And so forward Wilbur walked.

...The sunlight sifted through the trees as his mentor called to him. 'What is your name?' He had asked. Wilbur had replied. 'So I will call you Will.' And four swords stabbed him again and blood oozed from his mouth as he smiled his last, a voice mocked, 'He named you Will. Is that not ironic for you only had the will to escape your reality. To blind your self with shadows'. His mentor gave a scream as a spear razed his chest and missed Wilbur by an inch. 'See Wilbur? That spear was for you.' A child screamed as a boom resounded behind his mentor, the bloodied eyes still smiling. The sky had turned a crimson pattern...

Wilbur walked forward with the name of The White God on his lips.

I have been chosen.

...A child laughed. 'You have been chosen? You out of all your platoon? You assume such? Your companion died when he stood up against the Giant. Wasn't he a more suitable candidate? Are you hiding the possibility that the White God just missed you, a sheer coincidence?' Dirt filled his mouth presenting its multitude of flavors as the world spun and a short blade pierced the left of his chest. 'What if you were to always remain there Wilbur?' He gave out a noiseless scream as the blade showed what it could do...

NO.

Sir Florent was coughing violently, the ground around him still rumbling.

...Wilbur turned to look up, his left side aflame with molten pain. He saw The White God. He saw The White God smile. What more he needed? He saw a God smile...

...He saw a little garden. A very little garden where his mother tenderly planted a flower, like she had done hundreds of times before. He watched and watched as she watered the various flowers. The garden was very little but it had always seemed large to Wilbur. That was the only garden Wilbur had ever wished to see. The sky showed a shade amber yellow to match the flower his mother planted. A small flower in a large garden. Wilbur never liked gardening; he hated gardening. What use planting something that gave you negligible yield he had asked his mom. She smiled and explained not all was about yield. 'In fact, nothing at all is about that little Willi.' But he had failed to fathom what she meant. And the scene shifted with his mother's hand gently on his face, her teary eyes searching through his soul, 'Wilbur stay. What will the army give you, my little son?' He had always been little for his mother. Wilbur didn't flinch. 'Stay you fool!'...You Wilbur...where will you go anyways?...where can you go?...STAY...

But the moment was long gone. No more than a flicker of light in an extinguished lamp. He attempted to catch it as the colours faded, he reached out to touch his mother's hand that was on his face. But it had long met oblivion.

Sir Florent was coughing blood by now.

I will not run.

He looked behind to check on everyone. Thralin seemed to be better than he was before. But not all had the same fate. Priest Ferdinand had his fainted son on his feeble back. Violet kept shooting imaginary arrows now that Carter Hill had confiscated her arrows. Carter's face was hanging wide open as if a ghost had chanced an encounter with him. The townsfolk seemed exhausted as they leaned on one another, eyes hollow. The exiles couldn't walk straight as if they were stabbed in multiple places and had a high doses of alcohol up their systems.

Sir Florent had it worse. He could see a little stream of blood trickle down his mouth. He was at his limit. But the man hadn't uttered a word. Wilbur placed a hand on his shoulder as he chanted the White God's name. "It is enough Sir. We can manage from this point forth."

"No son, I told you no before. I can hold on, dear son. Just you trust your father," his eyes were rolling from place to place.

Wilbur did not know what Sir Florent was seeing, nor did he wish to. He pointed to a little cottage in the distance.

Sir Florent laughed and collapsed on the ground he stood on as soon as he realised they were near their target. His face reminded Wilbur of the art alchemy he had seen in the gallery of the man with hollow eyes and a smile on his face. The man with nothing and everything.

The rumbling stopped.

In the one second that Wilbur had, he realised that a wave would hit them. He had to hold on despite the enormous wave that was bound to come. He could no longer run, his face pointed at the single door knob.

Sir Triston knows alchemy. I have been chosen.

In the one instant he had, Wilbur gave the loudest shout he could conjure, "May the White God illuminate our path". And the wave hit him.

...The Giant used a sword to pierce his left side instead of a knife. He saw the limp body of Finch, and then he realised life was infused in his dead eyes that told him 'You weren't there Wilbur!'. The spear passed his mentor to stab him, crossing the one inch distance. Then it was his mother's garden. Rhugh was there. His mother hadn't noticed his presence. Rhugh raised his sword to the highest point. Wilbur gave a noiseless scream as his Gladinstone blade passed through him and then another blade came to pierce Rhugh from the back. And then another. The swords kept on coming to his call. The glow of Gladinstone was blinding now. More blinding than the shadows ever were...

He opened his eyes to witness an earthquake shaking everything around him, the trees the ground and he himself. The Greenlits had gone with their glowing green eyes.

He saw the hut now open, and a man in a scholar's wear, leaning near Sir Florent.

Sir Triston, still checking Sir Florent's health said, "So you must be The White Capes, heard about you. As long as you aren't affiliated to the King, you are welcome."

Wilbur found the use of his now feeble voice. He managed to conjure as much of his lost tone as he could, "Yes Sir Triston, we are in no way affiliated to the King or the workings of the Empire."

Wilbur straightened his back and saw that his hands were white as if he was clutching something tightly for too long. He noticed it was the artefact he was holding. A little smile crossed his tired face.

"We only follow the path illuminated by The White God."