Chapter 24 - Collide

"We'll make it through this," Daglan's muscles burned as he hauled Kento through the maze of decaying alleyways. Each turn an attempt to break their pursuit.

"Just…leave me… I'll… catch up…" Kento breathed between staggered limps.

"Shut up and keep moving!" Daglan barked, Don't stop. Keep pushing. Daglan's grip on Kento's arm was iron, refusing to let him fall as their blood left dark splatters in their wake. "You aren't going to die. I won't let you!" 

Battles pulsed around them, the clash of metal and thundering boots echoing through smoke-filled streets. Ahead, a half-collapsed doorway beckoned. They burst through the splintered frame, desperate for refuge–only to find themselves staring down a forest of weapons.

"Please, we need help!" Daglan's begged, fear cracking his scream.

A scarred man with a missing eye stepped forward, recognition darkening his face. "I saw you at the inn. He's the one who started this mess." His remaining eye narrowed with accusation. "Thanks for ruining our plans, kid."

The weapons lowered slowly, tension fracturing but not entirely dissipating. Through the group, a woman approached holding a first aid box. In her other hand, she held a large syringe that seemed to glow with an unnatural blue luminescence.

Daglan's gaze locked onto the strange device. "What's that?"

Her returning look was equally curious, "a bio-injector?"

"It... will help," Kento wheezed.

The blue liquid inside the syringe seemed to pulse with its own strange life, promising—or threatening—something beyond the ordinary. But Daglan did as he was told. 

The moment the button pressed, electricity erupted through his veins. Each muscle fiber igniting with sudden, razor-sharp clarity.

"WHOA!" The exclamation burst from him involuntarily. "What is that?!"

"I told you," the medic said as she injected Kento, his eyes bulging wide. His chest suddenly expanded as he drew a huge, desperate gasp. "They're bio-injectors. You not from around here or something?"

"Somthing like that," Kento replied, catching Daglan's eye with a quick glance before turning to the medic. "Do you know how to get out of here?"

"What?!" Daglan's mind raced, his heart clenching. "What do you mean? We should stay and help them since we feel better!" 

"We dont need to get caught up in this Daglan, we cant save everyone here."

"Well we cant just leave them to their fate." Defiance flared in Daglan's eyes, his fingers unconsciously clenching into fists.

Kento's expression hardened, "yes we can." His hand swept across the rebel group, gesturing to their battle-worn faces and ready weapons. The rebels watched the children's squabble with a mixture of amusement and weary patience. "Do they look like they need our help?"

The eyeless man spoke up again. "You should listen to your friend. We can handle ourselves." 

"And we can handle ourselves. We aren't running from a fight."

Kento's hand landed on Daglan's shoulder—firm, grounding. "Yes we are Daglan." His voice softened. "I know you want to help, but we need to think about ourselves."

"Listen Kento–" Daglan started, a protest building in his chest.

"No you listen Daglan!" Kento's shout silenced him—a burst of unexpected fury that made Daglan take a physical step back. Gone was his perpetually joyous friend, replaced by someone hard and determined. "If you die here, how are you gonna find Rozeree, huh?! If I die here then what did I abandon my family to travel for?!"

Kento's words struck Daglan like a hammer driving into an anvil. The air seemed to constrict, pressing against his ribcage, stealing his breath. His eyes locked with Kento's, a storm of emotions swirling—defiance, shame, reluctants, understanding. Words caught in his throat, choking him.

"Y–you're right. I—" 

The warehouse erupted. Gunfire tore through the wooden walls like angry wasps, splintering timber and flesh alike. The sharp crack of gunfire rang in Daglan's ears so loud it felt like his skull might split. A searing pain. White-hot. Razor-sharp. Warm blood trickled down Daglan's neck as a chunk of his ear had been torn away.

Instinct seized him. He and Kento dove behind a massive piece of machinery, its rusted metal offering minimal protection. The machinery vibrated with each impact, a constant tremor that matched the frantic beating of Daglan's heart.

"Run kids!" The medic's voice cut through the chaos. She dropped beside them, her body limp, blood pooling around her. Her eyes faded, cold and hollow.

No, Daglan's mind screamed. I can't be weak. I can't be helpless. Not again.

But Kento's grip was iron, his fingers wrapped around Daglan's wrist like a vise. "Daglan! Let go!" he screamed, his voice barely audible above the thunderous roar of returning gunfire and clashing steel.

As the burst out the back exit, the world became a blur of motion. Cobblestones slick with blood, bodies sprawled like broken dolls. The once-empty streets now a labyrinth of death. The sounds of the rebellion crashed in around them—a symphony of violence. 

As they ran, a knight materialized from a nearby doorway to block their path. His armor dented and fractured, visor spider-webbed with cracks. When he spoke, his voice crackled like a broken radio, mechanical and distorted. "Well well well. You're the kid that attacked us earlier."

Before the words fully escaped his lips, Daglan exploded into motion. "Move!" In a blur of raw, desperate energy, he drove his fist into the knight's stomach. The strike dented the soldier's armor and breath erupted from his lungs. The knight buckled, falling to a knee.

In that split second of vulnerability, Kento's blade flashed—a silver streak across the alley. It plunged into the knight's skull with a wet thunk. Blood began to pool beneath the helmet, quickly painting the cobblestones.

"The bio-injectors won't last forever," Kento said, yanking his knife free. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing already showing signs of strain as they ran. "We need to hurry. Can you find the exit?"

"Yeah but with everything going on I'll need somewhere to concentrate." 

"There has to be somewhere to hide," Kento's eyes darted between the crumbling buildings and potential threats.

They turned a corner into a narrow space between two weathered structures. The walls rose high, blocking most of the external chaos. A small alcove formed where the buildings nearly touched.

"Here!" Kento exclaimed.

The alcove was just wide enough for Daglan to press his back against one wall, the rough stone cool against his skin. Kento positioned himself at the entrance, ready to defend against any approach.

"I'll keep watch," he said. "Do what you need to do."

Daglan took a deep breath, staring up into the night sky. It was gradually surrendering to the encroaching dawn. He closed his eyes, willing himself to find stillness amid the chaos.

Relax. Breath. Remember Mortis.

His energy spread like cautious tendrils, probing the landscape with a weary, deliberate touch. The bio-injector's electricity hummed beneath his skin, a constant electric undercurrent that threatened to shatter his concentration. Slowly, the images began to crystallize—the battlefield resolving from a blur of motion into distinct shapes and movements.

But then—a figure caught his eye, nearly shattering his fragile focus.

Rozeree?!

A dark-haired woman surged through the battlefield like a natural disaster. Yet something was... off. This woman moved like a hunter. Her movements were cold and deadly, cutting through the chaos with a surgical efficiency. Her muscular frame was a tapestry of strange scars, almost intentional. It can't be. She must be one of the knights.

Forcing the distraction from his mind, Daglan refocused. The exit materialized in his enhanced perception—close, tantalizingly so. Just a few blocks away, one of the gates was absolute carnage. But it was freedom.

"Kento!" He exclaimed, jumping up with a surge of joy. "I found it—"

A woman's scream sliced through the chaos. Close. Too close. Through his enhanced senses, he could feel her terror, her pain...

"Don't," Kento warned. "We're almost—"

But Daglan was already moving, his body deciding before his mind could catch up.

"Daglan, wai– Dammit!"

They rounded the corner to a scene of brutal violence. A pregnant woman lay curled on the ground, her body a protective circle around her unborn child. A knight towered over her, boot stomping on her back as she screamed for help.

"Stupid rebel bitch!" he snarled, kicking her side.

Her muffled whimper caught in her throat—a sound of pure desperation and pain. Daglan's vision blurred with a fury. Before the knight could react, Daglan's muscles coiled and released like a spring, sending him directly into the knight's side. 

The impact was brutal—a collision that sent the armored soldier crashing into the wall. Brick cracked under the impact, dust and mortar exploding around them.

Kento was right behind him, blade flashing, finding the gap between helmet and chest plate. The knight gave a wet, gurgling cry and collapsed.

Daglan dropped to the woman's side. She was trembling, one hand protectively curled over her swollen belly. Bruises mottled her skin—dark purple and red.

"It's okay," Daglan said softly, his voice quiet and gentle. "You're safe now."

Her eyes were wide, darting between Daglan and Kento. "I was trying to stay quiet," she whispered, a tear tracing down her dust-covered cheek. The distant sound of boots on cobblestone made her flinch. "A cough—just one stupid cough..."

Kento's eyes darted between the alley's entrances, muscles coiled. "We need to move. More will come."

"We need to get you somewhere safe," Daglan reached out to help her up.

But she recoiled, her eyes wild with terror. "No! No, dont touch me! I have to go back. I have to hide!"

With surprising strength, she twisted away from their helping hands. Before either could object, she scrambled toward the dumpster, a dark, cramped metal container nearby, its lid partially open. She moved like a wounded animal driven by pure survival instinct. Her movements were jerky, painful—with trembling hands, she began to pull herself back into the dark, cramped space that had been her sanctuary.

Daglan stood frozen, the image of her terrified eyes burning into his memory.

'We need to move,' Kento whispered, tugging at his arm. 'There's nothing more we can do here.'

The truth of those words felt like acid in Daglan's throat, but he nodded. As they melted back into the maze of streets, Daglan's picked up multiple groups converging toward them. Their delay had cost them—the knights were closing in, forcing them toward...

"They're herding us," he realized with growing dread.

The gate loomed ahead—a massive construction of iron and steel much like the ones they'd seen at Bolgue. A patchwork barrier between freedom and chaos. Security cameras hung from rusted brackets, their mechanical eyes tracking movement through the dawn haze.

"Almost there!" Kento called out, his breath coming in ragged gasps as the bio-injector's effects continued to fade. "Last one's a rotten egg, right?"

Daglan might have laughed if he had the breath to spare. His enhanced senses were beginning to dim, the crystal-clear awareness giving way to a mounting exhaustion that made each step feel like wading through mud. The sounds of pursuit grew closer—boots on cobblestones, the clank of armor.

"Through here!" Daglan spotted a narrow gap between two barriers, barely wide enough for them to squeeze through. The rebellion had left its mark—one barrier was partially melted, its edge glowing a dull orange from some recent explosion.

The thunder of boots grew louder. A flare erupted overhead, casting jagged shadows. The net was closing.

"They're trying to box us in," he warned, shoving Kento toward the gap. "Don't look back we—"

The world tore open.

The blast hit like a hammer of gods—no sound, just pressure. Daglan felt his feet leave the ground before he even registered the impact. Fire swallowed his vision, heat clawing up his skin like grasping hands.

Then—silence.

Everything slowed, as if the city had been thrown underwater. The distant clash of steel. Muffled screams. The taste of iron. His body was moving, tumbling, but he couldn't tell where or how.

Then the ground found him, and he hit it hard.

Everything blurred. A high-pitched ringing swallowed the battlefield, drowning out the clash of metal and gunfire. Daglan tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

For a moment, there was nothing. No sound. No thought. Just white noise and the taste of iron.

When the world came back into focus, it came in fragments—blurred shapes, flickering firelight, the distant clash of steel. The smell of burning metal enveloped his lungs. Daglan forced himself upright, pressing his back against Kento's, their breathing heavy, strained.

Then, he felt it.

A presence. Something wrong. Familiar.

Daglan's vision stuttered, his eyes struggling to perceive the figure stepping through the swirling smoke. His instincts screamed, but his mind refused to believe.

His stomach twisted. His heartbeat thundered. No. It's not—

"Any ideas?" Kento rasped from behind him.

Daglan didn't answer.

The knights were parting their ranks.

Metal scraped against metal as helmeted heads turned, their formation shifting. A silhouette emerged, framed by flickering flames.

His breath hitched. No, no, no... That's not possible.

He blinked, trying to shake off the haze, to clear the of his vision. Maybe the explosion had scrambled his brain. Maybe his mind was conjuring ghosts.

But then she stepped closer.

And the firelight caught her face.

Daglan's body locked up. His blood ran cold.

"Rozeree..."