Chapter Three: Campfire

"I can't believe this, Mom, Dad, and everyone is gone," Allen said sadly.

"Shut up, you fool. She did what she had to, to protect us and her people," Neah replied.

"So, what's the plan now?" Elizabeth asked.

"We should split up for now," Neah suggested.

"What? Why would we split up? Mom said we should stick together."

Alright, fair enough. "Fine, we'll stick together for now. But anyway, we gotta find somewhere safe to crash for a while."

The trio started walking southeast, hoping to find a nearby town or village. Suddenly, they came across a murder scene.

"It seems like they were robbed, then killed," Neah said to Allen.

"And judging from how wet this blood is, I can tell that it's still fresh. Which means this happened not too long ago."

"Wow, you learned all that from just touching the blood. You're awesome, big bro," Elizabeth said to Neah.

Neah blushed, but he hid it well.

"Let's continue down this path; we might find a small town."

"What if we don't and we find death instead?" Allen said to Neah with a worrying look on his face.

"Calm down, Allen. If we find enemies up ahead, all we have to do is slaughter them," Neah replied with an emotionless face.

Elizabeth suddenly hears something coming from the bushes.

Elizabeth turns to Neah and Allen, saying, "I heard something coming from over there."

Neah pulls out his sword and steps in front of Elizabeth.

"Allen, protect her."

"Yes, I will," Allen replied.

A woman then walks out of the bushes with her hands up.

"I'm not going to attack you guys," she said softly.

"If you did, you'd have been a foolish woman," Neah replied.

"My friends and I were ambushed on our way to Tampa Bay; they died trying to protect me."

"That's so sad," Elizabeth said as tears start to fall from her eyes.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" the girl asked Elizabeth.

"Just ignore her; she gets like this very often," Neah said calmly.

"We will travel with you to this village, but first, you need to be searched for any weapons or poison. Is that understood?"

"Yes," the young girl replied.

Elizabeth checked to see if the girl was carrying anything on her.

Elizabeth: "She's good."

Neah: "So, what's your name?"

Girl: "Akino."

Neah: "Okay then, Akino, lead the way."

As the four continued their journey to the village, an arrow flew right at Akino's head.

Swiftly, Neah blocked the attack with his sword.

Allen: "Seems like we're under attack."

Elizabeth: "Let me finish this."

Neah: "Go ahead."

Akino: "Are you sure she'll be alright?"

Neah: "Of course, she's my little sister after all."

Elizabeth: "Unique skill - Songs of the Dead."

The air got colder as if it was already winter. The unknown attackers cried out in pain as their bones froze, their hands started to rot, and their eyes fell from their sockets.

As the men cried out, Neah attacked them.

Neah: "Wind skill - Wind Blades."

The attackers' heads came rolling down the hill.

One of the men's heads rolled and landed at Akino's feet; she screamed out in horror.

Neah let out a sigh, and the four continued their journey until it got dark.

"We'll set up camp here for tonight," Neah said to the others.

Neah: "Allen, you should go and gather wood for a fire, and I'll make some tents."

Allen: "I'm right on it."

Elizabeth: "What about us? What should we do?"

Neah: "You can gather some fruits for us to eat or find an animal or something."

Akino: "That's a good idea, by the way, I'm a good cook."

With a pile of gathered fruits and a sturdy tent, they settled around the crackling campfire. The flickering flames cast dancing shadows on their faces as they shared stories of the past, dreams of the future, and a few jokes to lighten the mood. The night air was chilly, but the warmth of the fire made it feel comforting.

Akino then shared a story passed down through her family lineage.

Akino: "They say long ago there

were actually 13 great kingdoms instead of 12, each representing a zodiac."

Allen: "So there were 13 zodiacs?"

Akino: "Well, yes. Legend says that the 13th kingdom was ahead of its time in everything, and then one day it just vanished without a trace."

Allen: "Sounds like a fairy tale story to me."

(What the young girl speaks of is true) a voice in Neah's head said to him.

Neah: "Maybe Akino is right, or maybe it's just a legend."

Akino: "That's not the best part of the story. Legend has it that the king's last words were - 'To a world beyond, to the realms of the gods, I shall become him who stands and is to be stood above them all. I shall be the king of all.'"

"The king of all?" Allen laughed. "What a fairy tale," he said to Akino.

As laughter echoed around the campfire, Neah looked at his family and Akino(new friend).

In the glow of the firelight, surrounded by shared stories and camaraderie, a sense of love embraced them beneath the vast night sky.

"I shall save you, Mom, Dad, everyone," Neah whispered to himself in his thoughts.

END OF CHAPTER