Talon woke up on the cold hard floor of the church standing in the dark hill. His head throbbed as if struck by a hammer, the pain nearly unbearable. "Just… make it stop," his voice whimpered, barely audible through the pain.
After what felt like an eternity, the pain finally subsided. Before Talon could rise from the ground, the sound of light footsteps reached his ears. As he looked towards the source, his blood ran cold.
The man shrouded in red mist walked up to him.
Before Talon could fully process the fear creeping in, he noticed something peculiar, the stench of blood was not present like the other time. The stained glass showed the priest instead of the bloody soldier.
"Are you the one that I saw here when the doors of the church opened for the first time?" Asked Talon, still on edge.
The figure nodded at Talon with a small smile, but it faded quickly. His expression turned serious in an instant as the red mist faltered.
"I apologize, child. But we don't have much time here, you have to wake up before he can do anything… but maybe it's too late either way."
Talon's vision blurred, and his surroundings shifted dramatically as the mist faded. Instead of the church, he found himself in the throne room, weapons drawn and aimed directly at him.
Talon observed the expressions of Paul and Damian beside him, both filled with worry. As he shifted his gaze forward, he met the disdainful look of King Alaric, who regarded him with pure disgust.
In a hurry, Talon performed a deep bow towards the king, uttering, "I apologize, Your Majesty!"
"That's what I told you, Your Majesty," General Octavius declared with a stern tone. "This kid is too dangerous to be left alive. We should execute him on the spot. His mere presence threatens the stability of the kingdom and your reign." The general's gaze remained unwavering.
"You are right, General! Cedric, kill the boy!" The moment he said it, Sir Cedric drew his sword, his expression heavy.
"Your Majesty, please, hear us. Let the boy prove his worth," pleaded Paul to King Alaric, desperation evident in his voice.
"Don't forget your place, Paul. It's only thanks to His Majesty that you yourself are still alive," retorted General Octavius with a stern reminder.
"He let me live because I proved my worth, I only ask to let the boy do the same," said Paul in defense of Talon.
"And what could he possibly do to prove himself?" asked the king, his tone almost mocking. However, his question wasn't directed towards Paul, it was aimed at the General.
"Fort Eger," answered the general with a smile on his face.
"That's absurd!" screamed Paul in anger. "It's suicide, and you know it, Octavius! That fort is attacked almost every day, there is no way a child can survive there! Your Majesty, please, there has to be another way. What Octavius proposes is sending the boy to his death!"
"I'm sorry, Paul, but what Octavius says is actually a good idea. How could the boy prove his worth, his loyalty, other than by helping the other brave Rondorians defend Fort Eger?" said King Alaric.
"But your Majesty—" Paul tried to plead again, but he was interrupted by General Octavius. "His Majesty already decided, Paul." He grinned viciously at Paul, clearly mocking him.
'Am I just supposed to go to a ditch and die? Just because of some old bastard sitting in a glorified yellow chair?!' Talon seethed with fury, the red fog almost leaving his body as a sign of his wrath, but he held it back in time.
Damian put his hand on Paul's shoulder and smiled at Talon. "You have nothing to worry about, Paul. I will go with Talon," said Damian before turning towards King Alaric and General Octavius. "Your Majesty, please allow me to go with the boy. Fort Eger could use my help either way."
"No, Damian, you will head to the northern border, you are needed there," said General Octavius.
"But—"
"He will be there… we have no one else but you who can hold him back," said Octavius.
Damian turned towards Talon with a grave expression on his face. "I… I apologize Talon, but I can't go with you."
"It's decided, the boy will head to Fort Eger in two months' time. He will help defend the fort for a year, and if he comes back, he will have the same protection as Paul and Damian," said King Alaric, his tone indicating that his decision was final.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, with all due respect, don't I have a say in this?" asked Talon, attempting to sound respectful, but the subtle gritting of his teeth clearly betrayed his true feelings.
"After your last little stunt threatening us, you don't have a choice in the matter… but if you really want to choose…" A small, mocking grin found its way to his old face. "Cedric!" At the mention of his name, his already-drawn sword found its way towards Talon's neck.
"Oh, and if you refuse, we send the other freaks." His threat shocked Talon to the core, and for a minute he thought of killing everyone in the room. 'Should I try to fight back?' Talon's mind seethed with anger, but he tried to maintain his calm.
For a moment, he played with the thought of activating his gift and trying to fight, but he knew he stood no chance. He calmed himself and answered the king through gritted teeth. "I will head to Fort Eger, your majesty!"
"But your majesty—" Paul tried to reason, but he was interrupted by General Octavius before he could make his point. "His Majesty made his decision, just like the boy, you have no say in this, Paul!"
Paul gritted his teeth in frustration and helplessness while giving a bow to the king, turning his back to leave the throne room. Damian did the same.
"I will prove myself to you, Your Majesty," said Talon as he bowed and left with Paul and Damian. 'Just you wait you bastard, I will rip you down from your golden throne and pluck those eyes that look down at everyone, that's a promise.'
As the three of them left the palace in silence, a tempest of rage tore through Talon's mind, gnawing at him from the inside. Talon tried to hold himself back, but these feelings erupted into a question. "Am I just sent to that fort so that I can die, not bothering anyone ever again?" His tone faltered as he fought to hold back tears.
Damian crouched down before Talon and locked eyes with him. "Yes, Talon, that's exactly what they want… I had already planned to train you, but now, it's going to be even more challenging. We have two months to prepare you for the fort. I will give my all so that you will be ready."
Before Talon could respond to Damian, Paul mirrored the gesture, crouching down beside them. "The situation couldn't be much worse, but we will do anything in our power to help you survive this whole thing."
Talon, still fighting back the tears threatening to flow, looked at both Damian and Paul. "Why are you two helping me so much, anyway?"
Damian, meeting Talon's gaze, was the first to respond. "I was once in a similar position, and it was Paul who extended his hand to help me. They wanted to execute me first thing, claiming that I was too dangerous to be left alive. Rings similar to your situation, right?" Damian paused for a while, a sad reminiscent smile playing on his face. "Everyone deserves a chance to live, and I will help you to get yours!" his face. "Everyone deserves a chance to live, and I will help you to get yours!"
Paul nodded in agreement and added, "And I was helped the same way by my master. We understand the challenges you face, and we're here to offer you our full support. You're not alone in this, Talon. We believe in giving everyone a chance, just as we were given ours."
Before Talon could express his gratitude, the same carriage that brought them to the imperial palace arrived. Once all three of them were seated inside, the carriage ride was silent, with only the rhythmic sound of Damian's carving breaking the silence.
The moment they arrived at the headquarters, the three got out of the carriage and went inside. Paul and Damian headed to Paul's office, while Talon made his way to the barracks. Before they went their own ways, Talon quietly muttered, "Thanks... to both of you."
When Talon opened the door to the barracks, he went straight to Thorn, attempting to speak to her but he was stopped by Quinn and Rokara.
"You're finally here, let's spar!" exclaimed Rokara as she clenched her fists. "Please, beat her already, for God's sake. She has been terrorizing us since morning," pleaded Quinn, urging Talon to put an end to Rokara's antics.
"Morning, guys... we can spar later, but I need to talk with Thorn," said Talon, a weak smile playing on his face.
"Your loss, then I'll spar with Quinn!" said Rokara. "No, you won't. Leave us alone with these dumb shits, you maniac muscle brain." retorted Quinn.
After he walked by the two, he spotted Thorn who was talking with Aria. The sight was quite funny as she talked to the girl who said nothing back to her.
"I'm sorry to bother you guys. Thorn, can I talk with you?" Said Talon as his voice lightly cracked.