Ruan
The army, and me in charge of it, reached the front door of the rebel's base in seconds. As I had thought they were still using that old house that brought forth so many memories.
I pushed them all away as we walked, my grip on the reins tight.
I kept approaching the house, an army behind me. Whenever I looked back and saw the hundreds of soldiers walking through the streets so out of their element a smile spread across my lips. They were so confused, looking everywhere for a threat that wasn't there.
" We are almost there" Riss's voice was low and angry as he informed me like he would an enemy, all of the warmth in his voice gone.
I smiled internally. Someone had gotten really mad that I had touched his girl.
" I know" I kept my head held high as the little details of the mansion came into view.
Just like we had suspected the house had some light on, proof that they were inside.
" How did you know they were here?" The question rushed out of my mouth. It was weird they had chosen the only house with the rebels out of all the other many houses all over the city.
" The King told us" Riss's voice was smug. As if he thought being told some stupid hideout made him better than me. He wasn't.
I gritted my teeth and beared with it. It wasn't like I could kill him, so I'd have to deal with him.
" Stop!" I raised my left fist and the army behind me slowly came to a stop.
My gaze went between the house and the army. If you asked me it was overkill to use that big of an army to deal with the few remaining rebels, but there was nothing I could do about it.
" Let's go" My smile was crooked as I dismounted, leaving the horse tied to a nearby post. If you asked me that too was overkill. The house wasn't that far away from the castle, but I could understand the goal behind it all. They wanted to intimidate, and what intimidated more than an army coming in horses to your front door?
I walked up to the door and kicked it open with all my strength. The door flew off it's hinges, the whole thing destroyed. I stared at the broken door, broken like so many other things, and then went inside as I unsheathed my sword.
The few small noises that could be heard from outside went silent as I entered, the whole house in an eerie silence as they tried to not get caught. That wouldn't work on anyone. Both me and the army knew they were here.
I walked slowly up to the second floor while the army entered, screams erupting all around me.
I kept my eyes steady as I looked for someone special. Maybe I could help them escape. Just maybe, that wasn't my goal or anything. I wasn't weak.
" Die, you traitor!" A man launched at me from my left, his sword raised in an attack. Poor idiot, he shouldn't had gone up against me.
I raised my sword just in time to clash it with his. The two swords fought for a second before I pulled away, twisting my body and attacking again. I launched at him, my sword coming into contact with his skin for a second before he too moved his sword and stopped mine.
I smiled as I twisted again, aiming for his heart. The man twisted his body too and launched at me, his sword aiming at my head. Before his sword could come close to me I dodged with my head and thrusted mine forward, straight into his heart.
One second my sword was less than a hair's length away from his heart and the next I was dodging, spinning as I changed positions to face my opponent.
" Not bad" I smirked as I made circles around him. I could end it all with my power, but it had been a while since I had last used physical force for anything and I had discovered it helped me feel better. Dueling with swords was way more fun than with power.
Anyone could be strong the later but it was really hard to get good at the former.
The man crouched in a position I recognized.
That was why he was so good! I now knew who had trained him. I smiled sadly as I remembered her laughing at my awful form as she fixed my footwork, not that I ever needed her help.
" You're going down" The man's face was contorted in anger as he launched at me, his sword in front of his body as he angled himself to skewer me like some piece of meat.
I just moved my foot to the left and slightly angled my body away from the sword. The metal passed right above me as I thrusted my own sword right into the man's guts.
His eyes opened wide in surprise as he fell to the floor, my sword still deeply embedded into his chest.
" I...." The man never finished his sentence. Whatever he had wanted to say died along with him.
That had been fun.
I took out my sword with a flourish, watching as blood poured out of the big, gaping, wound in the middle of his chest.
I didn't even bother cleaning my sword, there wouldn't be a spot without blood by the end of this anyway, and walked away, leaving the corpse and it's silent guilt away, the black blood turning the brown floor into a dark canvas. That was why I liked black floors, they hid the blood way better.
I continued searching the house for anyone I used to like, killing whoever got on my way.
An hour later my sword was dripping with blood, as were my clothes, and I didn't feel anything as I felled my fellow rebels one after another.
It wasn't until I finally opened a door and found Imma and Luan there, talking among themselves in a hushed tone, that I stopped on my tracks.
" Hello" I smiled as I raised my sword and came closer. I had to be strong. I couldn't betray Ashmoder for them, not after betraying them for Ashmoder not that long ago. I had to stay loyal to the one I truly loved, no matter how much it hurt.
" Ruan" Imma's face contorted with anger as she glared at me, unshed tears in her eyes.
" Ruan?" Luan looked at me with confusion and hurt. As if she had already been told the truth and refused to believe it.
I would just have to make her believe it then.
" You're under arrest" I raised my sword higher as I walked closer.
Imma called her power to her hands, her eyes closed as she stared at me. Luan backed away, her eyes filled with betrayal.
" Wh... Why?" Luan stammered as she looked at me with hatred.
I ignored my feelings and pushed them down as I held my stance.
" Surrender"
" Never" Imma launched at me, aiming at my heart with a small dagger she always loved to carry around. I dodged and used my sword to attack.
Luan
I watched as Ruan, the person I had considered my brother for so long, turned on us and tried to kill Imma.
I had to do something, anything. With that in mind I ran out the door and outside, where I knew there were hidden weapons in the closet. I ran with all my might, not wanting to come back to a corpse.
When I reached the closet I took out a sword and spun, concern and betrayal battling each other in my head. The moment I spun a sword impaled me on my throat.
Pain erupted everywhere as I stared at the shiny piece of metal. Hah, so this was how I died, not in a cell for commiting crimes and not in a great battle against the king, just getting some swords.
I stared at the metal in my throat as everything went blurry. I fell to the floor, the weapons I had gathered scattering all over the floor. This was it, this was the end.
' I wish I could've known why Ruan betrayed us and help Imma ' Those were my last thoughts as everything went white.
Ruan
In a swift motion I disarmed Imma and pointed at her throat with my sword. I could do it, I was strong. I could kill her.
All the times we had spent together flashed in my mind. I lowered my sword and looked away.
" Get lost" My voice was barely a whisper as I became a traitor to everyone.
Imma didn't even look at me as she got up in a flash and ran out.
Imma
I didn't know why Ruan had let me go, but as I said before I was going to make him regreat it. I ran outside as soon as I could. I would get the survivors and get out, just like how we'd been planning to do before Ruan caught us planning, but first I had to find Luan.
Where could she had gone? She wasn't the kind of woman to run away from a friend in need. I grew more concerned the more time passed by without any clues as to where she was.
I avoided the lower levels and the areas crowded with soldiers as I ran, looking for her.
The sound of someone taking a sword out of somewhere caught my attention and I ran up to there, hoping I was wrong about what I thought the sound was.
When I turned the corner and saw Luan laying on the floor, blood all over her I exploded. I attacked the woman near her with all my might, tears streaming down my face.
I had been a fool, everyone was going to die because of me, again. I had thought I could do this, but I couldn't. I was useless. I had already failed them twice, and now I had even failed the people I was supposed to protect. I was such a fraud.
I pushed all my emotions into my power, trying to kill the woman with the blast. She would pay for killing my friend.
The smoke from the blast made it hard to see. That was my first and last mistake.
Pain erupted all over my skull as someone grabbed me from behind.
Ruan
" Hah, I'm becoming weak"
I shook my head and went out after staring at the wall for a while. I hoped she would make it out. Now it was all truly up to her. I hoped she could make peace with the fact that her family was dead and enjoy life with the new family she had created. I hoped she learned they all loved her, though I would never say that myself she had a family just for her.
I came out of the room and wandered for a while. I ran from the sound of battle, not wanting to get involved.
In one of those turns what I saw broke my heart and made me want to scream.
Imma and Luan were both dead, their corpses on the cold floor, blood pooling underneath them as their glossy eyes looked at nothing. Luan's throat was destroyed, clearly the wound that took her life. Imma, on the other hand, had her head split in two, her brain scattered all over the floor.
I stared at their corpses, the corpses of the people I cared for, and pushed back the feelings that were trying to creep out back into a place when they would never see the sunlight.
" Good job" My heart cracked as I thanked their killer with a fake smile even though all I wanted to do was open her head myself.
" Let's get going, this place smells like death" Els smiled at me as she cleaned her sword with the corpses clothes, not even caring about the blood all over her hands from when she'd open Imma's skull.
I gritted my teeth and nodded as I looked back one last time at the corpses. I couldn't even protect them, I was useless.