A Kingdom Ablaze: Last Man Standing

VII

I walk silently on the sidewalk, with the moon witnessing my every move with its light. Another objective has befallen me, and I need to fulfill it. I watch as my eyes meet the entrance to a big garden. Its pathway's shape is a four-leafed clover. Its sides are lined with oak trees.

I walk down the path until I see what lies ahead of me. It is an exquisite manor around four stories high. All of its lights are on, proudly telling me that its owners are present. I change my pace and run to the door. I tapped on its door knocker and soon, someone answered.

Walter smiles as he sees me, and he lets me in. We exchange some questions while he leads me to a big room. once we are in, he asks me to find my seat. This was a dinner party because of the different dishes and there were a lot of people. There was me, the Blighters, and Louis.

When Louis saw Walter, she thanked him for saving her from "that nasty old building". Walter says that he didn't want the credit because somebody in his head told him to.

I told Louis that it was I who controlled him to save her, which shocked both of them. I got all the credit indeed. Mr. Eldritch stopped eating, turned to me, and asked me a very important question.

"How did you know that Louis was being held against her will?"

Everyone stopped eating and looked at me intently. This is when I exposed my big secret.

"I saw things through Artemia that you all didn't."

They all didn't understand me. When they asked for elaboration, I told them that there was a reason that Artemia isn't here eating with us. You see, I knew she wasn't who she seemed. She works for the evil queen. With her military expertise, she was ready to strengthen the army. She was going to corrupt the knights' minds and destroy their kingdom. It was she who put Louis inside that chamber. I explained to Louis that she predicts the kingdom's future so much that it spooked the royal family. And she was captured.

Everyone's moods turned from jolly to shock. Before we could express it...

"But wait. There's more."

William stands up and he starts telling us something.

"On that March night when all dark forces broke loose, I tracked down the prince's horse and I placed a smell on it. I've followed the royals for quite a while, and they seemed to take their horse somewhere. That night was a chance to find out where they go. And so minutes after they took off, I followed this scent. I ended up in this secluded area where there was this very large stadium! It was as big as an entire mountain! I had to get away before they could spot me."

We went from shocked to puzzled. We all had our questions.

"Why is there a stadium in the middle of nowhere?"

"What is inside?"

"What are they doing inside?"

We asked but William had no answers. We were as puzzled as he is. We all prayed for each other's safety, and we continued eating. Just as we were done eating, somebody got our attention as they ran down the stairs. It was the Three Clovers and he had a face full of joy.

Edwin: We finally did it, friends! We finally used science for our cause!

Albert: We analyzed the papers that Walter found in the palace, and we found that it is a recipe for the Rebirth Stone.

Fred: It is a big deal because it will destroy destruction and even put an end to immortality. Tonight, after nine months of research and experiment, we finally created the stone!

Edwin: Unfortunately, you can't touch it. It has to be sealed away from human hands. It will only present itself in times of duress.

Albert then brought out the glass container where the Rebirth Stone lies. We saw it in all its glory, in its diamond color and bright shine. Except me. I was battling this headache that I got seconds ago. After they looked at the stone, they all looked at me. Octavius asks me what's wrong. This headache was so bad that I just followed what the voice in my head says.

"Check the mailbox."

I stood up and ran so fast. I opened the front door and walked to the side of the manor where the mailbox is located. They all ran after me, but they stopped by the door. I opened the mailbox and black smoke came out! It screamed and pinned me to the ground. Then, it spoke.

"You want to talk? Let's talk. Meet me at the old cottage by the rising of the sun. Let's talk peacefully. Bring no one with you. ... BRING NO ONE WITH YOU!"

The black smoke disappeared. "You're not going alone. You need forces", Walter said.

A Late-Night Dream:

I open my eyes to a very bright light. However, it persisted. Then, I realized where I was. It was a white void. I was in my bedclothes. I saw that there was a bench far from me and there was someone seated on one side.

The old man tells me to come sit. I hear him call my name as Proxy. How does he know my name? I sit next to him and it wasn't until I was seated that I can inspect this man. Wait... he looks familiar. This is the great King Prometheus! It feels like an honor talking to him.

The king is bald and has this signature beard shining in white. He appears to be wearing royal regalia too. I began the conversation with "Your Majesty" but he wanted to be called "P" instead.

We talked for about 15 minutes. I asked him how he knew my name. He refuses to answer. We talked on and on about his life as king. There was one point where he mentioned his daughter's weakness.

"Being afraid of music takes away art from your life, doesn't it?"

I agreed. When we were done with the conversation, the King got close to my ear and whispered something.

"I must warn you of three influences which you must cherish...
The first one; I have given you and your friends something important.
The second one is; After Christmas day, you will be a whole new person.
The last one... WAKE UP!"

And then I woke up. I looked at the clock and it was about to strike five in the morning. I got out of bed and began to prepare myself. I can't help but finish things faster. Is it just motivation? I was checking things off my head: a bath, eat some breakfast, prepare my suit, prepare defenses, and get out.

When I left the front door, all of my friends were waiting. It was just the Blighters. I inspected my suit one last time. I was now wearing knight's armor without a helmet. My serums were in a belt, and I kept a four-leafed clover in my chest plate. My shield and sword shine even with the absence of the sun. I bowed my head to them. I was ready to go.

And so we went.

Everything went black.