Please Don't Cry; Third Book in the Sky Army's Defeat Series

Chapter Nineteen

Dawn walked through the aisles of tables set up in the massive ballroom with a look of determination set across her beautiful features. Her mission was to ensure that the feast would be setup in the most perfect way so that everyone attending would have full view of the open floor at the front of the room, and damn her if it wasn't done right. She was a perfectionist, and her decor skills were not going to fail her husband today.

The Squid Queen observed the maids and servants working diligently to make her vision reality, smiling to herself as the centerpieces for the tables were being placed. Today was the final declaration of victory for the Squid Kingdom. A day where the victors and losers dined together as the official treaties were read for both sides to hear before the final event that would forever end their war.

The thought of the events to occur in the next few hours made the queen smile before leaving her position in micromanaging to find her husband. When she found him in the library, she was quick to slide her hand into his and squeeze it affectionately. "The preparations are underway and going smoothly. It won't be long before we've begun the next step in Squid domination."

King Evan turned from the ancient book and pulled her close to him with his free hand, returning her smile as he intertwined their fingers. "With your particular tastes I'm sure the evening will go down in history as the best night in all of Squid existence."

The Squid Queen reached up and pulled him down into a gentle kiss that was full of love and admiration, then pulled away slightly to mutter, "I love you." The king responded with his feelings before separating himself from her embrace.

"The former king has been busy preparing our new generals for the evening and Hunter has been busying himself with teaching his godson the rules. I say it's time we focus on getting ourselves ready now that everything else is falling into place on its own. What do you say?"

Dawn nodded in agreement and linked their fingers together, dragging him away from the ancient book and towards their room. She had a beautiful dress made specifically for this occasion and couldn't wait to try it on for the first time.

~~~

Hunter waited for the two to leave before shutting the library doors to give himself and his godson some privacy, turning to face the dismayed boy once they were closed in from the outside world. "I'm sorry this has come to what it has, Seto. I really am."

The young sorcerer just shook his head, his eyes scanning over the runes scribbled on one of the pages of an open notebook that laid on a nearby table. "It's not your fault... You tried your best to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately I'm more worried about what this will cost you," he muttered, his fingers tracing the roughly drawn rune that was burned into his godfather's arm.

Hunter went over to his side and shut the notebook, moving in front of him to keep the boy from looking at it further. "I did this to save you. What happens to me is only a small portion of this great war. If I lose sight of who I am, then I know you'll be there to stop me from causing any terrible damage. If we find a way to reverse this, then you have one more ally fighting for your cause. Either way, I play only a small part."

Seto bit his lip. "You don't play a small part to me, though. You mean a lot to me, just like my friends do."

Hunter nodded slowly. "I know that, and you mean a lot to me too. But, you're going to have to choose between the salvation of your friends and mine, and I don't want you to feel like you have to choose me to make up for my sacrifice. The world of Minecraftia is at risk of mass distraction and chaos. If one light has to go dark to save it then so be it."

Seto turned his back to his godfather and stepped over to the book that contained their prophesied downfall, bringing it to the table for both of them to have access to it. "So if this ending is coming soon, what has to happen for the squids to succeed and take over?"

Hunter looked over the pages before him. "Most of it has already happened. They had to turn the other generals into loyal subjects in this order and defeat your side in the war. The only thing left is to officially corrupt you and Adam."

Seto frowned as he looked over the symbols that represented his friends, noticing a tiny smudge under his and his former King's icons. Quickly he muttered the ancient language under his breath and the smudge grew in size until the words were written in plain English in the air.

'The Soul will suffice.'

Hunter watched the color drain from his godson's face as the words reduced to their smudged state once again and quickly pulled a chair over to prevent the boy from falling. "What is it Seto?"

The young sorcerer took a deep breath as he sank into the chair. He knew exactly what was to become of him and his friend. There wouldn't be any hope for them by the end of that night. Their only salvation was out of their control. "The event they have planned for tonight... the one they wouldn't tell you about... I think out of Adam and I... Only one of us will walk out of there alive."

~~~

The former king stood before his corrupted friends with a plastered on poker face in a weak attempt to keep his emotions hidden. He was to be a servant, and they were programmed to ensure he'd behave like one, just like all of the humanoid generals around them.

Quietly he went to each one of them, adjusting their uniforms, attaching the symbols of their ranks to their arms, and, worst of all, attaching the Squid Army emblem to their chests. None of them looked at him with anything more than a cold and expectant stare, as if they had never been friends at all.

It was agonizing to see his best friends with such cold, empty gazes, even more so to hold in all of his tears at the sight of them. This was a terrible nightmare that had become reality once again, and this time there seemed to be no end but his own.

He worked and worked on perfecting the looks of the generals for hours until one of the maids stepped into the barracks to summon him and take the generals to their seats.

He let the leaders of his enemy army go first before following behind them. It was time to see the king for his next assignment, and he had a feeling the next few hours afterwards would be nothing but horrendous for him.

Word Count: 1179