What Lurks Behind The Trees

Find the light

"You killed him!" Aden yelled as he flipped Gregor onto his back.

Dyron froze, shocked at what he had done to his son, but he made a promise, a promise that he barely accepted and there he was, lying down, lifeless.

"What happened?!" Julian rushed to his father, his eyes following his father's gaze until they landed on his brother.

"I killed him-"

"He's alive!" Aden said "Help me carry him, we need to get him out of here,"

Through the continuous fighting and clashing, they moved him away from the field and beyond the trees where Celia sat with the injured soldiers and the giant birds.

Celia lifted her head slightly, eyes widening as soon as she saw her lifeless brother. She stood up abruptly and walked towards them.

"He's not dead... right?"

"Not yet... he's breathing but, he's badly hurt," Felton muttered.

"Oh god," she breathed heavily, clasping her brothers hand tightly. "Why does he look like that... he told me he was fine, why does he look so... monstrous?" she gulped.

They laid him down, turning his body around so that his back was facing them. They cringed as they looked at the deep cut in his back and Dyron hung his head low.

At that moment, a loud flapping sound filled their ears, bringing them back to reality. Up in the sky, Alan and his bird slowly made their way down to the ground.

"Where were you? All this time?" Aden said, slightly irritated.

"We need the flower-" Alan stopped when he saw Gregor "What happened... don't tell me-"

"He's alive,"

"Aden, Venkalth is on the verge of death, I need to give him the flower,"

"That's not possible, Gregor needs it," Aden looked away.

"Venkalth and his dragon could end this war, we need him," Raymond said.

"How could you say that when my brother is dying," Julian frowned.

"What's more important, your brother or preventing the calamity of an entire kingdom?" Raymond stepped forward. "Now give me that flower,".

"I can't."

"Julian, give me the flower," Raymond was starting to lose his patience. "We're about to lose this war! I thought we were winning until those creatures appeared, at this point all are men will become monsters like him!" He pointed at Gregor. "Keeping him alive will put our lives in danger."

"You don't mean that Raymond, what's gotten into you?" Julian asked, after all these years of being friends, at this moment he felt like a stranger to him.

"I'm being reasonable, don't let your emotions blind you from the situation we're in!"

"Our king is right," Felton said. "This is a matter of losing or winning a battle, I'm sorry," he clenched his teeth in shame.

"I can't believe this," Julian said, "Father, do you have nothing to say?" he raised his voice slightly.

"I'm sorry..."

Julian shook his head in disbelief. Celia bit her lips nervously.

Just then, the sound of hooves came from behind them, two riders rushed towards them. Everyone stared waiting to see who was arriving at the battle so late.

When they saw the armour, they all unsheathed their weapons.

"Stop right there!" Alan yelled, "Who are you?"

The two riders unmounted their horses, a girl and a king's guard. The girl stepped forward, carrying a book in her arms.

"I'm Isabella, the daughter of Edmund,"

This caught their attention, why would the daughter of their enemy approach them.

"And what brings you here?" Raymond asked.

"I've come to help, all my life I've suffered in the hands of my father, I'm not on his side and neither is the soldier beside me,"

"So why is it that you've just arrived?"

"I just discovered something that may help you win this battle, it's all in this book," She raised the book slightly to show them "The book of dark magic, used by my father to turn humans into these creatures." She opens to a page with sketches of a dozen different creatures, "Here, it says how we could put an end to all the creatures, 'To abolish all creatures of the dark, one must use light, to find the light, one must search for the healer of all ailments, and the light lies within the possessor of pure magic'" She finished reading the annotation beneath what seemed to be a sketch of a flower.

They all leaned closer, taking a better look at the flower that very clearly looked like the Silent Silverglow.

"The Silent Silverglow?" Alan asked.

"We have one right here, what do we do with it?" Raymond asked.

"'The light lies within the possessor of pure magic', I think this means the flower should be given to someone who is a magician," Isabella said.

They all looked towards Venkalth who was barely able to keep himself alive, arms limp by his sides as the blood flowed from his armour.

"Venkalth... then what?" Aden said.

"What?"

"What happens after he eats the flower?"

"That's what I was thinking about the whole ride here, I'm not really sure," Isabella said.

"I think we should give it to him now and see what happens," Raymond said.

Julian glanced at his younger brother sadly.

"What about Greg?" Aden asked.

Raymond sighed, rubbing his temples, "I'm sorry, he was a great man, but the decision has already been made," He patted Julian on the shoulder, feeling guilty.

Dyron walked to Gregor's side and crouched by him. "I'm sorry son, I didn't want this to happen, your last wish for me... it was hard but I did it, I couldn't see you kill your friends like that, you didn't look like yourself and honestly, I was scared of you... I'm sorry,"

Julian wiped his tears when he heard his father's words, he knew he had no choice but to let his brother go, knowing that he didn't kill his own friend.

Celia sobbed quietly on Gregor's chest, "Gregor, I love you, my dear brother, I won't forget our days together, you died bravely..." she whispered, clutching his hands in hers.

Aden and Alan dropped to their knees beside Gregor, "I can't believe that after everything we've been through, you die like this, I'm sorry and I promise I won't let you die in vain," Aden said to Gregor, his face was now turning a grey colour, black veins still visible through his skin.

Everyone said their farewells to him, they covered his face and lay him beneath a tree.

His chest moved ever so subtly to the pattern of his breathing. One breath, two breaths, three breaths, then nothing. 

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He's dead :(

Who would you choose to give the flower? Venkalth or Gregor? 

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