A Second Tyranny

We Stand Together

Author's Note:

YAY! I finished college and all my exams! Just like Olaf, I'm so happy that summer is here! My goodness, I've waited for a whole year to return to this story!

OK. Quick recap on the latest events that had happened: Jonathan returned from Shadowland, consumed the soul of a young girl, and was no longer a Lost One. He wanted the Lost to feast on all human souls in the City, become as powerful as he is, and rule the Overworld by his side, but the Allgood leaders, together with their friends, killed and stopped him. Hans condemned Kai to death by hanging him after he discovered that Kai was only pretending to be loyal to him.

WISTY

"Come on, Wisty, we're nearly there!"

I glanced up at Anna and called back, panting slightly, "Right behind you!"

I was climbing one of the last few bombed out buildings that still remained unrepaired from the N.O attacks. The muscles in my forearm began to feel sore and a little numb from when I was halfway up and they were slowly getting more and more tired as I continued to ascend, but I was not complaining. Although two days had passed since Jonathan resurrected from the dead and attempted to kill me in order to gain control over the City, the terrifying memory of it all was still fresh and alive in my mind. I had tossed and turned in bed for hours last night and simply could not sleep. That was when Anna had come in and asked me if I wanted to go with her to see the sunrise, and I had agreed it was a great idea.

The damage done to the building was most severe near the top and made the climb up dangerous and challenging, therefore I was forced to be more cautious about where I place my foot. I didn't mind the challenge at all. It gave me something else to focus on other than the Lost Ones and helped me to clear my head.

I needed a little adventure like this to distract me.

We climbed higher and higher and higher.

Anna held on to a cavity in the stone that had belonged to part of a wall, brought a leg over the floor, and hoisted herself up to the topmost level. I reached it five minutes later.

We were six hundred feet up and got a clear, excellent view of the majority of the City. It was 4:30 a.m. and everybody was asleep, but I could make out a couple of cars moving down roads and highways and bridges. No sound apart from the twittering of birds reached my ears. The gentle breeze felt cool and relaxing on my cheeks.

"It's so beautiful up here," Anna said dreamily.

"Yeah..." I rubbed a sore ankle and asked, "How many times have you done this now?"

"Plenty of times," Anna shrugged and said dismissively. "I've been doing it almost every morning since I got here, which might sound a teeny bit crazy..." She trailed off in a singsong tone.

"Oh, it is definitely crazy."

She paced about the area, occasionally stepping on pieces of cracked glass scattered here and there over the floor. "I rarely got up early. I usually overslept back home, but not anymore. There are so many wonderful things to see in this City, so much to explore and I've barely scratched the surface!" She pointed excitedly in front of her. "Did you know that yesterday morning I stood on top of that building and watched the scenery for almost four hours? Every one of them has a different view. It's nice to see this place from different angles." She turned around in a circle. "And I can't believe there are buildings even taller than ours! Oh wow... Well, that just makes the climb even more fun."