Blade(Part 4): Midnight

Chapter 1: Dameon

Dameon and Shala found Kai a mile outside of the walls of Noglidas, following his dark, but unhostile, aura. He was shoveling dirt from a pile behind him, and into a large rectangular hole that held the shape of a grave. Dameon knew exactly who Kai was burying. He felt Xerxei's darkness fade during the Battle of Noglidas. That was over a month ago, and Kai had to fight as hard as he could to be able to bury Xerxei's body. The Colonial League, now called the Colonial Republic, gave him permission to do so, but he couldn't bury his friend in Republic territory. Queen Anorae wouldn't allow him to be buried in Acran, either, since he's the one who led the army that captured Eleus, and also struck down King Atreus. Kai didn't seem to care, though. All he wanted was his friend to rest in peace.

"So, how many laws are you breaking?" Dameon wondered. "According to the Republic."

"Well," Kai groaned, shoveling one more pile of dirt. "We have trespassing, desecration, insubordination, even though I'm not a soldier of the Republic, and disobedience."

"What?" Shala gasped. "Have they forgotten that Xerxei just helped them?"

"So did Azia, but you see the way everyone looks at her," Kai reminded.

"It doesn't seem to matter," said Dameon. "Kai, listen." The young Shadow stuck his shovel into the ground to listen to him.

"I know the last time we spoke before the battle was when you, Xerxei, and Akhtar had us captured," Dameon admitted. "And we didn't leave on good terms. We're on good terms now, right?" Kai hung his head, and a deep sigh came from his nose. Dameon could sense a feeling of guilt from him. He likely did bad things to even more people than Dameon and Shala, and had never forgiven himself for it. Even so, he fought for Skaola's freedom, Queen Azia, and now, freedom from Aziz.

"Yeah, we are," Kai sighed, and he shook Dameon's hand. "I'm sorry for everything I did, to both of you."

"All is forgiven," Shala promised, with a hand on her brother's shoulder. The three of them finished burying Xerxei before returning to Noglidas. The Colonial Republic raised their own autumn tree banners on the walls of Noglidas, throwing down the Skaolan banners and burning them. There weren't any of the Republic's soldiers marching through the streets, either. No armor-clad Hoplites with spears and shields, or Marines with their rifles out. The people of the city weren't scared of the soldiers, since they weren't constantly patrolling the streets, and Aziz's laws were done away with. The freedoms that were denied from the colonists for so long were returned to them, and they were living their own lives how they wanted to. Dameon would have considered his job over if Shala and his mother hadn't told him about Ember, and how Aziz could activate it to kill every last person on Zenartha. The armies of Queen Azia, King Matthias, and Queen Anorae were still recovering from the Battle of Noglidas, and it may very well be a while before they would be ready to travel to Ember. The war to save the colonies was over, but the war to save Zenartha wasn't.

"They're still in danger, aren't they?" Kai sighed. "From every country that founded these colonies. They won't like the idea of territory that was once theirs being part of another country."

"No, they won't," Shala agreed. "But they still won their freedom. They'll defend it with their lives."

"That's the least of our worries," Dameon reminded.

"Right," said Shala. "Ember."

"Dameon of Aglain," a soldier suddenly called. He was an officer of the Colonial Republic in a dark uniform with green trim. He sensed a feeling of absolute rage from him, but he was angrier than anyone he had ever met has ever been. The two Hoplites beside the officer had the same feelings of anger. Dameon looked to Shala and Kai, and exchanged nervous looks with both of them. They sensed the soldiers' anger, as well.