Chapter 2:This Horizon Line

Father and son were alone in the room. The son sat on a chair, while the father lay on his deathbed.

"What do you need of me, Father?" Iris asked.

King Rhode offered him a gentle smile. "Have you been well, Son?"

"Would you expect any other reply?" Iris countered.

"Heheh," Rhode coughed, a heavy, rattling sound. "Sigh...it feels like only yesterday that I tried to make things better for this land. Only to find myself...lying on this mattress for what feels like a lifetime." He coughed again, then added, "Tears only worsen the mood, Son."

Tears streamed down Iris's cheeks. A torrent of suppressed emotion finally broke free.

"I am sorry for everything…" Iris choked out.

"Stop blaming yourself for what's beyond your power," Rhode replied. "Tell me…where will your tears go?"

"To water the soil," Iris answered.

"Worth it?" Rhode asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You have much to learn." Rhode began coughing again, a deep, rattling sound. "I actually called you here just to have a…casual chat. It may be…a difficult time. I know you're not interested, given…your condition. But—"

"Just continue, Father," Iris interrupted gently. "Like it or not, it's…your last moments. Just think of yourself. I don't see it as selfish."

"Let's start, then," Rhode said.

They fell into a casual conversation, discussing daily life and sharing memorable moments from the past. The conversation centered mostly around Iris, as Rhode had been confined to his bed for so long.

"You have had…quite good times, and…more to come, Son. I'm…grateful for it."

"I can't even…hope for what is to come," Iris replied, his voice strained. "Not while what's now…is still unsettled."

"You talk just like…the women in my life," Rhode rasped. "A peasant girl…but thinks like…this whole world…rests on her shoulders. Selfish in thought…but chooses…selfless acts. They always help us…but we can't even…reach them." A heavy cough wracked his body, and he spat out blood.

"Father, I'll…help you," Iris stammered.

"The medicine is bes—" Rhode's words were cut short as his mouth was abruptly silenced by his son's palm. Iris pressed his hand firmly against his father's mouth, stifling his shout. He then lowered his father to the ground, effectively choking him.

Rhode stared up at his son, his eyes wide with disbelief. Iris reached for a butter knife on the table beside them. 

Iris's eyes flickered, the white and blue irises transforming into a swirling black and purple. Dark veins began to bulge on his face and neck, glowing with an eerie black light.

He plunged the butter knife into Rhode's neck, again and again, the tears streaming down his face and falling onto the dying king's face.

Rhode tried to resist, but his body was too weak, his struggles futile.

"Le…" The King breathed his last, the single syllable escaping his lips as he collapsed back onto the bed.

Rhode was lifeless. Iris, his eyes returning to their normal color, stared at his hands, now stained with his father's blood. He couldn't comprehend what he had done.

"NO! NO! NO! NO…!" he cried out, the denial echoing in the room.

His father…dead. He had killed him. Panic surged through him, threatening to drown him.

Suddenly, the door burst open with a resounding crash, splintered wood flying inward. It was Keith, having kicked it down.

"IRIS!" he shouted.

Everyone in the room witnessed the horrific scene. Their faces were masks of shock and disbelief. This was beyond comprehension. The Prince…caught red-handed.

"No one wants this," Will said, his voice carrying across the fortress walls. "I hope, from up here, the sun blinds their view. People would weep to see their beloved Iris Risemann executed. Some even…oppose your sentence."

Will raised his spear, the point resting against the back of Iris's neck.

Two days had passed since the incident. High atop the fortress walls, the execution ceremony was underway.

Iris's vision was obscured, but he knew where he was. He faced the Grand Barrier, the protective shield that enveloped his kingdom. 

"The very thing Rose tried to discover… he thought. This is either poetic…or utterly messed up." Will's voice cut through his thoughts, "Your appointed executioner has arrived.Last words, Iris? Man up. Prepare for what's to come."

Will stepped away from Iris and joined the line of the highest-ranking military officers in the country. They all had a clear, unobstructed view of the proceedings. Replacing Will at Iris's side, Lelloid began to warm up, the heavy executioner's axe whistling and spinning through the air, the sound the only thing Iris could perceive.

"They were so fond of you," Lelloid said, his voice laced with anger. "And you threw it all away. What did you even gain from that?!"

"…Just do it, Father," Iris replied, his voice flat. "Slash this neck of mine."

Lelloid's hand began to twitch. "Well said," he muttered. The long executioner's axe was handed to him. He raised it, the polished blade glinting in the sunlight for all to see.

"I…I can't do it," he stammered, aborting the swing. "Will,Take it from here." He offered the axe to Will.

Will declined, stepping forward and brandishing his twin spears. The one in his left hand was longer, while the one in his right was shorter. "I'm…more bias for spears," he said.

Taking Lelloid's place, Will raised his spear and traced three circles in the air. "Warming up," he announced, settling into a fighting stance.

"Well,tasks simplified."

Suddenly, Will spun and kicked Lelloid, sending him flying unconscious into the wall.

"What is the meaning of this, General?!" Keith shouted, drawing his weapon. The other guards followed suit, their weapons flashing.

Will, ignoring them, swiftly cut through Iris's bonds, freeing him.

"Charge!" Will shouted, spinning his spear like a whirlwind, the weapon a blur of motion. He pointed it at the dozens of guards arrayed against him. "General's orders!"

On the other side, Keith and Alex, accompanied by four other knights in similar attire, stood ready. They were the ones tasked with guarding the execution from outside interference. The irony of the situation was palpable.

The knights drew their weapons and charged.

The charges were easily intercepted, parried, and countered by Will.

"Man, barely holding my own against six," Will chuckled, deflecting another blow. "Who are the rising talents these days?"

"Easier to say when oneself is the manual," one of the knights retorted, struggling to his feet.

"Exactly,Ivan" Will agreed with a laugh.

The clash continued, one against six. The guards who had arrived at the scene could only watch, unable to intervene due to the vast difference in skill.

From his vantage point, Will spotted a cart rushing through the crowd.

"Ah," he murmured, a smile spreading across his face. "That's our signal."

Will grabbed the Prince by the scruff of his neck. "Here we go!"

"What is HAPPEEEENING!!!" Iris cried out, the wind rushing past him. Though blindfolded, the sensation of weightlessness and the rapid pace of the air told him everything. He knew they had leapt from a great height.

"Safe, woo!" Will yelled as they landed with a soft thud on a pile of hay atop the cart that had arrived with such perfect timing.

"Risky as always, General," said a blonde man with large spectacles welcomes them at the seat.His uniform is also the same as Raya.

" Audience always comments, just enjoy the action," Will replied. "Who knew my screen time would get cut?"

Iris struggled to his feet, the familiar voice finally registering. "Lucas?"

"Hey there, Your Highness," Lucas greeted him. "Viceman Squadron 1 will be joining you."

"This is absurd! What are you trying to pull off here?!" Iris exclaimed.

"Key word: joining," Lucas emphasized.

Will helped Iris with his blindfold, finally freeing his eyes.

"You mean…?" Iris began.

"Yeah," Will confirmed, a grin spreading across his face. "It's quite shocking, isn't it? This seemingly impenetrable dividing line…well, it turns out it is penetrable. We're going on an adventure!" He patted Iris on the head.

"The kid from yesterday's leading the ride," Lucas observed, pointing toward the boy they had encountered earlier. His left arm remained encased in the strange, marble-like substance.

"He has many stories to tell," Will added. "All I can say is…things are about to get wild, even though the sky's all blue. And moreover, you have nowhere to go. So…be ahead, or beheaded?"

"And you all didn't even know what you're heading into!" Iris retorted.

Will replied with mimicking Iris's complaints with exaggerated hand gestures.

"Stubborn people…" Iris muttered, slumping back onto the pile of hay, seemingly resigned to his fate. "I'd rather die right now."

"AH!" An arrow whizzed past Iris's head, narrowly missing him.

"Should I praise the good reflexes," Will quipped, "or pity the rejected wish?" He grabbed a makeshift shield from the pile of hay and began deflecting the arrows raining down on them.

"Get inside, join the kid!" he yelled at Iris. "This was all planned, so just hang in there for a while. It'll be settled in a minute."

From the fortress walls, archers began to unleash their volleys. Lines of arrows streaked across the sky toward the cart.

"Squadron heads, Vicemans!" Keith called out to the six knights. "Ivan and Sandro, go check on Lord Lelloid. Oscar and Ethan, stay here as vanguards. Me and Alex will try to catch up!"

"Where are they heading? There's nowhere to run… Okay, Raya's blocking us… Fun," Alex muttered.

Raya stood before them, blindfolded, an imposing figure.

Alex tapped the toe of his boot on the ground three times, a silent signal. The other knights reached for their weapons.

"What are you on, man? You were supposed to be—"

The six knights were now fully armed.

"With Lucas guarding the kid…where is he?" Alex wondered.

Raya, still blindfolded and unarmed, began to warm up his fists, advancing toward them.

"I. Declare. War," he announced.

The six knights charged at Raya.

Each attack was a near miss, Raya's evasive maneuvers seemingly defying logic.

"Humiliatioooooon!" Raya roared, throwing a punch that Ivan met with his own.

At the last moment, Raya grabbed Ivan's fist.

"Oh nah," Ivan realized, understanding his sealed fate.

"Nah," Raya echoed, driving his fist into Ivan's stomach. The knight crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Cold," Alex commented, clapping his hands in appreciation.

Raya tossed Ivan's limp body out of the way.

"Next," he said, his voice challenging.

-To Be Continued-