Loved Ones (part 2)

His body is completely charred and full of wounds. His large right hand is on my shoulder, but his other large hand is carrying two bodies with him.

Two… small…

B-Bodies.

"… H--"

One is headless.

"--Hkkk!!!!--"

And the other is in half.

"HAAAA!!!!--"

The breakdown finally started, but Dad immediately placed his hand to my mouth. My scream was stopped by force, and my eyes turned away from the corpses of my brothers towards Dad's face.

His eyes are opened very slightly while giving me a very sharp stare. His head is bleeding heavily, making the top half of his face covered in blood.

The usual jokester and prankster of a king. The man who is both smart and capable in politics and governing a country. A king, who is strong by any means…

He is… at his lowest.

Held by his left hand are both of his sons, no longer living. Most likely, he knew exactly what happened to them, as well as what happened to all these people.

Dad's eyes were very sharp as he stared into me, showing no sign of light whatsoever. His bleeding mouth slowly opened, and spoke only a single thing.

"Secret path."

Immediately, I knew what he was talking about.

BAAARRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

Above us, a large explosion occurred. I flinched slightly from the incoming pebbles, but Dad tanked them like it was nothing. 

Whatever is happening up there, it is a fight. A very rowdy one, between two people who I was just with. And from Dad's expression, he knew exactly who was fighting up there as well.

"Have your mother told you everything?"

He asked, and I can't help but notice they know something I don't. Something, that might've been able to stop all of this from happening.

And yet…

I nodded at him, and finally, his face began to show an expression.

A smile…?

He closed his eyes and grinned widely. When he opened it, he showed me once more those glimmers in his eyes.

The proud glare of a father.

"Go, Queen Elicia Velborn. The greatest the world has ever seen. Don't stop at avenging us, continue to strive further…

And live a happy life."

Dad said with a smile, and at that very moment, I became sure.

Mom and Dad… they knew. What is happening at this very moment, they knew that it would happen.

And… It happened. They allowed it to happen.

Which means…

It was all… up to me--

BAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

This time, the explosions were much closer. A large piece of the second floor flew extremely fast thanks to the explosion, and it landed exactly right in front of me.

Right… where Dad stood.

I got pushed back, and I fell down the stairs backwards. I stood back up again, and noticed the amount of rubbles that had landed on his position.

I couldn't react. I couldn't turn my face down, because I know what I will see.

So, I chose not to.

And I turned around… and I started running.

The secret escape path is located at the dining room, the place where Ars and Elvin previously hid. And to get to the dining room, one has to go through a long hall that is at the right side of the royal castle.

And along the hall… are the dead bodies of the maids, butlers, and even chefs.

As I ran, I kept my eyes on their bodies. I studied their faces, their clothes, the wounds that caused their deaths.

Mister Jarhad… Polard… Lelia…

Every single one of them are people that I see every single day. Some of them have even been there ever since I was born.

To see their state now… I became sure.

What Mom said… what Dad said…

I have… a destiny to fulfill.

I arrived at the dining room, and the explosions above me are gradually becoming louder and louder. It seems like something is trying to reach me, but was stopped by something else.

Was it truly Mom…? Can she actually… fight someone like that?

The explosions may have gotten closer to me, but I am already at my destination. I kneeled right by the fireplace, and I opened the door to the secret path. I began to go slightly prone into the tight space, and crawled by body in.

Once I'm in, I tried to turn my body around and closed the door to the fireplace. But right when I closed it, the explosion occurred exactly right above the fireplace.

BAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

"Ghhkk!!!!!"

I was not caught by the explosion, but the pieces of the wall managed to pierce through and stab me in many places. I frowned from the pain, but I kept moving deeper inside the dark path.

Thanks to the explosion, the entrance has been completely closed by the rubbles. It did wound me, but thanks to it, it will be impossible for the attacker to find me.

I kept on crawling inside this dark tiny hall. It was so dark that my eyes couldn't even see a single thing, and all I'm trusting was my hands that were touching the walls. The tunnel is extremely long too, I'm not sure how long I've been crawling but it's definitely been over fifteen minutes.

At the very least, this place is not that dirty--

SLIP!!!

"Huaaahh!!!"

BRAAKK!!!

There's a god damn cliff at the end of the path… Who the hell made this?

I recovered from the fall and opened my eyes again. I turned towards the front again, and found light coming from the end of the tunnel.

L-Light!?

I began crawling my way there, and found myself under the moonlight.

W-Why is there moonlight?

But then I turned my gaze upwards, and found that very light was no moon.

The light came from inside the city walls, about one kilometer away from my position. I came out somewhere in the forest, outside and behind the city, and I could see a bright light that sourced from inside the city walls.

It's a large white light ball, and it is extremely bright. It shone the dark moonless night brightly, as if acting like a temporary sun.

Something… is happening in the city…

Should I go…? Should I go and check it?

I was about to go and run there, but I remembered what Mom said to me. It was something that she mentioned, right before we got attacked.

'Run away, stay alive. Don't get caught, and whatever you do, don't let that thing fall into anyone's hands.'

Mom warned me to keep myself safe and away from anyone who will hunt me down. And the thing that she was talking about…

I lifted my left hand, where my storage ring is at. I imagined an item to appear from it, and it appeared on my left hand.

It was my birthday gift, the one that Mom gave me a few days ago. A blue box, with red rope that was used to tie it down.

I have not opened it yet, which makes me wonder what Mom gave me to be so important.

I opened the box, and saw the item.

It's a necklace, a beautiful white necklace that seemed to be made of crystal. But instead of a gem, the main decoration of the necklace is… a sharp tooth.

A piece of tooth. Almost as large as a chicken's leg bone.

A beast's tooth, is what I would assume if only Mom didn't tell me about this thing. She mentioned so much about this, and she went into detail on what this thing can do.

There is a lid right where the necklace is being connected to the tooth. If I pull the necklace away from the tooth…

PLUP!

The lid will be opened.

I looked inside, and thanks to the super bright temporary sun above Velborn, I can see the contents.

It's a liquid.

What Mom said… was true.

In that case… I will trust her.

I will do… everything she told me.

Everything Dad has told me…

And survive.

I turned around, and I began running as quickly as I could. Away from the city, away from everything. I don't know where the nearest city is, and I don't care. I just need to stay alive, no matter what.

"Hikk…"

No matter what…

"Mom…"

I will survive…

"Dad… Elvin… Ars… Everyone…"

And I will… avenge them.

'Remember the birthday gift I gave you? Have you opened it?

Elice, listen. That thing is the most powerful weapon known to mortals. You must never lose that thing from your hands, and you must always keep it with you.

It is a potion, a liquid that can turn whoever drank it immortal. It is our kingdom's greatest treasure, the most powerful arsenal that we have. However… ethelens can never use it. Our race has been cursed with the duty of protecting it, while also not being able to use it.

Because this power… was not meant for us.

Elice… Run away, stay alive. Don't get caught, and whatever you do, don't let that thing fall into anyone's hands.

Once you have settled, once you have found people who you can trust… someone who is very close to you, who is a human…

Give it to them. This liquid will turn that person immortal, and that person will be someone who will protect you in the future, no matter what.

The Tears of Guilt. Give it… to that person. And he will become the greatest thing that will ever happen to your life.'

My memory suddenly recalled what Mom said to me, right before the attack happened. What she told me, and what she wants me to do.

I will protect it, Mom… no matter what.

I will survive, Mom… no matter what.

And this duty that you gave me…

I shall fulfill it.

No matter what.