, not trusting a Periah to inform me of the truth. "(Well, Paotee... How do I trust such words from someone such as you?)" He nods in shame as Creete did, smirking at me. "(Because I am from Goldstone, and the siege of your kingdom was a truly awful feat... And Commander Asriel should be here soon... You need to go, now!)" Such words struck fear into me, knowing that Asriel is definitely someone to be feared... I have heard so many things, from him having demonic wings within his impenetrable armor to being able to predict the future... I definitely don't want to mess with that man. "(Alright, Periah. I'll listen this one time, only because- Wait...)" I look into his eyes, blue as my father's armor, recognizing a familiarity to Malek... "What is it, your majesty?" I snap out of it, knowing that it's just a coincidence. "N-nothing... I will leave Paotee... But only because there is risk in not doing so, and no risk in doing so..." "(You are as smart as they say, Isahia. Take your leave, and save your Kingdom... Stay alive, because the Holostone can't go to Asriel... Asriel is the true danger. King Paul is not your enemy, I promise it.)" Does he really expect me to believe that after the deed he's done?! No! "(I will never trust King Paul again... Mark my words. I will not only destroy his army and his castle, but he will die by my hand. Prepare for that day.)" Emylia looks at me shocked, my voice contorting in rage again on accident. "(Fine, Isahia... Believe that... It's your choice... You choose your fate...)" "I THINK HES IN HERE!!!" I hear the door of the pub slam open, two people coming in with rage. "Paotee, your under arrest! You thought escaping Goldstone would save you?!" A large man with dark blue hair says, followed in by another with pink, which means that both were Colorias. The first wore heavy armor like Master Jayces, heavy and large sword on his back, proving to be a classic Greatsword, not having a shield and also had a red scarf, covering his mouth, also wearing black leather under armor with baggy blue leather pants, black boots to boot. The other wore her hair in two ponytails on the sides, wearing a light purple bandanna and very light purple armor, a large scythe on her back proving her to be among one of the Rogue jobs. Paotee smirks at the blue haired one, preparing to speak. "It seems my ride is here, squire. I'll be seeing you. Remember the things I said." I look at him, confused. "See you, I suppose?" He gets out of his chair, looking at the man with the greatsword and the woman with the scythe. "Well, it seems you've finally cornered me, Fann." He looks back at him, much taller and towering the Periah. "It seems I have..." He grabs the hilt of his sword, making me curious, since Paotee already surrendered. The girl with the Scythe finally speaks. "Paotee, come quietly... You know you don't want this." He looks back to her, answering. "Ecle, no offense. But you couldn't capture me if you tried." His smirk widens, looking at us and gesturing with his head for us to leave, and I nod to Emylia, thinking it best. "(We can't just leave him, he helped us...)" "(Emylia, I am a prince of a fallen Kingdom. I cannot pardon a criminal anymore... We're going. It's all we can do.)" "(Th-that's not right... He helped us...)" She looks at me, sad and remorseful. But I knew there was nothing I can do. I grab her by the arm, leaving our food on the table and forcing us out the door, the one named Ecle looking at me shocked as I leave. "Fann, he wears the armor of Steelwater." Fann looks back at me, wide eyed as well. "By the Ancients, your right!" I feared, knowing that I could be in danger, going further outside into a small corridor between two stone buildings on the other side of the east entrance, it starting to feel like a maze in between the rather petite spaces of the constantly turning alleys. Emylia eventually is forced to stop from exhaustion, kneeling on both knees. I crouch down to her level on one knee, pulling her hood over her head. "I need you to go ahead, Emylia... I saw Coppers in the middle of the city and it's dangerous for you to be near me... Meet Jayce and Shaw at the West gate of the city, for I know that's the way they went. Don't go to north or south, because both lead to dead ends. Find Jayce, find Shaw, and get to the Caravan. I'll meet you there, but it's just safer this way, alright?" She looks at me, sad. "I'm not leaving you, Isahia... I'm not." I stand up, a tad angered. "You will go, and you will go now. Thats an order." I point to one of the alley branches and she nods even more saddened, running down that alley and fleeing. "(Thank you...)" I whisper to myself, going straight past the branch and already finding an exit from the alley, going to it and and seeing it to exit into the north entrance, seeing a crowd in the center of the city, with a stand in the middle reaching above the others with a man on it, tall and in black armor, recognizing it almost immediately. "(Asriel Garner...)" He is speaking to the crowd, the caravan nowhere in sight. Asriel starts speaking again. "Dear citizens... A fallen and weakened villain lies among you in hiding, reported by the local pub, him escaping after nonlocal Goldstone authorities attempted to apprehend another criminal within the pub. I'm afraid that this is yet another example of Goldstone's misdeeds, not only letting this said villain escape, but also help!" The man had a much deeper voice than said in legend, muffled and echoed through his dark black helmet, hiding a face he has never revealed. I feared, for he spoke of me... His diplomacy is much higher than I imagined, turning his citizens against the other countries... Bastard... "I'm afraid the name of this villain, my people, is "The fallen prince" Isahia, last of Steelwater family and last coward of the throne!" The croud boos my name as they hear it, the damned Sheepal following his every word, angering me so. "I'm afraid this shadow of the coward king is seeking refuge in the Goldstone country, making even more of a reason for us, the Copperblaze people, to take what is rightfully ours... The continent of Paige!" The croud cheers, almost making me vomit as I hear those words... Asriel has full support of the people... And that is very dangerous. "Silence!" The crowd hush's immediately to the loud deep voice of the feared Asriel, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "People, this report is not done! I'm afraid that not only is Isahia not alone, but he plans to steal the holy emblem of unity, the Holostone!" The crowd looks at him shocked, angered manically as I scoot further back into the alley, sitting and curling my knees against me, knowing full well that he somehow interrogated one of the knights of Steelwater to tell the secret plan... We can't win now... We can't... I bury my head into my knees, upset and terrified of Paige's future as a whole, knowing now that Paul's true plan is to take over all of Paige, and that even if my father signed the treaty, it would have been ended all the same. "Citizens! Keep an eye out, and us of the Copperblaze patrol union, shall do the same!" The crowd cheers in a blaze, and scatter almost immediately in search of me... I'm scared... So scared... As the citizens start fleeing out into the entrances again, I turn around and jump into a window of one of the buildings next to me, noticing it to be empty and getting into a barrel in one of the corners of the room, the strange lifeless room being filled with dust and various objects... It is probably a curiosity shop. I search quickly for the lid of the barrel, quickly putting it over me and listening to the rustling of multiple people scattering to find The Fallen Prince... The lid forced the room to go to darkness, curling into a ball and shutting my eyes, feeling weaker than ever before... I wanted Jayce to save me... I wanted Cecil to save me... I wanted Malek to save me... And as I said so in mind, Malek showed up on the other side of the darkness... I was in the waiting room again, Malek looking at me in silence. "Is this what you expected, Malek? Is this my fate!?" My eyes well up in tears, digging my head into my knees as I did in the back alley, hearing his footsteps come closer... "Isahia, dear child... This is not where your life ends... You still have a job to do... Fulfill your father's last wish..." He puts his hand on my head, still sniffling. "I-I'm sorry Malek... I-I'm scared. This... This is too big for me." "It is okay, your majesty... As your princehood dies your heroism is born... Your life doesn't end here, and your actions in the next few days will directly end the life of King Paul... Just save the Holostone... That is all I plea Isahia. If you don't, our history will be destroyed... Save them, Isahia. Avenge your father... Isahia... Isahia. Isahia!" Huh?! I open my eyes, seeing through an eye hole of the barrel a burly man with a beard that I know so gladly that I am overjoyed! "Isahia! Are you in here?!" I pop my head out of the barrel in glee. "I'm here, Jayce! I'm here!" He looks at me almost immediately, looking as happy to see me as I am him. The tint of the room is darker than before, the sky being orange telling me that I fell asleep. "Boy, you scared the shit outa' me!" He runs over to me and picks me up with his monster hands, hugging me in a death grip as I see a dead body behind him, Jayces axe in his head. He drops me, pulling his axe out of the previously mentioned head of that poor soul. "We're getting out of here. The Coppers left, but it's citizens still search. Follow me!" He kicks the door down dramatically, turning and running toward the middle of the city, I following behind but getting dizzy and falling to one knee at the entrance of the house I snuck into, Jayce turning around. "Damn it boy!" He runs back to me, hoisting me like a baby and running to the middle of the city of Quar, then turning to the west entrance and seeing the caravan in the distance myself, seeing it just outside the gate. "Ahhh!" Jayce wails falling to one knee. I looking down to see an arrow in his thigh as he drops me. And knowing he was in danger, I get up and twist around Jayce, seeing an archer with a crossbow on the roof of a nearby building, pulling my shield out and trying to shield Jayce, my shield not being able to cover the radius of his body. "Isahia, get out of here!" "Not without you!" I try my best to cover him, not even bothering to cover me as the haze of my dizziness begins to stagger, I barely being able to stand as the archer reloads his crossbow, aiming it at me instead of Jayce. "Run, damn it!" He shoves me, I rolling to the ground and becoming too dizzy to stand up, the arrow already being shot, only hitting the stone road... "J-Jayce... You saved my life but... I can't move..." He looks at me, trying to stand, staggering almost as soon as he tried to get up, falling to one knee again. He grabs the arrow that went all the way through his thigh, not minding the tip of the arrow as he tries to pull it out, screaming in pain as it brakes off halfway, making him bleed more. I hear another shot get loaded and Jayce tries to crawl to me in pain, grabbing my shield and desperately trying to pick it up and block me, being unable to as he weakens every second... I hear the shot fire and I shut my eyes as it hits its target, wincing in tears as I know I failed... Then I hear another shot... Then another... Then another... I failed... Deciding to open my eyes and face my failure... I open my eyes, still seeing Jayce alive, on one knee again and giving a thumbs up to the rooftop with the archer on it, deciding in curiosity to roll over and look at the roof. I thankfully see Emylia smiling, waving at us as she drops the lifeless archer from the rooftop onto the stone road, seeing four arrows all over the accursed dead body as he crumples in blood all over the walkway. I smile at the sight, Emylia then climbing down the ladder on the side of the house, taking her hood off and running to us in the now empty streets, its citizens fearing Emylia's archery. She cares to Jayces injury, using her water elemental energi to make the rest of the arrow slide out of his leg, he wincing in pain as the water enters his wound. "Thanks Emylia... You came back just in time..." "Don't thank me Jayce, I should thank you. For going back for Isahia even knowing that the Coppers were still there..." Jayce tries to stand, still struggling but being able to when Emylia hoists his arm over her. I get up, hoisting his other arm over me. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more... I guess Shaw was right about my injury." We start walking slowly to the west gate, Emylia responding. "Hey, where is Shaw, Jayce?" Jayces frown deepens, going into his satchel and handing Emylia a folding piece of paper. She unfolds it hastily, reading it out loud. "I'm sorry Jayce... But I'm afraid I can't stay anymore. My life was cheated of me on Isahia's birth, and I cannot be trusted to stay with you. I have fled to the unknown, following in my own path to create a new life. I give this paper to you so you at least know why I'm gone. And to give you one last message to help you... Asriel Garners army heads to Tower Equalibrium... And in exactly one day he will siege the tower, taking the Holostone and anything left... He plans to make the tower fall to mark a new era... You don't have much time Jayce. And I wish you Godspeed from afar. Good luck, and goodbye... Shaw Betseal." Emylia and I both stop in shock, sitting down in the middle of the road and sitting Jayce with us... None of us know what to say... And we sit in silence mournfully... None of us wanted this... None of us...