Kingdom Rivalry

Chapter 21

The very next day, the Obscure send a whole fleet of Number 17s to deliver the crystal straight to the Cosmic Kingdom. As soon as the sorcerers made the new weapons, Stardust Dragon, with a fleet of the golden armored dragons, flew overhead to deliver part of the weapons back to the Obscure. For the first time in forever, the sky itself was alive with trade instead of Numbers and other beings on foot. The people on foot watched in wonder as the sky seemed to be completely full of flying beings.

Sorcerers well versed in the magic of weapon-crafting dedicated their mana to forging the new swords, crossbows, arrows, short bows, longbows, daggers, and staffs for the battle they were most certain to fail. According to the prince, though, these new weapons would kill the dark ones in one hit instead of many, saving stamina to fight longer.

Foot soldiers trained with the new crystal weapons. they mainly focused on getting used to the new weight they had to work with, for the weapons were heavier than the ones made of steel and iron. The sharpshooters found their aim was sharper, though, once they got used to the weight. The crystal in the arrows seemed to hone in on the target, no matter what it was made of. Surely, it would seek out dark energies much more efficiently.

Mages and sorcerers trained with the crystal staffs. Their magic shot out faster, farther, and more explosively than with their old staffs, and the best part was that it didn't consume as much mana as before.

The sorcerers also crafted armor using the crystal. Amazingly and unlike the weapons, the armor was much lighter, allowing for greater speed and dexterity. Soldiers were now able to be in the midst of battle with the incredibly low chance of being killed or corrupted. With the new weapons and armor, they were sure to have a better chance against the dark army than in Astral's vision.

The innocent citizens were moved to the Obscure Kingdom, far from where the battle would start. There, the upper class supplied them with shelter and food. For once, no one fought. Not with the upcoming battle that would surely destroy them. Now was a time to help one another.

Out in the lands beyond the Cosmic Kingdom, Kai and Esmeralda were summoning their dark army, one that would neither tire nor slow down no matter what. They summoned foot soldiers, a whole cavalry, dragons, goblins, and much more, bigger than in the vision, and just as deadly. The black crystal in the cave made sure that the monsters never ran out of stamina and never died. The dark army would be unstoppable without the proper weapons.

Both sides were soon ready.

~.Neutral Lands.~

Both kings and their heirs, along with their queens and daughter, met back at the building for one last meeting before the battle. It wasn't to talk about strategy; Pluto and Zeon already covered everything they needed to know and passed it on to their armies. No, this time, they were going to get to know each other before the new battle. They barely had any time before, what with all the preparations, but they took the time now.

Minerva took Astralena and Astrid to the back gardens, where they talked about themselves, their interests, and what they studied. Minerva was surprised to know that herbalism was still a thing, kept alive by the Cosmic queen and princess. Astrid practically bombarded Minerva with questions about her ability to summon animals out of seemingly nothing, which the Obscure queen answered with more than a trace of amusement. Secretly, she wished for a daughter of her own.

Zeon and Pluto took a walk down a footpath to a river. They, too, talked about their interests and how silly the war seemed in hindsight. They laughed at how absurd it was! Zeon told of how Astral helped Black Mist unlock and strengthen his hold on magic. Pluto was slightly concerned when Zeon told him about the near death accidents, but he was assured that Astral had the whole thing under control.

Meanwhile, Astral and Black Mist were back at the stream, silently sitting at the edge. With all of the preparations done, the both of them were no longer uneasy. They were rather calm today.

"It'll happen tomorrow," Astral suddenly said. It was quiet, but that's what made it more meaningful.

"The battle?"

"Yes. I had another vision about it." He smiled softly. "It was more promising than the last one. Although...some died."

Black Mist's blood ran cold at the tone of that. "Do you know who?"

Astral took a deep breath in. "Father and me."

The Obscure prince swiftly brought Astral into a tight, protective hug, leaving the Cosmic prince surprised and wondering what just happened. Then, when he realized what was happening, he tried pulling away.

"What are you doing?" Astral complained.

"You're not going to die, not on my watch!" Black Mist growled. Then, he softened his hold and made Astral look at him. He noticed the slightly frightened expression on the Cosmic prince's face and planted a light kiss on his lips in apology. He knew how frightening he could be; Vector constantly commented on it.

Astral, rather surprised at the sudden action, eventually relaxed. He was slightly and surprisingly disappointed when Black Mist pulled away. "You do realize that the future is never set in stone, right?" he asked quietly.

Black Mist smiled softly. "I know. I was...overreacting. Just be careful, will you?"

"I will." Astral smiled back and kissed him again.

Aaaand that's the end of the chapter! ^0^ I rather like the cuddly scene here. It came out how I wanted to. :3 Again, not as good as I would want it, but we all have to start somewhere, right? Right! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!