Wade raised his axe and stood in front of the door readily to cut down anything would soon enter the room. Joshua was nervous and stood a few feet behind Wade, A swirling vortex of flame in his hand ready to burn anyone who dares come near him. The door shook even more violently now, and suddenly its hinges gave away, sending wooden splinters everywhere. A figure burst through the door and came tumbling down in front of them. The figure groaned, slowly lifting its head to reveal Clive. Wade had begun to bare down the axe on the mysterious figure but stopped himself when he realized it was just Clive.
As soon as Joshua looked at Clive his face erupted in smile and relief. " Clive !...."He shouted and rushed forward towards Clive.
"Are you alright?" Joshua breathed, his voice thick with worry.
"Never better," Clive mumbled, wincing slightly as Joshua squeezed him a little too tightly in his relief.
The Archduke, Elwin Rosfield and the the lord commander, Murdoch followed closely behind Clive and shuffled into the room. But upon seeing Joshua standing unharmed, a flicker of relief sparked in their eyes.. Clive clasped his hands around Joshua's face, " Are you alright Joshua? did you get hurt?"
Joshua turned his head towards Wade and said, " I would have been hurt but thanks to Wade....."
Elwin stepped forward towards Wade and thanked him, " I am forever in your debt soldier "
Wade, ever humble, immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head low. "It was my duty, Your Grace." Elwin nodded curtly, and walked over to Joshua, " I am glad you are safe Joshua"
Murdoch suggested that they leave through the back gate of the castle. After they all agreed on the plan they began their walk towards the back courtyard while Elwin and Joshua would leave the castle undetected and rally their forces back in Rosalith. As they reached the courtyard, Elwin approached a small white owl perched on a stand.. The owl had a glowing blue crystal on its forehead which acted as a sort of third eye. This crystal could store the sender's thoughts and to whom they wished to send the message to. Elwin muttered an incantation to it, " O mia lost elan. Tu isag elythe" which translates to "my will is now thy burden. Ne'er cleft our bond shall be." Immediately the owl's eyes took on a blue hue and the bird flew off in the direction of Rosalith. Elwin was now assured reinforcements from Rosalith.
Clive and Murdoch volunteered to stay guard and finish of the remaininder of the invaders in the castle while Elwin and Joshua retreat to Rosalith, the capital of Rosaria. Joshua protested and grabbed Clive's arm " No...I will stay with you, we will fight them together Clive!"
Clive who looked at his father. A silent understanding passed between them. Even if Clive was his son, the safety Joshua came before him. Clive gently removed joshua's hand and bent down to him and spoke, " Joshua, you are the future of Rosaria. Your place is by Father's side, Don't worry about us. Keep father safe We will return soon "
Joshua reluctantly pulled away as Clive and Murdoch headed back into the castle, leaving Wade as the sole guard for the Archduke and Joshua.
Elwin and Joshua headed of the stables and found two Chocobo's for themselves. Wade stood guard, his keen eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger. There were no one. The stable was quiet with only the wind to keep them company and the gentle whinnies of the Chocobos.
Soon a group of five soldiers emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by the dim light. They bowed low before Elwin. "My Lord," one of them spoke, "we were sent by the captain to defend the stables and escort you to safety."
Elwin nodded in gratitude and said, " Thank you, now I will need your help to see Joshua safely back to the capital." He turned to Joshua and gestured to a nearby Chocobo," On you go Joshua "
Just as Elwin hoisted Joshua on top of the Chocobo, one of the soldiers slashed the Chocobo's neck. It let out a loud shriek and fell to the floor, Blood pouring from a deep wound on its neck.
Elwin unsheathed his sword and shouted, " Traitors, you dare betray Rosaria! " He drew his sword, ready cut down any who dared to come near them.
One of tossed the now dead white owl. Its pristine white feathers now stained by the its own blood, the blue crystal on its head cracked. Upon sight of the dead bird Elwin became furious, for these white owls or Stolas as they are better known were very sacred and difficult to obtain. This Particular Stola was even more special to Elwin as this was also used by the former Archduke, his father. Elwin shouted, " You honorless snakes..! "
They cornered Elwin, Joshua and Wade to wall and circled them around like vultures getting ready to feast on their prey.
Joshua still young and lacking experience tried to charge at one of soldiers with his sword. But his action sealed the fate of the archduke. In that moment Elwin turned to stop Joshua. This impulsive act sealed Elwin's fate. In the blink of an eye, a second soldier saw his opening. With a swift, merciless swipe, his sword sliced through the air, carving a deep gash across Elwin's neck. The cold metal of the sword cut clean through Elwin's neck severing it and killing him instantly. His grip on his sword loosened, the clatter of metal echoing this death. Joshua, witnessing the horrifying scene unfold before him, stumbled back. Shocked and unable to process just what had happened. In the side Wade fought of the three remaining soldiers. The sight of his father's severed head, with its jaw wide open and blood staining every inch of the severed head stressed Joshua so much. Clive's word kept ringing in his mind, " Keep our father safe "
He had failed. A primal scream tore from his throat, a sound filled with grief, anguish, and a sense of awakening power deep within. It was a sound that resonated with the very essence of fire... the sound of the phoenix awakening. As one of the remaining soldiers moved to attack, an inferno erupted around Joshua, engulfing him in flames.
The soldiers watched in horror as Joshua began to prime. " Eikon !" They screamed and began to run away.
In the distance Clive and Murdoch had just slaughtered an imperial dragoon. just as they were pondering on what to do next they were both hit with a sudden surge of heat and light. They turned their gaze towards the source of the inferno, their hearts plummeting as they witnessed the phoenix soaring above the Rosarian castle, tendrils of flame emanated from the Phoenix killing both Rosarian and Sanbrequois soldiers alike and demolishing the castle, sending rubble flying everywhere.
Clive tried running towards Joshua, " He's lost control, i have help him ", Murdoch, however, held him back with a firm grip, "Are you mad, Clive? There's nothing you can do against a being of pure fire!"
Clive pushed past him and ran towards Joshua, but a large piece of rock, dislodged from the burning castle walls, hurtled towards him. Time seemed to slow down. Clive braced himself for the inevitable impact, but a flash of movement saved his life. At the last second, his steed, Ambrosia grabbed the collar of his tunic with its beak and pushed him aside, sacrificing itself as it put it in the trajectory of the rock In that split second, the rock collided with Ambrosia, crushing it instantly.
Clive landed hard on the ground, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his arm. He scrambled to his feet, a wave of grief washing over him as he turned to look at Ambrosia, only to see a large chunk of rubble in its place, with blood splattered from under it. A deep pang of regret hit Clive. He had been with Ambrosia since he was ten. Lord Murdoch came rushing towards Clive and helped him get back. Clive turned to Murdoch with tearful eyes, " Please, let me go.....I must help him "
Murdoch, who was unsure of what to do loosened his grip for but a second, enough for Clive to break free from his grip. Just as Clive began sprinting towards Joshua he suddenly felt light headed. His head throbbed with pain as he gripped his head and fell to ground. He heard a dull voice and looked in its direction only to see a hooded man utter something to him. In that moment flames erupted around Clive sending a shockwave and sending Murdoch flying. A second dominant of fire...Ifrit began to rise from flames. Murdoch watched in shock, " A second eikon of fire..? but that's impossible!" His words were drowned by the sound of an ensuing blast incinerating Murdoch and everyone in the vicinity.
The second dominant of fire jumped and lunged at the Phoenix pulling the Phoenix down and battling him. Everything went by in a blur and within mere moments Ifrit had the phoenix pinned to the ground. The sounds of the Phoenix desperately shrieking, trying to break free from Ifrit's strong grip penetrated the air. Clive could see Ifrit killing the Phoenix.....killing his brother....helpless and unable to do anything Clive could only watch as Ifrit extinguished the once bright flames of the Phoenix. Then everything went dark as the world around Clive dissolved into the cold embrace of darkness.