*Seiya*
"Seiya, are you sure we should've split off from the group?" Zivan asked.
I smiled as I held his hand. "Yeah. Don't worry. We'll be fine. We're just going to investigate."
"But, what if the one your sensing is the Dark Lord. Won't it be dangerous if we are alone?"
I crossed my arms. "True. If that happens, I want you to flee while I buy you time."
"But what about you?"
My eyes shifted toward the skyline. The full moon loomed above the buildings, casting a pale glow over the city.
"I'll be fine," I said, squeezing his hand. "I'm a lot stronger than you might think. I've been training hard since we fought those beasts in the forest."
Zivan sighed. "I know. I guess, I'm just worried. If something happened to you, I'd be crushed."
I stopped and looked at him. "Me too. If anything were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do."
His cheeks reddened.
I kissed him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
He placed his hands on my back.
"Just trust me, okay?"
He nodded.
I pulled away and smiled.
Zivan leaned his head against my shoulder.
"Come on, let's go," I said, holding his hand as we walked forward.
"So, where do we go?"
"Well, the first place I'm thinking is the palace. The opal clan is a powerful family, so if the Dark Lord is like the other monsters we've faced, he probably is after the gemstones. If that's the case, then the king and the queen are at risk."
"What about the prince and princess?"
I frowned. True. Sehun and his sister had stayed back in the village. However, the Dark Lord wasn't known for being selective. If he had the power, he could wipe them all out. Granted, not much was known about the guy.
"Worry not, the prince and his sister are safe," an unfamiliar voice said.
We turned and gasped as a tall man wearing a long coat and sunglasses stood behind us. His white hair blew in the breeze.
"Who are you?"
He took off his sunglasses. "You don't remember me?"
We gasped. "King Saku!"
He snickered. "Guess my disguise was better than I thought."
"Wait, where is your wife? You shouldn't be out here."
He frowned. "She's at the palace."
"We have to get there immediately," I said. "She might be in danger!"
He nodded and flew into the air, leaving me and my boyfriend alone.
"Eh? Wait, take us with you!" I yelled.
Zivan sighed. "He probably doesn't want us getting involved. We are just teenagers."
"But, I have a duty to protect everyone."
He nodded. "I know. I'm sure the king will understand that too."
I sighed. "Let's go! We can at least be backup! He shouldn't face the Dark Lord alone."
Zivan hummed. "Wait, I thought you said that you only wanted to see if the Dark Lord was around, not fight him."
I laughed nervously. He had a point there. "If you want, you can go back. I'll make sure that the Queen and Saku are safe."
"Alright. But, I want you to be careful. This guy is far more powerful than anything we've fought before."
"Right." I smiled. "I love you, Zivan."
He blushed. "I love you too, Seiya."
I gave him a peck on the cheek and ran off.
My boyfriend sighed and ran after me.
"Huh? You're coming too?"
He nodded. "Well, it's not like you can go alone. After all, what sort of boyfriend would I be if I abandoned you when you needed me most?"
I smiled. "You and your sister really are overprotective."
We slowed down and gasped. Wait, what if the Dark Lord decided to target Ava and the others?
"Would you mind going to check on our families?" I asked.
He nodded and began to run, but he stopped and grabbed his leg.
"Hey, are you okay?"
He gritted his teeth. "Why now?" he muttered under his breath.
"What's wrong?"
He glanced at his leg and then back at me. "Just go, I'll be fine."
"What do you mean? Your wound from before is flaring up, isn't it? It's the same injury you got while saving me."
"I-it's fine." He tried to walk forward, but his leg gave out.
I caught him and shook my head. "Look at you. You're in no state to even fight."
"B-but I must if you are to protect others."
"Not if it means sacrificing yourself. You can barely walk, let alone run. It would be a miracle if you could fight."
"But—"
"No buts." I lifted him off the ground. "I'm taking you back to the others. Then I'm heading to the palace."
"Hey, is that vibrations I hear?" Zivan asked.
I sighed. "Don't try to change the subject. You can't do anything if you can't walk."
"I mean it! Look at your pocket."
I frowned and reached into my pocket. My phone was buzzing. I grabbed it and answered.
"Seiya, are you and Zivan alright?" Sou asked.
"I'm fine. Zivan isn't. Why?"
"Purpura and Davina sense an evil presence nearby. We're tracking it through the sky right now."
I gasped and looked up.
"Is it the Dark Lord?" Zivan asked.
"We suspect so," Davina spoke into my brother's phone. "Seiya, is Zivan alright?"
I sighed. "His wound flared up again."
"That's terrible."
"Seiya, send us your location," Davina said.
"Uh, how do you do that?"
My boyfriend sighed and took the phone from me. "If ya gonna hold me, use both arms. Otherwise, I'll fall."
I nodded and held him with both arms while he tinkered with my phone.
"What are you doing?"
"Sending Sou our current location, duh."
"You can do that? How do you know so much about these phones?"
He smiled. "I have my ways."
I smiled. "You're always surprising me."
He looked away, blushing. "Well, you do too."
"Aww, thanks!"
He snickered. "In how reckless you can be. Seriously, you brothers are so alike!"
I grumbled. I could've said the same thing about him and Ava.
A few minutes later, Sou showed up. Dean was driving a black car.
"You okay, Ziv?" Sou asked, getting out of the car. He stared at me carrying Zivan.
"This kettle's leg is acting up," I said, huffing.
Ziv sighed. "Who are you calling 'kettle'? You're the one whose boiling."
"Here," Davina said, giving Zivan some painkillers and a bottle of water.
Zivan downed the pills and handed her the bottle. "Thanks." He jumped out of my arms.
"Are you okay?" Davina asked.
He nodded. "It's fine now. Just a minor setback."
Sou raised an eyebrow. "Minor? You can barely walk."
"I'm fine, I promise." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Let's get going."
Davina stared back at the sky, but I didn't see anything. Although, the bad feeling from when we arrived at the capital continued to follow me.
"Let's take Zivan back," Davina said, opening the passenger door.
Zivan shook his head. "I can fight!"
"Ziv, it's best that you return home and rest. I can't risk you getting hurt further," I said, frowning. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got injured again under my watch. You already got yourself hurt to protect me once."
"You saved me too."
"Still!"
"You better listen to him, these brothers are as stubborn as they come," Purpura said, laughing.
Zivan sighed and looked down.
I touched his chin. "Please, Ziv."
"Fine." He climbed into the car and pulled me in.
"Huh? I won't let you go ahead of the others to the palace." He stared outside. "Plus, my gut is telling me the palace isn't where we should go."
"Why not?"
He frowned. "It's a feeling."
"I do too," Davina said as she sat up front as Dean drove off. "I think the Dark Lord is aiming for the biggest 'meal', which would be where the others are."
Sou stared at his phone and began dialing a number. "I'm gonna try and contact Ava."
"Good idea, little bro!" Hopefully, she or one of the others would pick up. If we could get them all back to our respective homes, the Dark Lord would probably turn his sights elsewhere. The royal family were better equipped to handle him.