After the escape, the soldiers changed focus immediately and began putting out the fires and searching for the king. They found his battered, unconscious body beneath the debris and started pulling it apart to free him.
Another soldier rushed into the throne room and beckoned to one of the rescuers. The soldier hurried over and bowed.
"At your command, General Gensis."
"What happened here? Who dares to desecrate the palace? This is a stain on my name!" Gensis asked. He was tall and lanky, his black hair and long goatee kept immaculate, the look of someone who had lived in comfort. A permanent frown sat on his face, and his cold black eyes seemed annoyed by everything. He was stern and ruthless.
"Intruders, sir. They attacked the palace," the soldier replied.
"Obviously. Where is the king?" Gensis demanded, stroking his goatee.
"We found His Highness under the rubble from the attack, and we are stabilizing him, my lord," the soldier reported, keeping his head down.
"How is he?"
"Alive, but badly injured. And... he's bleeding, sir."
Gensis' hand froze mid-stroke.
"Bleeding? The king? That's impossible. An attack on the King means war." Gensis snapped.
"Yes, my lord. Arrows were found in him. We've contacted the healers; they're on their way."
"Arrows? How did they penetrate the king? Who did this? Do we know the attackers?"
"No, my lord. They escaped just as we were about to reach them."
"That makes no sense. This palace hasn't been attacked in eighteen years, and I made sure of that. Which barbaric terrorist dares soil my record?!" Gensis roared.
"Yakuso!" a voice called out.
Three soldiers entered, carrying a boy. He was badly wounded, barely conscious, blood staining his burnt clothes, a cloth tied around a burned leg.
It was Yujo.
"It... was Yakuso," Yujo muttered weakly. His body shook violently as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
Gensis gave Yujo one disgusted glance before turning to one of the soldiers carrying the boy. "Who is this? What happened to him?"
"We found him collapsed near the gates of the kingdom, my lord. We were ordered by the King to watch for a short boy named Yujo and escort him from the kingdom's gates to the palace, my lord," the soldier replied.
Gensis' eyes narrowed. He stepped closer, ignoring the stench of burnt flesh. "Where did you come from, boy?"
"Forest...field... in the forest," Yujo struggled to say. "House... in the field. In that house...the people...you're looking for."
"House? What house? Who are they?" Gensis pressed.
"Yakuso..." Yujo whispered, but his strength gave out. He slumped, unconscious.
Gensis winced and stared down at him. "Is he... is he dead?"
One of the soldiers checked Yujo's chest. "No, my lord. He's merely passed out."
Gensis studied the unconscious boy for a long moment, mind working through the details. An attack on the king. A house in the forest. A boy the king himself summoned, arriving half-dead with information.
"Take him to the doctors. If the king summoned him, he must be important," Gensis ordered.
"Yes, my lord!" the soldiers replied, whisking Yujo away.
Gensis turned to the remaining men.
"The ones attending to the king will stay. The rest of you, send scouts ahead. The boy mentioned a glade, fan out and search every acre." He strode toward the exit. "We're going to destroy these terrorists."
*********
[At the forest]
Hunda sat on the soft grass with her eyes closed, her injured siblings lying around her in a circle. After they arrived from the palace, she immediately began patching her siblings back together. She reached wherever they bled, guiding their blood back where it belonged, healing wounds from the inside out. It was exhausting work, but necessary. The bruises on Reo's neck began fading and her cuts melded together cleanly. She groaned and sat up, running her fingers across her neck.
"Better?" Hunda asked without opening her eyes, already focusing on the others.
"Yeah," Reo muttered. "Thanks."
"What happened out there?" Hunda asked.
"Well, Keira and I got there just in time to see Prismix about to kill Yakuso so I stopped him. We fought for a very short while but I was already crashing because I carried Keira all the way to the palace. Then, I passed out and woke up here," Reo reported.
"So you guys didn't get to him in time? No wonder his whole body is a mess," Hunda said.
"Yeah, I saw." Reo confirmed.
"His arms are broken, his skull is fractured, his back is a mess. He took the worst of it." Hunda complained.
"Is that bad?"
When Hunda glared at her, she raised her hands. "Serves him right, though."
"Why are you laughing? I'm being serious. He's severely injured." Hunda pressed.
"Alright, sorry," Reo apologized with a half-hearted grin "What about the others? I'm surprised Keira is unconscious,"
"They have the weirdest wound. Apart from small cuts here and there, I found small obsidian rocks in their gut," Hunda said, pointing to a small pile of stones beside them.
"Abdomen," Kahito corrected automatically, wincing as he clutched his side.
Hunda shot him a look. "Glad to see you're finally awake."
"Yeah. The stones hurt like hell. I think he threw them" Kahito replied. The wound from the stones had healed completely, leaving only a faint scar.
Reo's eyes widened.
"Wait, he threw them? Like, with his hands?" she exclaimed
"Yeah. One of his blessings. He's crazy strong," Kahito explained. He got up quickly and began pacing.
"You shouldn't move so fast, Kahito. I'm basically forcing your body to heal ten times faster. Sudden movements can disrupt the process," Hunda cautioned.
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just nervy," Kahito muttered.
"Still crashing?" Reo asked.
"No, it's just... never mind." He turned to Hunda, a tinge of sorrow in his eyes. "Where's Garuba?"
The playful atmosphere vanished.
Reo lowered her head, and Hunda's shoulders slumped.
"I prepared his body for burial and laid him in his room," Hunda replied, a hidden streak of blood dripping at the base of her neck.
Kahito simply nodded and walked toward the longhouse.
"He was the closest to Garuba, you know," Reo said once Kahito was out of earshot.
"And he knew him the longest," Hunda sighed.
"That kind of thing changes you."
"Yeah."
"I still can't believe he's really dead," Reo lamented.
"We all know it's Yujo, but how? Yujo couldn't even beat you if you were handicapped, but somehow he managed to not only defeat, but kill Garuba. That makes no sense," she continued.
"I don't know, Reo," Hunda shrugged. "Probably old age? Or Yujo was secretly stronger—"
"Bullshit!" Reo snapped. "You know exactly who we're talking about. Yujo can't fight to save his own skin because of his lethargy, so there's no way someone we've trained with our whole lives suddenly gets power from nowhere," she yelled, waving her hands sharply.
Hunda frowned and opened one eye.
"You think I want to believe that? Do you honestly think this whole situation makes sense to me? The facts don't add up, but that doesn't mean they aren't facts. You're not the only one who knew him. You're not the only one affected by his death. I'm sitting here trying to stop our siblings from dying because of Garuba's death, so stop yelling at me like I'm the problem," Hunda scolded.
"Oh, forgive me for trying to make sense of this whole thing," Reo pushed back.
"Oh my God, there's nothing to make sense of, Reo. Yakuso is on the brink of death, Keira and Mi Lai are unconscious, Kahito is in the house probably mourning our dead father figure who was killed by someone we thought was our brother—someone who betrayed us for reasons we don't even know. As of now, we have no clue what to do, no plan for our next move, and no morale whatsoever. Don't you get it, Reo? The person we rely on is gone, and the only other person we follow has seen better days. It could very well be the end," Hunda lamented.
Silence followed.
"He didn't cry, you know," Keira murmured, running her hands through her hair. Like Kahito, her wound had healed, leaving a faint scar.
"What was that?" Hunda asked.
"This morning, when we woke up and found Garuba dead, Kahito didn't cry. It was barely noticeable," she continued. "Instead, he immediately started thinking about how we could save Yakuso. I know it seems like he might be out of it, but give him a break. He puts on this façade of stability just so everything doesn't fall apart. He really is doing his best. I just wish we could ease some of that burden."
"Tough being the oldest, I guess," Reo whispered.
"Yeah." Keira sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.
As noon approached, the air grew cooler. The girls sat on the lush green grass in silence, the soft wind carrying their thoughts into the cerulean sky. Their heavy reflections started to lift as the youngest began to twist and stir, slowly regaining consciousness... unaware of the dangers gathering around them.
"Oh. Hey, guys," Mi Lai greeted as he scanned his surroundings.
"Hey, Lai," Reo replied while the others acknowledged him with small nods.
"So we made it? Thank God. For a moment there I genuinely thought I was going to die," Mi Lai sighed.
"Yeah, well, if we wait around long enough, we just might."
The door to the house opened as Kahito stepped out. He looked fine, except his hair was even more disheveled.
Keira, sitting to the right of Hunda, glanced back at him.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"We infiltrated the palace, attacked the king, and killed some guards. It's only natural people will come looking for us. And since this forest is on Emönæ soil, they have full access to search it," Kahito explained.
"Come to think of it, I've been hearing movements around here, but they never got too close, so I didn't give it much thought," Hunda said, confirming his suspicions.
"Then why haven't they already found us? It's already past noon and the glade isn't that far from the main kingdom," Reo asked.
"She's right. We should've been found by now," Keira added, rising to her feet.
"Only if they can see us. Right now, what they're seeing is an endless stretch of road in the forest. Ever since I woke up, I've been shifting their perception of the area around us so they can't get close—they just keep walking the wrong way," Kahito revealed.
"That's... really smart, honestly," Mi Lai said.
"Thanks. Anyway, that won't work for long. We need to find them before they find us."
He glanced toward Keira and Reo.
"Where's my quiver, Hunda?" Keira sighed.
"Somewhere by the entrance," Hunda replied.
"Alright," Keira muttered, heading for the door.
"Reo? You up for a few transformations?" Kahito asked.
Reo clenched and unclenched her fingers. "I think so."
In an instant, her form shifted. A fruit fly hovered where she sat. She changed again, returning to her original shape.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she confirmed.
"Found my quiver. So what's the game plan?" Keira asked, walking up to Kahito.
Hunda and Mi Lai turned to face him as the siblings gathered around the eldest.
"Okay, first of all—Hunda. How did you escape Prismix?" Kahito began.
"I hit him with a shockwave and used a blood board to carry us out," Hunda replied.
"No resistance? He didn't fight back?" Kahito pressed.
"None at all. He looked severely injured and tired. You guys really did a number on him. I think he was crashing. I'm not sure, but there was no hassle. One shot took him down," Hunda said.
"Alright, fine. Given his condition, it's safe to say he'll be out for a long while. And since he was the only 'witness,' it's also safe to assume the scouts out here have no idea what we look like or what our blessings are. Meaning they wouldn't know what to look for," Kahito continued, shifting his weight onto one leg.
"And where do we come in?" Reo asked, gesturing to herself and Keira.
"Well, y—" Kahito started.
"Oh, come on. Isn't it obvious already?" Keira rolled her eyes, cutting him off. "You find the scouts, and I follow you to finish them."
Hunda sighed.
"Oh, okay, genius," Reo jeered. "I'm going to be a fruit fly. How exactly are you planning to keep up with something that tiny and fast? Not to mention flies are super common in a place like this. You know... a forest."
"Guys!" Kahito yelled, snapping them back to order. He pressed his palms together and touched them to his lips. "I'm running low on Adva, and we're at risk of being found by strangers whose abilities we don't know. Can you focus?!"
A heavy silence settled over them.
"Fair," Keira muttered.
"Alright," Reo mumbled begrudgingly.
"Thank you," Kahito said, staring them both down. "Now—since Keira can't follow a fly in a forest, Reo, when you spot a scout, sound an alarm. Just make noise around that area. Keira should pick up on it and come find you. Understood?"
"Yeah," Keira nodded.
"Uh-huh. Watch out for a droning noise," Reo warned before transforming into a fly again, now a cicada.
"Something like this," the cicada droned three times with short pauses in between.
"Can you track that?" Kahito asked.
Keira tilted her head, listening. "Three drones. Yeah, I'll hear it."
"Good," Reo returned to herself.
"How many are out there?" Reo asked, turning to her sister.
"I've been tracking their movements," Hunda said. "Five, maybe six. Spread thin—they're covering too much ground."
"So we pick them off one by one," Keira said, checking her quiver.
"Before they can regroup," Kahito confirmed. "Fast and quiet."
"I know everyone's afraid to say this but why don't we just run away?" Mi Lai suggested, ignoring the angry stares from his siblings. "Garuba already made plans for a situation like this. Remember the place he told us about? The City of-"
"Keep quiet!" Reo yelled, cutting him off. "We've lived here all our lives. I'm not going to abandon this place if I have a chance to protect it."
"I know but-"
"Mi Lai, I understand where you're coming from but Yakuso is still very injured. If we move him right now, he could die. We have to stay here whether we like it or not," Hunda chipped in.
"Ok but what if they find Yujo? He could still be around here," Mi Lai retorted.
"Yujo's gone, Mi Lai. It's best to stop worrying about him and lets focus about our survival. He made his choice," Kahito rebuffed.
"There you go again. You keep accusing him of murder with no concrete evidence. Just baseless guesses."
"We're not doing this again, Mi Lai," Keira glared. "Right now, we have to find those scouts and protect our home."
"What if one of them gets away?" Mi Lai asked.
Keira's demeanor darkened. "They won't."
"But if they do—"
"They won't," she repeated, more to herself than him. "They can't..."
The tension in the air became heavy and silence ensued.
Reo met Keira's eyes. A silent understanding passed between them.
"Let's go."
She became a fruit fly and darted into the forest, Keira following close behind.
"What about us?" Hunda asked.
"I need you here, healing Yakuso. When he wakes up, we need to talk." Kahito shot a glare at the sleeping boy. "Mi Lai can't join because his fire might catch the enemy's attention."
"Alright. Since I'm not needed, I'm going to make us something to eat. I'm starving," Mi Lai announced, heading toward the house.
Kahito nodded at him, then turned to Hunda. "I'll be at the back if anyone needs me."
He walked toward the rear of the house. The moment he was out of their sight, his appearance shifted. It was like a veil fell away. His already disheveled hair grew messier, his eyes turned red and swollen, and faint tear tracks clung to his cheeks. He pressed a hand to his mouth, his body trembling, and—just like before—he began to cry again. In the house, Mi Lai stood beside the body of Garuba and buried his head in his hands as hot tears wet his hands. On the other end, outside, Hunda held her head low as spots of blood covered her while she worked on Yakuso.
Reader's Note (I guess...)
I didn't know how to add a reader's note so I thought to use this as a means of communication. I humbly apologize for the lengthy delay of the release of this chapter. I had a lot of tests for the past few weeks and was too busy reading to continue writing. I know I haven't been the best when it comes to consistency in the release of chapters but I've been trying my best to work on my consistency. I greatly appreciate people that still decide to read the book despite my shortcomings and hope to improve for the sake of you guys.
Thank you.