"Renard ran out! He ran out!!" the Queen shouted in a painful voice.
"Let us trust in him your majesty! Let as protect the inner chambers as he said!" Lucia said as the two immediately fortified the walls. Immediately they did, they heard a sickening boom, followed by a massive earthquake. Screams rented the entire hall they were in, as adults tensed and children cried.
"Lucia! Open the door!" They heard as the king stormed in, not even waiting for the said door to be opened. Quickly placing Renard down carefully, he instructed the guards to rush inside.
Sensing incoming danger, Lucia manoeuvred past the guards, conjuring a wall of earth to block the incoming attacks.
"Guards! Heal the King and the prince! Any medical mages here, we need your help healing the guards, now!!" The Queen commanded as she placed her son on his lap.
"What happened to him?"
"Well, he just saved all of us, by manipulating the shape of my barrier and continuously alternating the mana structure of the barrier.. Without that...." The King said as he grit his teeth.
"He might be suffering from mana depletion, he used up all his reserves, leaving his own body unprotected." Lucia said as she started transferring some of her mana as the guards healed them.
"Who is in charge of this?" The Queen asked, her voice strict.
"That Aaron bastard.. I sensed him there, and Caius too.. We will have to assume that the three kingdoms have decided to lay waste to us." The King said.
As the people heard that, they all started panicking. Some prayed to the sovereigns, while some wallowed in despair. The walls shook as dust and rubble began to fall.
"They are closing in on us!" Lucia said.
"Everyone! Do not falter! Use your eyes! We shall all focus defenses on the one direction someone is approaching!" She added as she conjured what seemed like dark walls of earth.
"If there are any artifacts left, focus them on The King, Queen and Miss Lucia!!" One guard shouted.
"Those who can use recovery spells, focus on Miss Lucia!"
Renard could only slightly make out what was being shouted everywhere around him. He could see his mother, focusing her mana on him. He closed his eyes, trying to sense the life around him again.
"Five hundred and sixty.." He muttered as he sat upright.
"Renard!" His mother exclaimed as she hugged him tightly.
"Five hundred and sixty.." He repeated, his voice shaky.
The guards healing him looked at each other confused.
"What do you mean?" Lucia asked, looking back at him.
"The total number of people in this hall are five hundred and sixty.. Those are the only survivors left, out of the whole kingdom." He said, his face pale with fear and trauma, as he recalled what he saw before they rushed inside.
"Five hundred and sixty. More than half the population was killed in the first strike, and the rest are being slaughtered outside." One guard muttered. Fear crept in on them, like a snake slithering up their legs, restraining their movement, choking them each time they took a breath.
"I can't sense Old man Sigurd. He might have still been in the blacksmith shop, preparing my sword..." Renard thought as tears started flowing down his face. Yet, he struggled to control them, choosing to show courage in front of the remaining citizens of the Kingdom.
"Regius, here they come." The queen said to the king as she stood up, placing her crown on Renard's hands.
"Mother?"
He looked at King Regius, his father, and saw the same look on his face. The two walked towards a certain point, just in front of the giant sealed doors, commanding everyone else to move aside.
"Everyone! Focus your mana on the King and Queen!" Lucia shouted as she immediately strengthened the other parts and turned, focusing her mana on Arin and Regius.
"I can't sense whoever mom and dad did, but if they look so serious, it means they are coming." Renard thought as he stood up, ready to help them. Before he did, his mother snapped her fingers, and a barrier appeared all around them. This time, the barrier appeared to have a silverish outline, and it surrounded everyone in the vicinity, except for them.
"Mother! Let me help!" Renard shouted.
"Let your parents handle it this time," His father said as the two looked at him, smiling.
"Whatever you do, do not let go of that crown, okay?"Arin said.
Renard nodded, as he tried to understand the meaning behind the looks on their faces. They were smiling, yet they looked sad at the same time, as if they were saying their final goodbyes. Renard held the crown tightly in his arms, as he put on a brave face.
"Yes mother, father." He replied as he held back tears.
"What a reliable boy you have grown to be, you now have the face of a man, and the face of a true king. Never forget that, remember the love and the virtues," Regius, his father, started.
"Father.. Why are you speaking like that.."
"Remember the smiles that you have seen, and the actions of the people who love you. We might have to leave a burden on you, but as long as we are alive, we shall strive to do our best, as king and queen, and as your parents." Arin said as a golden light started emanating from Regius' crown.
"Son, lead the prayers." His mother said in a soft tone. Renard, now having understood, turned towards the rest. He looked at Lucia, who was being healed, he looked at Ray and Sylvia, he looked at the guards, the people who were the remnants of their kingdom. As he walked towards them, they all knelt.
"Let us state the divine prayers of the Sovereigns." he commanded.
"Oh, Sovereigns of the light and dark, creators of time and space, great designers of reality, weavers of life, we ask of you, to grant us the strength we seek,"
As they prayed, a combination of dark purple and golden crests appeared on the sky.
"Caius, we better hurry if we want an easy fight. Those bastards are doing a sacrifice." Aaron said as they dashed towards the doors, their weapons unleashed.
"In return, we offer up our souls, the very mark of our existence, the root of our lives." Arin and Regius prayed, as his crown shone even more brightly.
"Hear our prayers, oh great immortals. Grant us transcendence, allow our weak and helpless souls to reach the pinnacle of strength."
The doors suddenly burst, as Aaron and Caius dashed in, all ready to fight.
"Metanoia"
The crown crumbled into gold dust, as the area got filled by dark purple light and golden light that seemed to mix, forming a perfectly artistic blend of colors.
As Caius attacked, the two evaded, attacking them back, attempting to push them out.
"I see.. You fools decided to sacrifice your lives. Stupid as always, dear siblings." Aaron said as his eyes glowed.
"The foolish one here is you, being controlled by Caius." Regius said.
"Enough talking, let's see if the Sovereigns did truly hear your prayers." Caius said as his Odachi burst into red flames. His whole body got encased by a red aura, and a chilling bloodlust burst forth from his body.
"Shall we begin?"
****