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Chapter 2 - Chapter 1: Escape

WALDSTADT TIMES

'QUEEN LEDYANA IX DECLARES WAR ON WALDSTADT; MOROZ KNIGHTS ARE TO ATTACK ON WALDSTADT BORDERS

'DUE TO ASSASINATION OF KING CZAR IX, QUEEN LEDYANA IX OF MOROZNIA, COMMANDS MOROZ KNIGHTS IN ORDER TO TAKE VENGEANCE FOR THE KING OF MOROZNIA.

'LADY DAME, 6TH GENERAL OF WALDSTADT, STRESSES THAT VILLAGES NEAR THE BORDERS MUST EVACUATE TO WALDSTADT'S METROPOLIS IN ORDER TO BE SAFE FROM MOROZ KNIGHTS' TERROR.'

'TAPFERKEIT, 7TH GENERAL OF WALDSTADT, DISPATCHED ARMIES TO PATROL NEAR THE BORDERS, AND RESCUE INJURED CITIZENS.'

*

"Queen Ledyana IX is after me," Benjamin thought out loud as he furiously slam his newspaper on his table as he stood up. "Ben D. Sonne! We must leave Glockendorf, It's not safe here anymore".

Ben overheard his father's call. He couldn't stand his father's annoying distress but he knew he and his father needs to evacuate to metropolis so then Ben changed his clothes, He wore a blue long sleeve polo and brown trousers then he immediately packed his clothing and food and went out of the door. He peeks behind the wall; he heard glass shattered and objects being knocked down.

"What are you doing there staring at me? We need to go, son," Benjamin mumbled as he packs his necessities, clothing, and his knife with and a sapphire on it's eyes, carved on its wolf carved handle, 'Did you pack everything?'

Ben was confident that he packed everything, however he checked and opened his bag again and went over the pockets of his bag; he realized that he forgot his spell- book. "Dad, I forgot my spell-book, I have probably left it in my room," Ben said as he grabs his bag.

"Well? Go get it, We need to leave now, We haven't got all day." Benjamin replied as he too packs his other possessions in his bag.

Ben, who is annoyed, rushed back to his room to then looked for his booked, he opened his cabinets, drawers but he did not find anything. Ben groaned in frustration; he looked everywhere even under the bed and alas he did not find his book.

"Ben! I found your book," Benjamin shouted as he holds his son's spell-book, "You should have looked twice and double-check.

Ben, went outside of his room and took his book from his dad's hand. "I'll do better," Ben sighed.

Benjamin laughed in response to Ben's forgetfulness s he pack his possessions. "You should go now, I'll find you at the gate."

"I'll see you there, Dad," Ben responded, dashing to the door to proceed on the western gate.

He wandered around and looked around. The moon glowed lighting the dim town; he saw his townsfolk with lanterns and torches, running towards to the western gate of town. Ben was about to call his father, but Ben felt nudging behind his back then looked behind.

He saw a tall, fit-looking boy with blonde hair, he wore a white collared shirt with a sleeveless leather vest, trousers and boots.

The boy pointed an unlighted torch to him, "Ben, light my torch for me, the cold wind blew it out".

"Wait I'll chant my spell, Stark" Ben replied as he reached out for his bag and grabbed his book. Ben opened his book and go over the pages. He opened his palm then chanted his spell. Flames ignite on his palm. His hand is trembling as he maintains the flame on his palm

Stark lit his torch at the burning flames on Ben's palm. Stark's eyes glowed and smiled, "You're cool, I wish I had magic like that."

Ben looked away fluttered, "It's not a big deal. Despite having a huge mana pool, I still have no control of my magic, but you are good with swords, I would often see you slash the bark of the tree with your sword."

Stark stepped back with a blank face in response to Ben. "You have been watching me train?" Stark asked with with a shocked expression.

"Well yes, but seeing you using your sword efficiently makes me envious." Ben replied, putting his book back to his bag.

Suddenly, the crowd's screams and panicked murmurs caught Ben and Stark's attention. The town's bell ring and crowds stampede the streets.

Ben craned his neck to look for his father but was caught on the stampede and tripped. Stark pulled Ben's arm for him to stand and they walked away from the crowd. Ben had his ankle sprained due to the force of the panicked crowd.

"We need to find a way out of here, the streets are piled up," Stark exclaimed.

Ben nodded as he stood up limping, opening his bag to take his spell book. Ben went over to the pages then casted a spell to set his foot on fire.

Stark looked at Ben with a shocked look. "Are you nuts!? Why are you burning your leg?!" Lucas exclaimed as he attempts to put the fire out by patting a cloth to his burning leg.

"Don't!" Ben shouted at Stark as he push him away, "I'm healing my leg using my magic, put it out."

"Oh sorry," Stark apologizes and stood back as he watches Ben chant his spell and heal his leg. His eyes widened as he saw Ben stood up without limping.

"You are really awesome," Stark's eye glimmered like a child getting his first gift on Christmas, "I could use some of that."

"No need to praise me hehe," Ben scratched his head with a fluttered expression as he put his spell book back to his bag, "I could only heal wounds and small injuries."

As Stark was about to speak, explosion and piercing screams were heard from a distance. A panicked crowd runned quickly to the western gate. "THEY'RE HERE!!" The townsfolk screamed.

Stark was looked at the distance and saw smokes and burning houses. He turned to Ben only to see a hooded figure running towards Ben.

The hooded figure seizes Ben's hand then ran to the west passing the crowd; Stark went after them but they ran faster and swiftly.

"Ben!" Stark shouted as he gains his tempo and catching up with the mysterious man and Ben, "Slow down a little."

Benjamin pulled his hood down and sharply looked at Stark, then sprinted faster, "You should be able to keep up with my speed, you trained yourself in the woods more than my son," Benjamin uttered as he sprinted faster and faster.

"Dad! Let me go!" Ben exclaimed as he attempts to pull his father's hand away from his grasp.

Benjamin let go of his son, letting him sprint, "You better be fast." Benjamin spoke.

Ben took a deep breath and darted quickly then he caught up with his father's speed, "Well Dad, I caught up"

"Well we need to go faster, the queen's army will catch on us."

"They will never catch us," Ben confidently uttered.

"Ben, how come you can keep up with your dad?" Stark loudened his voice as he ran and gasps for air. "Don't you get tired?"

Ben looked at Stark and smirked. "You just need consistent breathing, Stark. Trust me it can help."

Stark breathed steadily and mustered all his strength; he sprinted with all of his might then caught up with Ben and Benjamin.

Ben was satisfied to see his best friend keeping up with their speed; He cheered his friend for his success. "Way to go Stark, now you can keep up with us."

"Stark might actually outrun you, Ben," Benjamin chuckled as he sprinted and turned his head to his son. "He might do better than you."

"Then, I'll train more," Ben replied to his father's chuckle, "I'll be stronger than you one day."

Benjamin laughed at Ben's preposterous statement; he wheezed like a. "Is that so? I'll be waiting for you to prove it, do you best, son."

Benjamin, Ben, and Stark was about to exit out of the west gate, but a bombardment of frozen ice and burning cannonballs strike the gate. The exits where blocked by the debris of the impact. Benjamin looked back and gazed sharply. He saw Moroznian armies hurling their projectiles on houses, abducting children, and marching towards the western gate.

"It looks like I have to make a decision" Benjamin sighed sternly as he handed out his knife and a map to Ben. "Take this, you will need it."

"What are you going to do, Dad?" Ben asked with a concerned expression as he took the knife to his father's hand.

"All you need to do is find me," Benjamin grinned as he held Ben and Stark's forearm.

Stark had an uneasy feeling as Benjamin held their forearms. "Mr. Sonne, What are up to? " Stark asked with a confused expression then raise his eyebrows.

Benjamin tightly grasped Ben and Stark's arm and threw them over the wall of the gate. Benjamin laughed as he looked at his son screaming, "Remember to go and look for me!"

Ben and Stark were screaming as the fell on the ground, they were eight meters above in air. As they are about to fall to the ground, Benjamin chanted his incantations and summoned a white furred wolf with blue flames on its tail, glowing eyes, burning paws and a sapphire on its chest. Ben and Stark landed on the wolf just in time

Ben and Stark rode the wolf as it ran quicker. Ben looked back only to see bombardments of flames. Ben shed a tear after looking.

Ben shed a tear, as the wolf they rode on, runned to the woods, leaving his father. Stark attempted to comfort his friend, he puts his hand his shoulder and attempts to say a few words but Ben would push his hand away.

"Your Dad is strong," Stark said optimistically. "Remember, your Dad went to the army countless times but he will return alive, I believe he will survive."

"As long as his summoned wolf is not disappearing, If he did die, his summoned wolf will disappear too" Ben uttered as he reached out his bag.

"Let's hope for the best," Stark merrily said. "Everything's going to be fine".

"Yes, but...I'm on my own now," Ben snuffled as he wipes his tears rolling on his cheek.

"Hey, but you got me," Stark smiled cheerfully as he held Ben's shoulder.

"Thank you for being by my side," Ben uttered, and smiled warmly.

"Will sure do, my friend" Stark grinned as he looked sideways watching the trees pass on them.

As Stark is looking at the path, He notices a blue light glowing in Ben's bag. "Ben, your bag is glowing," Stark uttered with concern.

Ben went over his bag, and took the knife his father gave it to him. Ben's eyes widened as the sapphire on the eyes on the wolf were glowing. Ben reached out his bag. He took the paper his father gave it to him looked at the map. He saw dots on the map on different nations. One dot show on Waldstadt Metropolis, but the rest of the dots on the map is faded on different nations of the map.

"Stark look!" Ben exclaimed as he pointed his finger on the dot of the map. "I think Dad wants us to get here."

"Why would your dad send us to Metropolis?" Stark asked as he tilted his head and gazed at the dot on the map.

"I think dad wants us to go there," Ben replied, as he pinpoints the directions to the Metropolis. "It will take two days to get there."

"That's far isn't it? But what do you think will happen if we went there?" Stark asked curiously.

Ben put back his map back at his bag then took a look a the glowing sapphire on the wolf carved to the knife. "Let's go and find out for ourselves," Ben uttered.