The Taste and Price of Victory

The Choice

Amira gasped,"You're kidding." She saw the answer on his face, eyes wide,"No! I can't kill you, Kengi!"

A guard passed, eyeing her warily as he did. She realized she had had a sudden outburst in the middle of the hall, seemingly talking to thin air. 

Kengi's eyes were almost at peace as he looked at her,"I've accepted this, Amira. I want to be free. I want to finally be able to rest." He smiled,"At least this way I would be going out with a  friend at my side."

Amira shook her head, walking around him,"No. I refuse." She made sure she spoke inwardly to him,"I'm not going to crush your soul just so I can win this war. I can't..." She stopped, body slightly shaking,"We're friends now, Kengi, and friends don't kill each other."

Kengi walked beside her as they stepped outside, heading to the courtyard,"Amira, it is the only way to save everyone and beat them. I want to do this. I need this to be done. Please. Let this be my legacy. I don't want to be known as the man being passed from person to person with no chance of that changing."

Amira blinked back tears, ignoring him. She heard the sound of swords clashing, taking a deep breath. She forced her face to go blank, approaching the center of the courtyard where the leader of the 3rd Unit stood. 

He saluted,"General. What brings you here?"

Amira's eyes were serious, her face blank and void of emotion,"It is time for the entire army to be assembled. Now. We must ride out and finish this war once and for all."

He nodded,"Of course, General. Under your leadership, we will win." He turned to the troops, letting out a piercing whistle. The troops stopped, all turning and forming a circle around them, going to attention immediately. 

Amira's eyes scanned the troops as she spoke,"You have 10 minutes to go say your goodbyes to your families and grab all the other troops that weren't at training today. We are moving out for Darkcost. We will ambush them, and we will win.

"This will not be an easy fight. It may very well be deadly. The person you're standing beside may not come back with us. But, we must do this. We must fight this final battle so that maybe, just maybe, all of the future generations of Astralis can survive.

"This may not mean much, but I will promise you something. I will give you my all on the battlefield. I will fight as hard as I possibly can to ensure as many of us make it back as possible. In return, I want you all to promise me the same. Now, go! We have a war to end and win!"

The troops all cheered, taking off. The courtyard became empty in a matter of seconds, leaving only the leader, Jaxon, and Amira there. 

Amira turned to Jaxon, eyes on fire,"Summon the other leaders of the other 4 units. Tell them what I told the troops. I want as much help as we can get when we get there."

Jaxon nodded,"Yes, General. I will also prepare your horse-"

Amira shook her head,"No need. I will prepare my own horse. Now, go. The 10 minute window is quickly closing."

She watched him as he moved away, turning her attention to Kengi where he lay sprawled in a nearby tree,"Kengi." She waited to speak until she was sure she had his attention,"I'm sorry."

Kengi appeared near her in a second, his face an inch from hers, eyes furious,"Don't say that to me. I think of the one way I can be free, and you deny me of it. You're sending all these troops to slaughter, Amira."

Fury covered her eyes as she retorted inwardly,"Yeah, well, you're innocent in all of this! I can't just destroy you based on a mere hunch you have! God, Kengi, I can't kill you!"

Kengi looked at her with a heartbreaking expression,"Amira, please. I'm begging you. I'm tired, and I'm ready to rest. I haven't known you for very long, but I can already tell that I would give my life for you a thousand times. I don't care if my soul dies. I want to help you. Please. Please let me help you, Amira."

Her hands shook as she watched him, tears welling in her eyes,"How is it possible for this to hurt me so much? You and I barely know each other."

"The magic that binds me works mysteriously," he murmurs,"It works with me to help the 'host', if you will, appeased and friends with me." He looks up at her, face serious,"Amira, this will work. You will win the war, and you will be free of the dark magic inside you. I'll be free after years to finally go to rest."

Amira shook her head,"And, if your soul doesn't go free like you want? What then?"

Kengi could tell she was close to caving, so he pushed one last time,"I will. I just need you to crush and release my soul. When you do that, your victory will be guaranteed."

Amira clutched her head, moving to sit on the ground, curling her knees to her chest as she thought. She didn't speak for long moments, but her voice was steady when she finally did,"Kengi, if you're sure this is what you want... I'll do it." She didn't move her head from where it was hid against her legs.

Kengi smiled, sitting in front of her,"Thank you, Amira. This is what I want. Besides..." He trailed off, waiting until she lifted her gaze to his before he continued,"It's not everyday a guy like me can say he helped a beautiful woman and risked his life for her."

Amira's eyes were sad as he spoke. Her heart felt like it was going to be ripped in half at the thought of losing Kengi, and she didn't know why. She barely knew the guy, yet she still cared greatly about whether he existed or not.

She sighed, not standing,"Alright... What do you want me to do?"

Kengi quickly explained,"You just have to place a hand on my chest and send the magic towards it. I will absorb the magic, and my soul should whither and die. But, you can't let go of my chest. You can't remove your hand."

"How will I know that the magic is gone from the others in Darkcost?"

Kengi smiled crookedly,"The magic will leave them and come at me. Trust me. This will finally be my good deed, and I am more than happy to do it."

A tear ran down Amira's face,"Alright, Kengi." She stood beside him, whispering,"I'm so sorry."

Kengi moved closer to her, his hand hovering in the space between them for a minute before he dropped them, voice serious,"There is nothing to be sorry for, Amira. I want this. I want to be free. You're giving me that opportunity. I will spend any amount of time I get in heaven speaking highly of you. Even in hell, I'll speak highly of you."

With a shaking hand, Amira moved her hand forward to rest on his chest. She took a deep breath, focusing and eventually feeling a flicker of life. She grabbed it, eyes locking onto Kengi's as she did. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she moved. 

She began to push the magic within her back into him. 

And, that's when all hell broke loose.

Word Count: 1219 words

A/N:

Hey, guys! I'm back pretty early this week! I just want to say that managing to upload 2 updates in 2 days has never and will never happen again, maybe, so enjoy! I had a sudden writing flow, and wanted to just go ahead and get this chapter done! This one is kind of a filler chapter, but it gives some pretty interesting information. I hope you guys enjoyed! Stay tuned for the next chapter! It'll be quite interesting... ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ