Genesis Reality II

Chapter XXIV - The Promise

Axel stood outside the Light Castle gates and stared into the window to the second-floor balcony.

Hundreds of soldiers, human and non-human, stood behind him waiting for a signal.

WPO soldiers frantically moved back and forth within the castle walls, moving between the castle itself and the office building.

Rosalia looked over the town from her throne room.

The town was nearly empty due to the fact that Incendium invaded the town.

The soldiers stood in silence, facing the castle.

"So how exactly did they all get in here?" Rosalia asked.

"They sniped the guards at the front gates, your highness," Commander Quain explained to Rosalia.

"...They have balls to walk up to our front door," Rosalia sighed, "We've already lost our city to them once. I've been called stupid and embarrassing for not fighting back... but I think the time has come," Rosalia explained.

Quain stood up straight and stared out the large windows from behind Rosalia.

"So with that being said, you're willing to let them ambush you right now? They brought hundreds of soldiers and I'm pretty sure they have more on the way," Commander Quain explained to Rosalia. 

"I said what I said. Do they want to take over the world? Come and try me, bitch." Rosalia stated.

Quain ran to the nearest office in the basement floors of the WPO Headquarters. He diligently ran past other workers and WPO soldiers to not get in their way.

Commander Quain walked into an office with its doors and walls entirely made out of glass and was incredibly and illogically soundproof.

Quain punched in a long phone number and an extension to the Light Council in City Hall just a few blocks away from the Light Castle.

"Commander Quain? We have just begun collecting the citizens and creating sanctuaries for them. Do you have any news on the standstill?" One of the members of the clergy asked.

"I need to speak with one of the councilmen, our Highness has formally declared war and would like an electronic signature by yours truly on your behalf. Being that they are on our grounds, we will make the first move," Commander Quain explained.

"I will contact them right away, good Lord!" The clergy member cried as she ran to inform the members of the council.

The Government of Crescent city was an interesting system. The councilmen and women were given power when they necessarily aren't supposed to when looking up the term in a dictionary. The Clergy of Crescent City is a group of women sent from Invictii that are only here because of the correlation of the Queen with Heaven. The Clergy are supposed to keep things morally correct throughout the city.

Rosalia marched through her castle and into the foyer.

"Are you sure this is appropriate?" Taurus asked as he held onto Rosalia's arm.

"They're going to attack us anyway, might as well," Rosalia shrugged.

Rosalia pushed open the large palace doors with tremendous force only to see lines of soldiers waiting outside.

"Fire," Rosalia said into the device.

A WPO soldier stood at the very top of the WPO headquarters building and pointed a bright red flare gun to the sky.

Out came a fuschia flare with a turquoise tail, headed for the sky.

The Incendium soldiers stared at the pretty light in the sky while Axel was unphased by it.

"The standstill is over..." A WPO soldier said from one of the sanctuaries. 

He watched the flare enter the sky from a window where he was unloading a truck full of people.

A group of casters in WPO uniforms cast large boulders of cement into the crowds of Incendium soldiers, officially starting the war.

Axel broke open the front gates to the castle with brute strength, only using his hands.

Everyone was taken aback by the insane amount of strength he had.

"Conscript! I need you to hide in the temple. Esteban will escort you--" Rosalia explained before getting cut off.

"What do you mean we have to hide? We're always hiding! What was the point of electing us if we can't even function like a real Conscript? We don't go to the council meeting with you, we aren't given crucial missions that are only meant for us, and YOU said we were going to be fighting on the frontlines! What are you-" Taurus explained before also getting interrupted by Rosalia.

"I gave you a chance to justify yourselves by sending you to Garza, and you failed. Now listen to me," Rosalia explained while getting in Taurus's face about it.

Vincent put his hand on Taurus's left shoulder and gently pulled him away.

"C'mon, let's just go," Vincent said as Taurus turned to Vincent's face.

Mizore watched the two with a worried face.

Esteban began escorting the siblings through the palace and into the courtyard.

Axel summoned a massive cannon and fired a missile into the front doors of the castle.

Before the impact, everyone moved out of the way.

Rosalia headed upstairs to get away from Axel's line of sight.

The Conscript fled into the backyard without Esteban, who was nowhere to be seen.

"I know where the temple is!" Vincent yelled as he gesture for his siblings to follow him.

The three ran for the forest that was just off the backyard of the castle.

Vincent led Mizore and Taurus to the long stone trail that led to the temple itself.

"This is so fucking ridiculous..." Taurus scoffed.

"How long have you known this was back here?" Mizore asked as the three of them walked down the path.

"For a little while... I should probably let you guys in on a little secret once we get there," Vincent explained.

"Wait... where is Esteban?" Mizore asked, looking around for the man.

"Forget about him for now, I really have something to tell you."

Mizore and Taurus looked at each other in confusion as sounds of war were present in the background.

Meanwhile, Rosalia frantically ran to the sixth floor of the castle, which was the highest floor with a glass ceiling.

The massive fish tank in the center of the room alongside the bar that surrounded it was empty with only plants and homes for the fish that was supposed to be in there.

Rosalia turned to the view of the city where smoke polluted the skies of Crescent City.

"...And now I wait," Rosalia said to herself as she sat on one of the sofas that faced the glass walls.

She watched the violence from above and couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I knew I should've just done all of this by myself... Too many distractions..." Rosalia cried as she began taking off her rings and other jewelry.