Tears rolled down his eyes when he saw that face. His heart throbbed and a brief cry escaped his mouth. But, all this happened without his permission. Yes! All these were involuntary actions and the agony was unfamiliar. As if a spear pierced through his heart would be less painful.
But his cry was buried in the many whispers of shock and disbelief. Of those who knew about the convict, or at least had heard of him.
The former commander-in-chief was a renowned and beloved existence among the army and citizens alike. He used to be a captain in the army, yet led the rebellion 4 years ago.
All to take down the unjust king and his ideologies and ensure the peace of the country. His mere presence in the rebel army was assurance for the people that it was for the better.
And now he is a convict worthy of a death sentence?! How was it possible for him to betray this land? This was a situation ridiculously beyond their comprehension.
The commander resumed his speech. Most of it was uninteresting to the new recruits, and some maybe even to the soldiers present.
"What is this? Why do I feel this?!" Shui was talking to himself. This was yet again another incident where his brain reacted instinctively. The facade, he had assured himself with, was now blown away. He was no longer sure of anything.
He was confused and his head felt like it might burst open anytime along. With the questionable feelings, an unknown rage boiled within him.
For the first time in a while, Shui looked up, straight at Tenjiku. Those dead eyes filled with regret infuriated him. And it was obvious that he didn't know why!
A sudden urge rushed within him, and the next thing he knew, he was charging towards the guillotine. The officers who were leisurely sitting by the king jumped off their seats. The commander went silent abruptly as he stared at the unknown man run wild.
Shui felt he must save this man, no matter what. He felt a deep bond, one unlike from that time with Kali and Maki.
The king didn't flinch, as if waiting to see what was coming. The officers were shouting at the soldiers, who themselves were in bewilderment.
Shui was quick on his foot, and before the soldiers or thir commander could react, he was standing by the guillotine. His fists landed on the faces of the two stunned soldiers by Tenjiku, knocking them hard.
"Fools!! What are you looking at?! Take down that traitor!!" The commander barely collected his thoughts as he yelled at the soldiers.
But the soldiers were hesitant about what they should do. They were in a fix. They knew how deeply they respected the former superior, but they also had a duty to fulfil.
"The king is under attack!" Suddenly, a voice cried out. Two of the soldiers went down while protecting the king.
The new recruits were to amateur to start right off the bat. In terror of getting involved in the chaos, they tried to flee.Soon, the training grounds was in turmoil.
Now even the king was baffled. As were the officers. A group emerged from among the new recruits, which seemed in cahoots with that madman.
"Commander!! Protect me! That! Is! The! Priority!" The king ordered. That serene visage of his had vanished without a trace, leaving an old panicked man.
"But, your majesty! The..." The commander tried to speak up for his soldiers who needed his directions.
"It's... an... ORDER...!!"
"Ye... yes, Your Majesty!!"
"Let the soldiers handle the traitors."
"Captains!! Gather around! Protect the officers!" The commander reluctantly ordered. The officers wouldn't be satisfied with mere soldiers.
The situation was getting worse. The horde of soldiers were ganging up on Shui. Somehow, he was able to fend them off, but it was getting harder. The numbers kept rising and he couldn't protect both himself and Tenjiku.
Out of the blue, he saw Senji. He felt that Senji was on his side and without a second thought, called out to him.
"Senji!! Take care of them until I uncuff him!" Shui issued orders, unfazed by the sudden intrusion.
"Understood!" Senji replied instinctively. He could feel the dominating aura from Shui.
Senji was seemingly the leader of the people Shui earlier noticed. The ones from that country. He was unsure why they were doing this and what they were up to but, it was no time to inquire. And he was not too sure about his purpose either.
Shui hurriedly searched for the key in the pockets of the soldiers knocked down earlier.
"Which might it be? It would take time, but, I have to test one by one." Shui thought aloud, holding the bunch of keys in his hands. He tried one key after another as his unexpectd allies fought against the soldiers.
"It opened!" Shui sighed, in a rather loud tone. But, what now? This man didn't look like he'd move by himself. He must have lost his will to live. He didn' even flinch when brought to the guillotine.
"Shui! Leave him to me!!" He looked around. Senji, drenched in sweat and blood hurriedly approached him.
"Weren't you here for the recruitment? What is your purpose? " Shui could no longer contain the questions.
Hearing the questions, Senji grinned. "That's something I should be asking, not you!" And burst into laughter.
Well, that was true. But, Shui didn't know the answer himself. He too was seeking the answer to this question.
"Truth be told, we the people of Lusia are here to rescue this man. But, we didn't imagine the king would seriously execute him."
"All we knew was he was just detained and might be sentenced. The sudden situation was beyond our expectations. But, you saved us from the dillema. I don't know yer reason, still thanks."
"Its no time for idle chat, the king might send reinforcements any minute. It was odd that all the soldiers here have no weapon other than spears, but, the ones coming next will be fully armed."
Senji was taken aback by the clear judgement of Shui. He sensed a completely differnt person now. From what Shui had shared, he was just a common villager. Yet, here he seemed like a veteran, calmly assessing the situation.
"Yer right! We've already made preparations to escape. All's left is to clear up the path." Senji smirked, a little smug to have made preparations in advance.
"Okay. So have your men carry him. I'll help clear the path." Shui stood up with the spear in his hand.
"Y...yes." Senji replied. A little disappointed but, excited. He's met an amusing man.
Senji asked a few of his men to carry Tenjiku as he sought out to fight alongside Shui. Shui must be experienced. Tenjiku wondered as he saw him overwhelming a swarm of the soldiers, with just a single spear.
Before long, the reinforcements were gathering. It will be a huge loss, most probably a defeat if they don't make it out in time.
"Brothers, lets get out of here at once!" shouted Senji.
"Shui! You come along too!!"
"You go ahead. I promised I'd clear the path, so get going. I'll be right behind you guys. Trust me." Shui said as both of them pushed back the enemy.
"But..."
"Just go. It'll be harder to keep tab on them if their numbers keep increasing. Hey!! They are bringing in a cannon. Is the commander nuts?."
"Nah! Its probably the king. That guy's senile."
All of a sudden, the commander of the army could be seen, standing atop the roof of the military building, amidst the archers, as he ordered them to shoot. A cannon was also being prepared.
Most of the men had already escaped. The only ones left were Shui and Senji and a few who insisted to escort him safely. They ran towards the exit. They were almost there when, "Ack!!" came a voice from behind.
Senji turned around. Shui lay on the ground, an arrow pierced through his chest.