Freedom

Chapter 4 : Kio's Pov : An Unsettling Door

The thought of stealing the Phoenix's gaze seems far too risky, but everyone here is being exceptionally stubborn. The fact that they're risking so much just to save me is making me feel like a burden..

***

"Hey!" Ren snapped his fingers in front of my face, jerking me out of my thoughts.

The carriage swung back and forth as Artina, Prince Ren, and I sat quietly in it. Ash was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Ash?"

"She's driving the carriage," Artina replied.

I gently pushed away the opulent velvet curtains from the window and peered outside. We were afar from town, no civilization in sight. All that was visible was the stars that glowed luminicint in the darkness.

"Where are we going?"

Ren sighed, leaning his head against the wall, "I dunno, Ash wouldn't tell us."

"We can trust her, right?

"Yeah, Don't worry Kio, Ash isn't like that."

We soon stopped in front of a garden shed. It had brown board walls and a light grey door. It was pretty tall for a shed.

Soon after Ash opened the carriage door to let us out.

"Where are we?" Ren asked after we stepped outside, closing the carriage door behind us.

"The shed is where I keep my weapons. I noticed Kio and Ren didn't have any weapons, so I brought us here first," Ash explained, reaching for the shed's door.

"But why is it in the middle of nowhere?" Artina asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Safety precautions" she replied, shoving me and Ren inside.

"Hurry up and pick out a weapon"

We stepped inside the shed and my eyes widened. What we had seen from the outside was not even close to what it was like inside. It was huge.

The walls were made out of wood and were caramel brown. The floors also had a wooden lining. The roof was high and black in colour with stars hanging from the ceiling. Weapons were kept in glass cases lined together as if they were pieces in a museum.

In awe, I glanced towards Ren, who was gazing into the stars with eyes that shone as bright as they did.

"Prince Ren? We should really pick out a weapon and quickly" I said, lightly tapping his shoulder.

"Right-" he said as he glanced at the stars one last time before walking towards the glass cases.

One of the cases emitted a turquoise light that bewitched me, pulling me forward. I pressed my face against the case like a little kid gawking at a toy.

"Hey Ash?" I called out, scanning the case to find an opening.

"Ah, I see you've found my most cherished weapon" she murmured, suddenly emerging from the shadows.

"The light from this case is so...mesmerizing. Can I use it?"

"Of Course! Just be careful since it does not belong to me alone"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cluster of keys and stuck it inside the opening.

"Stand back."

I stepped back as she turned the key, releasing the weapon from the glass case, which flew inches away from my face, crashing into another glass case behind me and shattering it into a million pieces.