~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~
4:
Moon had been wounded; it was an organized group of the Princes’ Dealk warriors that had done so. It had obviously been a planned move. Moon’s group knew that the battle would be dangerous even before they made their trek to the Prince’s stronghold.
Holding up in a damaged house, Harnz and Zei placed Moon upon a damaged bed. His wounds were something that could be healed by a Dealk’s natural healing ability; only…Moon had a life-pact with a Risen with lessened his powers. Zei went to call for medical help; him feeling it was needed, and soon...
No one was strong enough to take on the Princes and it was beginning to show that, as long as they stood, the battle would go on for all eternity. Only…
Moon reached out for Silver to come closer and held out his hand. Silver went to his side and took his hand into her own.
“You have to do it…” Moon stated. “This has to be the final battle; if we lose now…we’ll never win…”
It was true and Silver knew it, “I’ll do it,” she stated. “I’ll defeat them and win for us, for everyone.” She stated. “I’ll be back, just…just hang on until I get back, okay? Just rest, okay?”
Moon smiled, “I’ll be here when you get back, Silver.”
Silver let go of his hand and turned to Harnz, “Take care of him, I’m going.”
Harnz placed a hand on her arm, stopping her a moment, “Be careful, Silver.”
“I’ll be fine; they can’t touch me, remember.” Silver stated as she met Harnz’s eyes.
Harnz just stared at her a moment before nodding, “Leave him to me.”
Silver nodded and left the house. As she exited, she felt a slight pain in her chest; she knew why it was there, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her. After all, with Moon hurt, it meant she was hurt; meaning old wounds were re-opening. That’s why, she had to go and not wait another moment.
Her next destination: the Princes’ castle…
Perhaps it was that the battle was more central elsewhere; perhaps the Risen Pawns of the Four Princes did not see her; perhaps the small blood trail she was leaving made her not seem any threat… Never the less, Silver had made her way up to the spiral staircase to the balcony where the Four Princes stood on high to watch the battle rage in the fields below.
It was Silver’s grunt in pain that alerted them to her presence. Standing in the archway, the staircase behind her, she glared in their direction.
The Four Princes had stood to face her. They were of similar age and height yet all had different hair and eye color contrasting their relation to one another. The eldest had black hair and amber eyes, Levath; he, only two months older than the second and yet he maintained leadership. The second had brown hair and brown eyes, Valuun; he was master of will and keeper of most of Risen Pawns they commanded. The third had blond hair and blue eyes, Erral; he retained the spokesman of their plotting due to his charm and elegance. The fourth had red hair and green eyes, Tyefas; he remained the strongest of them all and most agile and thus was the powerhouse of the four. All four born of the same father but of different mothers; the King had wanted an heir and chose to waste no time…he managed four that stood as one and left devastation in their wake.
Tyefas drew a blade from the sheath on his back; obviously a defensive motion to Silver’s presence; it was he, after all, that had come close to their compound that day. It was he that would more recognize her as someone related to Moon’s organization; as it was he who had stabbed Heather that day.
Erral stepped forward, “My, we have a guest; have you come to watch the battle with us until your death, fallen one?” a hint of amusement was in his voice.
“Do you know who I am?” Silver asked, meeting Erral’s gaze.
“You’re Moorawisen’s Risen.” Erral replied to her inquiry.
Silver walked forward a few steps, placing a hand on the upper part of her chest, “I may be that, but do you know who I am?” she inquired.
Erral had a slightly befuddled look on his face and looked towards Levath who stepped forward, “You’re that man’s Risen what more do we need to know?” Levath asked.
“Moon was not the first Dealk I encountered upon this world.” Silver stated. “There was an encounter, at the beginning of it all, where a young woman named Samina encountered the Dealk King for he along descended upon the world to eradicate it of Human life to make way for the Dealk to take the world. The woman fought and killed the King, destroying the ambitious plan. His sons, you four, came upon that girl. She, realizing she would be unable to defeat all four, decided that she had done good and gave her life to you.”
Levath’s gaze hard hardened into a knowing one. The other three had similar looks of knowing in their eyes.
“…Moon just gave that young woman another life.” Silver stated. “That day ‘Silver’, myself, was born from the corpse of the woman named Samina who died to save the world.”
“I have come to kill you as you killed me.” Silver stated. “I stand stronger now. Neither Human nor Dealk could defeat you, but for you to defeat the Risen whom holds immortality to your blades you can only hope that Moon dies before I kill you all…!”
Drawing twin blades from sheaths at her side, she charged the Princes… It was time for it to end!
Before too long, around her were corpses: four to be exact. The battle was fierce, yet they had been fighting to delay the battle. It was as she had said, as they would know, a Risen, whose previous life was ended by their hands, could not have it ended again. She was immortal to all of their attacks thus why was the one who had to face them.
Facing the past, facing the truth…it was hard, and terrifying, to see them again. Yet, she knew, just as then, that she had done well.
She could hear victory cries from the fields below. Surely the sight of seeing all the controlled Risen fall on the battlefield signaled the truth that the leaders had fallen; without their master alive, Risen cannot move.
…That led Silver to her problem. Glancing around at the corpses once again, she took in the sight of their death before her. The battle won; people free; the war…was over.
Slowly, Silver exited the area, climbing down the staircase, her own blood staining the marble tiles. She would make her way back to there—the place Moon was. Her energy was going; she was sure Moon was doing badly so she knew she had to get back.
It had been a long time since all of it had begun and yet it had ended so quickly. The pain was beginning as the wounds long sealed by a life-pact had reopened.
Silver came upon the building that Moon had been taken before she had gone. Considering the building was half gone she could walk directly to the hallway where Harnz stood waiting. Several feet behind him was the door to the room Moon was in.
"I've done it," she said, strength fading still. She looked to Harnz, "You know he must survive," she said so clearly, "If he were to die, this victory is empty. You have to do it; break the bond."
He would not do it, the protests clear, "He'd never forgive me if I were."
Silver pleaded with him, asking him again to break the life bond between her and Moon, thus the only way to save Moon from dire injuries. Yet both Harnz and Zei protested the act, even as she pleaded on her knees. Eventually, she gave up on them, and turned towards where Moon was, "Then I will do it myself." she said.
But Harnz grabbed her preventing her from getting closer to Moon to undo the life pact, "He'd never forgive us if we let you." he said. "It would never be the same without the two of you."
"He is dying: it doesn't matter if I die here, either way I'm dead already." it was the truth Silver said. If Moon breathed his last breathe than she too would cease to live.
"We're going to save him,"
She turned to him, "do you really believe that," she asked so serious it was frightening. "He is dying...! ...and I'm the only one that can stop that from coming to pass."
/> Only a second passed before Silver groaned, placing a hand on her chest. She felt the pain more clearly now. The endorphin of battle gone... and she could feel the blood stating to leak from the lingering wounds that had once caused her death, blood soaking the back of her clothes for all to see.
Harnz grimaced, calling out to gather every doctor that one could possibly find. Zei ran off in compliance, followed by several others.
In Harnz bewilderment to the scene before him, Silver began crawling away, reaching the door to the room Moon was in before attempting to go to her feet. "I... can't let this be... I haven't... I've still got so much to say… I will not allow you to die."
Slowly, the woman called Silver went to the bedside of the man she knew was dying. Their life tied together, enticing them both to merely cling to life, but without her, he would most certainly pull through… with her, he would wither and die... and that she would not allow.
Giving up her life for the world was the least she could do...especially if it would save Moon with it.
She tried to reach for him, but instead collapsed next to the bed, she grasped hold of the bed's edge and pulled herself up to her knees, "you have to live, Moon." she said clearly but tone full of pain as she reached her hand out to touch Moon’s arm, “…for Human and Dealk…”
I give my life back to you…