The Fall

"You traitors!!" was heard across the entire Plaza as all clans and their respective armies drew their weapons and wielded their powers, within minutes the Capital became a battlefield, fire, water, earth, lighting, wind, all of them used against each other, against the city they had fought too hard to build.

Buildings torn apart, entire streets deprived of their foundations, blood started streaming everywhere as if it was the new coat of painting of choice. Bodies piled up all around the plaza while the Imperial Family guarded themselves in their fortress.

"Eckart we need to get out now!!!" Berhtoldt screamed as he grabbed Eckart's hand and started running, pushing and most of all trying not to get killed in the massive crossfire between what seemed like a thousand men fighting. A man being burnt alive, while another was crushed under a boulder; quickly but surely positions were made, shield walls created and now it was duels between soulbinders while the armies fought. Fire, death, misery, all of that under a few minutes, this was the power of greed, of arrogance. This is what the Empire had become.

Eckart tripped on a body and fell as he raised his head all he could see were bodies, blood and organs spilled on the once clean streets, "Come on!! I got you!" grunted Bertholdt as he picked him up by his healthy arm, propping him straight, "Let's go" he screamed. Never in his life had Eckart run so fast, his feet were burning, his legs shaking yet he couldn't force himself to stop, doing so would mean death.

Yet death could also come from above.

A second that's all it took for what seemed to be a fireball to disintegrate the building right next to them in a million pieces, both Eckart and Bertholdt were swept off the ground by the explosion, flying several meters away. Ringing bloody ears, and an incredibly strong headache were the first things he felt as he opened his eyes. He slowly lifted himself up only to see stars, stars that were falling over the Capital, so beautiful, so mesmerizing, so deadly.

Regaining his senses Eckart realized his friend was nowhere to be seen, his eyes shifted around looking around the rubble and destruction around him, the city he had cherished, the impenetrable fortress as it was called, had fallen almost by irony from within, "Bertholdt!!" he shouted as he tumbled and limped. His desperation grew as he couldn't see him anywhere, had he died in the blast? Was he disintegrated? where is he?

Over the corner of a fallen building was a soldier standing over a wounded man, his arm was broken and his leg was half gone, the soldier was just standing there with his sword held against the man's throat, he lifted his wounded head to plead for mercy, crying begging to be spared. There Eckart saw Bertholdt, he ran.

Picking up a nearby stone with both hands he approached the soldier from behind, he heard the question, "Are you a traitor?", it didn't matter to him, he didn't care for anyone but his friend right now, everyone was an enemy, everyone was a traitor in his eyes. And so he struck from behind, the soldier dropped cold, his body wasn't moving, yet he struck again, and again, and again, and again, every time screaming louder, turning what once was a head into part of the ground.

His hands were now completely bloody, so was his face and part of his arms. He turned towards Berhtoldt who was now in pure shock, "I got you, I got you" Eckart said in quick succession as he recovered his breath and started applying a tourniquet on the leg. Bertholdt screamed in pain as the tourniquet started getting started, he begged for Eckart to stop, but if he wanted to have any chance at saving him he couldn't, so he pushed him and kept going. Eventually he passed out from the pain, allowing Eckart to pick him up and carry him.

He kept getting further and further and still the sound of battle was as loud as it was when he was there in the middle of the fight, people ran, mothers carried their children in despair as they tried to escape the city that was supposed to keep them safe. Stores were looted, civilians killed each other out of desperation to stay alive, soldiers took advantage and started doing the same. At some point during the battle, everyone forgot who they were, what country they came from, who to pay loyalty to; they forgot their humanity. Eckart armed with a single knife he had found on one of the butchers kept limping and walking slowly and using as much cover as possible, he was an easy target afterall, Bertholdt still unconscious proved to be better off like that. Still, the wound concerned him, his leg needed to be amputated soon, it was clearly infected and he had bled a lot, a single tear fell down Eckart's cheek as one thought crossed his mind. Pushing it aside he focused solely on getting to the gates in the hopes of getting out, if he could get to his father's farm maybe he could save Bertholdt.

A few streets away from the gates he fell down, Bertholdt hit the ground with him. His leg had given out, the limp had transformed into an almost impossible thing to do, he screamed, he was angry, he was terrified and most of all he was in pain. His friend had saved him twice and now he was going to fail him, he couldn't do that.

"Are you in some kind of problem boy?" A man said behind him, he quickly turned around and tried to stand up, failing and falling back on the ground. The man wore the clothes of the Anshass, he wasn't one of them though, he didn't have the blood flasks that were so distinctive in its members, he was just a soldier of their army. "I asked, are you in some kind of problem?!" The man shouted, his moustache now all dirty, his face had recently dried blood and he started to unsheath an incredibly bloody sword.

"Im perfectly fine, thank you" said Eckart with shaky hands as he stood up and held his comparably tiny knife high, "I'll just pick up my friend and we'll be on our way". As he started to approach his friend, so did the soldier, "No can do kid, he looks like a traitor to me", Eckart's eyes now showed pure rage, this was nonsense, they were just trying to survive but it would seem the Anshass were as filthy and as cruel as it was rumored.

"He isn't any more of a traitor than you" Eckart spit as he was now as bold and as stupid, he was outmanned and he was wounded, he stood as much chance against this soldier than he would against an actual soulbinder, none. "You got some balls for such a little knife, I hope you know how to use it" The soldier said as he started walking towards him slowly, enjoying the fact that he was about to kill him. Eckart didn't allow him to enjoy it, as soon as he was in reach he tackled him, knocking his sword off and attempting to stab him. The soldier easily overpowered him, a straight blow to the face was all it took for Eckart to be below him, now struggling as he held the soldiers hands which now held the knife.

"I'm going to die, I'm sorry dad, I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry Berhtoldt" was all Eckart could think as the knife came closer and closer to his chest, "Got you now boy!!" The soldier screamed as he pushed one final time, this was it.

Eckart opened his eyes again only to see an arrow coming out of one of the eyes of the soldier, his mouth now open almost like in surprise as blood dripped from his skull right into Eckart's face, pushing him aside Eckart saw a woman, slim and tall, dressed in poorly made armor and arm braces, her dress could be seen below it, her brown hair was now waving to the wind, and her eyes seemed to shimmer, in her hands she had leather gloves.

She held her bow and arrow in one hand and offered the other

"Are you okay?" She asked.