The Fallen Throne

Chapter 23.1 ✦ Cataclysm

ROSE

He halts abruptly upon seeing the flare, recognising it immediately.

Rose knocks into him, because he's been pulling her along as they run, with her barely keeping up and struggling to keep her footing as she's simply being dragged as he sprints away from the creepy bunch.

"Ouch!" she yells, frustrated, rubbing her head frantically where she bumped into Kai, who is standing as still as a statue before her, not moving a single muscle. "You gripped me so hard I can't even –"

She gasps when she, too, notices the flare as she is just about to attempt to glare at Kai and yell at him for his actions.

"Lloyd."

Just as the word barely escapes the tip of her mouth, Rose feels a familiar drop in temperature, and the moment she does so, she's glad she makes the right decision upon instinct to yank Kai with her downwards towards the ground, ducking several icicles shooting from behind them.

"They're back." Rose nudges Kai hardly. "Snap out of it!"

"We have to get back."

"Obviously! But we wouldn't even survive this phase if you don't help me out with yourself!"

Finally tearing his eyes away from the Kingdom of Theia, Kai looks at Rose in the eye. "What do you do to get rid of these people?" He remains on the ground, as if that is keeping them safe, as if it shelters them without a roof or barrier. Yet they both know they are near, approaching, and dangerous. The two of them, however special, are no match for a bunch of them – they're clearly outnumbered.

"You don't," she replies, still on the ground, feeling the thundering footsteps of the weird bunch vibrating in the ground, as if she's a part of it, as if she's part of the entire earth surface. Rose takes a deep breath, and places both her palms flatly on the grassy ground and closes her eyes as she begins to glow green.

"What –"

The ground rumbles violently, and a huge quake appears before them, right before the odd teens. The crack is seemingly infinitely deep and wide, and it grows wider as if it's alive, creating a crater in the open space probably even visible high above in the air. It grows and expands like a monster's mouth, swallowing the threatening bunch, who are all taken by surprise. Even if some of them narrowly escaped, they are trapped on the other end of the crater, unable to proceed any further. They're safe.

At least, for now, considering they have no other tricks up their sleeves.

When Rose is satisfied, she stands up confidently, dusting her hands of fresh ground dirt. Kai stares at her unbelievingly, and she crosses her arms. "Anytime you care to join me, Flamey?" She offers her hand to the stunned Kai, who is clearly still very dazed and on the ground.

He takes it with his only gloved hand left, eventually finding his footing and standing up. Shrugging, he says, "Well, you sure hit the best of it already."

"I'm not the best at everything, and perhaps not even at all, in fact, anything. There's always someone who's better, more prominent. But I'll take my best shot at everything I'm able to get my hands on."

Kai allows those words to sink in. Slowly, he smiles gently. "However things go and whatever you think, you'll still be the best among the both of us, no doubt about it," he reassures her.

Rose returns the smile. "Shall we? I feel like our friends need us."

But before Kai can answer, he spots something else that lures him into a daze once again. Following his gaze, Rose's eyes come to something horrible her hand flies to her mouth. She doesn't realise up until she turns around that after running a certain distance desperately trying to lose the other teens, they're now already only a few feet away from the grand gates of Theia. But that isn't the worst thing.