Knights of Lore

chapter 11 - The grieving(edited)

Kariah-Belle Nadire cried out at the top of her lungs. Her mana hull flared around her as she punch a hole through the titanium-7 wall that made up her room. The tears wouldn't stop streaming from her eyes.

She screamed again while leaping over to her study area and slammed her elbow clean through the desk. In another fluid movement, Kariah-Belle then spun and slammed her elbow through her bookshelf, sending books and pages flying everywhere.

She then fell to the floor to brawl.

Jet was dead...

Jet had died to keep her safe because she went into shock during an invasion. The medics told her it was due to trauma brought on her by Memphis slaughtering her branch. Kariah couldn't accept that.

She felt Akio's arms wrap around her, engulfing them both in a blanket.

Akio shed tears for her fallen comrade, though her features stayed unchanged.

Kariah could only imagine how Mae Lu was feeling. She and Jet had been friends since they were kids. Jet had been the one to save her back when they were first left to fend for themselves. That was the first time he had taken a life.

Kariah-Belle bawled even harder. She knew the young woman eyes sparkled with more than admiration for Jet. She wanted so badly to see them smiling again and to be able to smile along with them.

The young man had gotten her out of a few sticky situations but the one time she was supposed to keep him safe, she'd failed miserably.

Akio cradled her friend's head as she played with her hair. Kariah-Belle didn't know what she would do if Akio wasn't there with her now. Most likely she'd throw another tantrum and completely destroy her dorm.

Eventually, Akio lay next to Kariah-Belle. They would talk about Jet's heroic feats. Laughed at how someone could be so calm and analytical but couldn't tell when Mae Lu attempted to flirt. They reminisce on the times they had together, both good and bad.

Before long Akio fell to the Sandman and drifted off to sleep. They had been up most of the night grieving and reminiscing. Kariah-Belle now laid with Akio playing with her soft pretty emerald hair. The sun had been up for a while now and Kariah could hear the machines from inside her dorm.

The battle had been over twenty-four hours ago.

Unable to sleep because of her abnormal life force, Kariah-Belle slid out of bed, careful not to wake her friend. They painted her room to look like a sunset. The material used to decorate it, made the artwork look extremely lifelike. She admired it for a bit. The colors were vivid and the setting sun almost seemed to shine.

She took a deep breath before entering the bath. Pulling off her sleeping shorts, tank top, and socks the young woman stepped into the shower. She let warm water run down her sun-kissed caramel skin for a bit. Her mind often wondered to Jet's smile.

Shaking her head to keep from crying again, Kariah-Belle began to bathe. She stopped to look down at the scars on her belly. The two scars that refused to heal. She ran her fingers lightly along them.

Anger boiled within her as water rained down from above. That bastard Memphis had taken someone else from her. Her leader. Her friend.

Jet's smiling face flashed within her mind and tears escaped her eyes. She fell on the shower floor. The water still raining down on her. She brought her knees to her chest and began to sob quietly.

They told her even as he took his last breath the young man smiled.

Sometime later, Kariah-Belle found herself outside. The sun beamed down on her as she passed the ruined courtyard. Workers were repairing the broken statues of the fallen king. Memphis had been the one to lead the attack on the capital. The traitor had slain King Vermilion and destroyed her home. She was sure the man's bounty would become even higher than it is now.