knight's Royal Duty || Gonkillu ||

Wake

The next few days blurred together as Killua recovered from his injury. The battlefield around them remained in turmoil, the fighting growing fiercer with each passing hour. Gon continued to lead his unit, but every time he returned to the camp, Killua could see the strain in his face. The war was wearing them both down, and the end seemed further away than ever.

Killua's wound, though healing, kept him sidelined from the fighting, something that frustrated him more than he could express. He hated feeling useless, hated that Gon had to worry about him on top of everything else. But despite his frustration, Killua knew he needed to rest. The war wasn't over, and he couldn't afford to push himself too hard.

But as the days dragged on, a new fear began to creep into Killua's heart. The war wasn't just wearing them down physically; it was taking a toll on their spirits. Every battle chipped away at their hope, every loss making the future seem more uncertain. Gon, despite his outward strength, was starting to crack under the weight of it all.

Killua could see it in the way Gon carried himself—more burdened, more withdrawn. His bright, determined eyes were dulled with exhaustion, and his smile, once a beacon of confidence, had become a rare sight. The battles were relentless, and no matter how hard they fought, the enemy seemed to have endless reinforcements. It felt like a war without end.

One evening, after another brutal skirmish that had cost them more soldiers, Gon returned to the camp, his armor stained with blood and dirt. He moved like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, his usual energy replaced by a slow, tired shuffle.

Killua, though still recovering, pushed himself up from his bedroll as soon as Gon entered the tent. He could see the toll the day had taken on him, and it pained Killua to see Gon like this—so beaten down, so unlike himself.

"How's it going out there?" Killua asked, his voice soft but filled with concern.

Gon sat heavily on the ground beside Killua, his eyes fixed on the floor. He didn't speak for a moment, the silence stretching between them like a gulf.

"It's getting worse," Gon finally said, his voice hollow. "We lost more knights today. We held the line, but barely. The enemy... they're not stopping, Killua. They just keep coming. I don't know how much longer we can keep this up."

Killua's heart sank. He had known things were bad, but hearing it from Gon made it all the more real. They were fighting a war they hadn't chosen, a war that seemed destined to tear them apart, and there was no clear way out.

"You've done everything you can," Killua said quietly, trying to offer some comfort. "You're leading them, Gon. You're keeping them alive. That's what matters."

Gon shook his head, his hands clenching into fists. "It's not enough. I can see it in their eyes—the fear, the hopelessness. They're looking to me for answers, but I don't have any. I don't know how to win this war."

Killua reached out, resting a hand on Gon's shoulder. "You don't have to do this alone, you know. You're not responsible for everything."

Gon's jaw tightened, and for a moment, he didn't respond. Then, with a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the tent's wall, his eyes closing in exhaustion.

"I'm afraid, Killua," Gon admitted, his voice barely audible. "I'm afraid that we're going to lose this. And I'm afraid of what will happen if we do."

Killua's chest tightened. He knew that fear all too well—the fear of losing everything, of seeing everything they had fought for torn apart. But he also knew they couldn't give up. Not now. Not when they had come this far.

"We won't lose," Killua said, his voice filled with quiet determination. "Not as long as we're together. We'll find a way through this. We always do."

Gon opened his eyes, and for the first time in days, there was a flicker of hope in them. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Killua."

Without you

"You don't have to find out," Killua replied, managing a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

Anywhere...

The battles raged on for another week, with each day blurring into the next. The fighting had become more brutal, more desperate, as both sides struggled to gain the upper hand. Gon led his unit with unwavering resolve, but the strain was taking its toll on him, and Killua knew it was only a matter of time before something broke.

It wasn't just the enemy that threatened to destroy them—it was the constant pressure, the fear that they were losing. The morale of the knights was faltering, and even Gon, who had always been the pillar of strength, was starting to show signs of cracking.

It was during one particularly harsh battle that everything changed.

The enemy forces had launched a surprise attack in the dead of night, catching Gon's unit off guard. They had been forced to retreat to higher ground, but the enemy pursued relentlessly, pushing them back toward the cliffs at the edge of the battlefield.

Killua, who had been forbidden from joining the frontlines due to his injury, could do nothing but watch from the ridge as the chaos unfolded below. His heart pounded in his chest, every fiber of his being screaming for him to jump into the fight, but he knew he couldn't. He was still recovering, and if he rushed into battle now, he would only be a liability.

But then he saw it—Gon, surrounded by enemy soldiers, his unit spread too thin to come to his aid. Killua's breath caught in his throat as he watched Gon fight, his movements growing more sluggish with each passing moment. He was outnumbered, exhausted, and Killua knew that if something didn't change, Gon wouldn't make it out of this alive.

Without thinking, Killua grabbed his sword and ran.

The pain in his side flared with every step, but he ignored it, his mind focused solely on reaching Gon. The battlefield was a blur of noise and chaos, but Killua pushed through, his eyes locked on Gon's figure in the distance.

He reached the bottom of the ridge just as one of the enemy soldiers lunged at Gon with a spear. Killua's instincts kicked in, and with a swift motion, he deflected the attack, knocking the soldier to the ground.

Gon looked up, his eyes wide with shock. "Killua! What are you doing?! You're not supposed to be here!"

"Saving your ass," Killua snapped, his voice breathless as he swung his sword at another soldier. "I couldn't just sit there and watch you die."

Gon's face twisted in frustration, but there was no time to argue. The enemy was closing in, and they had no choice but to fight side by side, just like they had always done.

The battle around them raged on, but together, Killua and Gon fought with a renewed sense of determination. They cut through the enemy ranks, their movements perfectly in sync, like two halves of the same whole. But even as they fought, Killua could feel the toll it was taking on them both.

The enemy was too strong, too many. And despite their best efforts, Killua knew that they couldn't hold out much longer.

"Fall back!" Gon shouted to the remaining knights. "We need to retreat!"

But as they turned to make their escape, the ground beneath them trembled.

Killua's heart raced as he looked up, his eyes widening in horror. The enemy had set up siege weapons on the cliffs above, and they were preparing to launch their attack. A volley of flaming arrows lit up the sky, raining down on the battlefield below.

"Gon, move!" Killua shouted, his voice filled with panic.

But it was too late.

The arrows hit the ground with deadly precision, the impact sending shockwaves through the earth. Killua felt himself thrown backward, his body slamming into the dirt as the world around him exploded in fire and smoke.

The last thing he heard before everything went black was Gon's voice, calling his name.