All We Can Do Is Keep Fighting

Chase sat outside the ruins, as the morning sun crept over the distant horizon.

His team, or at least what was left of it sat around him, so he made sure to incinerate every tear before it could escape his eyelids.

In front of him, lie a stone grave marked with the sigil of the Phoenix, and on that grave Chase had engraved the name of Sparky, with nothing but his topaz dagger.

He stood up, and stepped forward.

Putting a hand on the gravestone, he felt his body become bathed in the vibrant morning light. 

"Rest... For you have found peace within the darkness..."

Then he turned around, and began his journey to the allied armies stationed at the border of Frostfang.

In about three days, the true battle would begin. 

And he was not going to miss his rematch, even if it meant abandoning his humanity.

He was going to kill Sazir, and he was going to do it on his own terms, there would be no loss, and no unnecessary defeat this time.

He would avenge the fallen, and raise hell to do so.

Everyone followed him through The Frozen Forest without a word, even though it was his fault that they had been caught off guard, no one questioned his orders.

He felt that they should have, in fact he wanted his team to betray and kill him on the spot.

It would have been easier than what was to come.

As they walked, they fought countless monsters, camped out in the night where the monsters roamed freely, and when there was comfort, they would have none of it.

The only thing that mattered now was vengeance and survival.

They still had to rescue Danny, and alert the soldiers of the allied armies of the failure to bring down The Wendigo.

When Chase was alone, he would battle his thoughts, hear the dying groans of the boy he had killed, and see Sazir's burned face laughing from the ashes of the ruined oasis.

And finally, as they crept over the peak of one of the smaller mountains, they seen hundreds of thousands of men stationed in barracks.

Some were laughing by the evening fires, and others were training relentlessly. 

It wasn't until they got close, when they seen Gabriel of House Envixity slashing at a wooden training dummy.

His eyes lit up when he seen them, but quickly noticed that there was only seven of them remaining.

He did not say anything, but ran to alert Rider and the other generals of the allied forces of their arrival.

Chase and Onyx were brought into a small tent with a map laid out on top of a luxurious table at its center.

Inside stood King Rider, Headmaster Leander, Dorion of House Graves, a man named Justin of House Pice, and the Everfrost soldier known as the faceless man.

On the far side of the tent stood the two generals of Rider, and a third who was leaning against one of the shadow covered pillars.

"You have failed then."

Chase nodded.

"My arrogance nearly got us killed, forgive me."

Onyx shook his head.

"Sazir had a spy within Task Force Unity, and he was no normal soldier at that..."

Leander nodded, scratching the hairs on his chin.

"I see..."

The man who had once been leaning against the pillar shrouded in darkness walked forward and put a hand on the map.

"Then we attack sooner than later... There is no telling what monstrosities they could perform on our army with The Wendigo in such a powerful state."

"I understand the House of Mayhem's rage, but Rex you will find nothing but onslaught with impatience."

Rider spoke sternly to the man shrouded in dark violet armor, made of ever swaying fabrics.

The man named Justin spoke clearly, eyeing Chase.

"I am assuming you wish to fight The Wendigo once more?"

Chase nodded.

"Then will you join our men on the frontline?"

Both Onyx and Chase put hands on their hearts, and spoke the sacred vow.

"From the West to East of Vallmora, I will fight for my Kingdom, and those to follow..."

"Then it is set in stone, on the third coming dawn you will walk among our soldiers, and kings alike, and we will win this fruitless war against these savage people."

Rider spoke clearly, his eyes lit by the wrath to come. 

"Rider I suggest not."

Chase was caught off guard by the Headmaster's change of direction.

"What do you mean Leander, you were the fool who brought such a boy into this war in the first place."

Leander scowled.

"This boy was the determining factor of this war from the moment of birth, and carries the seeds to a new and better future. There is no point in senselessly getting him killed in the heart of war."

Chase could tell that there was bad blood between those two, as he spoke proudly.

"It is my choice to fight this battle..."

"Then it is settled."

Rider spoke, but with a strange amount of anger and pride in his tone.

Onyx and Chase soon left the tent, and walked for a while without the prying of others.

"It is not your fault."

Chase shook his head.

"It is, my quest for revenge has blinded me."

Dragon sighed.

"Do you remember what I said?"

Chase shook his head.

"You have said a great many of things."

Onyx looked around, and then gazed deeply into the eyes of Chase.

"I said that you were destined to fight The Wendigo in the eye of the storm, the battle of Frostfang is where your war lies."

"So we were going to fail?"

Onyx hesitated, but then nodded slowly.

"You could have been there, and probably fallen just as the rest of us did, but you weren't there and you were able to save Summer's life..."

Then Onyx lowered his head into a bow.

"And for that you have my eternal gratitude and I am forever in your debt..."

Chase did not know how to react, he took a step backwards, and put his hands up frantically. 

"Please lift your head, you are in no debt, and-"

Chase stopped talking, and decided to outstretch a hand toward Onyx.

"Just fight by my side when the time comes, even if Sazir is my enemy to kill, there will be many more, and I cannot fight alone forever..."

Dragon took his hand, and gave Chase a large toothy grin, revealing that Onyx was not much older than Chase.

In fact Dragon still acted like a kid at times, and grew up in a very similar situation as Chase.

"Thank you..."

...

Chase stood alone on the peak of the nearest mountain, there were still some barracks near him, but it was the best place he could think freely.

"Hey Chase..."

Summer spoke from behind him, scaring the boy.

Then she walked over and sat down next to him.

"There are some things I want to talk about, if you don't mind...?"

Chase shook his head, although he was quite displeased that he could not be alone at such an hour, he accepted her company anyway.

She then held out a brand new canteen, and smiled.

"I brought you water, I figured you didn't feel like going down into the kitchens to gather food or anything so I brought you some."

Chase felt his heart sting, and his humanity threatening to return. 

"Thanks..."

He said quietly, feeling all of the guilt, anger, and loss finally freeing him from their shackles...