Corrin placed his left hand on Tutsoi. Its ruined state was visible to Tutsoi, and Corrin was sure Tutsoi knew it was an irresponsible place to talk about Corrin’s new hair and eye color. He sighed and let go, walking up the stairs. His heart was beating faster by the minute.

  “If you don’t have a weapon, make do with any sort of Resonance by itself, and scavenge what you can on the battlefield. Immediately when you exit the door, there will be archers on the walls to the right and left. Ahead of you will be a legion of armed soldiers. Past them is the exit of the castle. Do anything and everything you can to get to the castle gate. Tutsoi will not be following you; we have important business inside the castle. Do what you must, remember that today we are all in this together!”

  Corrin unsheathes his sword and points it upward with a vigor that even shocks him.

  “For Avitou, for our children, our wives and husbands! For the future of our people!”

  Corrin let the glow of gold shine around him as he spoke, becoming a beacon for the lost souls before him. Corrin let out a scream and began to run up the stairs. In an instant, all others behind him followed, letting out screams of war. The stairs were short, and they soon were at the top, in which Corrin, with Tutsoi by his side, did not stop and instead ran through the open door, which by itself could have fit roughly six people at a time shoulder-to-shoulder.

  As the light of the low sun pierced their eyes on the setting sun ahead of them. As they poured out, they ran with a courage they neither Corrin knew they had. This could very well be all of their deaths. But Corrin knew he had to see it through. Behind him, they all screamed out.

  A volley of arrows flew down, and their arrows sank deep. However, around them, all manner of different strange things occurred to the arrows as they were deflected. To Corrin’s left and behind him, lightning flew like arms out of them and grabbed the arrows out of the sky like they were nothing. Another behind him seemed to stop the arrows in midair before they fell. Another created a purple circle of protection around himself and the others as the arrows bounced off of it like they were nothing.

  Around him, even the people who didn’t have defensive Resonances were deflecting arrows. Despite the intensity of their defense, some arrows flew through, and soldiers around them fell to the ground, wounded and dead. Yet their determination did not waver.

  “Fight! Don’t stop! Charge forward! Fight for your freedom!!”

  Corrin screamed out as they ran. Ahead of them, the legion formed a shield wall defense. The iron shields intimidated them somewhat, but they were soon accompanied by large pikes that stuck out, pointed towards them. Corrin knew that far too many would fall to this defense, and that they needed something to break it.

  Suddenly, the lightning arms turned to the shield wall and destroyed it, the electricity shocking the soldiers who were holding them. Some of the soldiers to the right begin floating, as though gravity had been turned off.

  Corrin felt a sense of morale flow through him. He knew this battle could be won if they continued pushing forward. Just then, they slammed into the dazed enemy. Iron clanked together in brilliant shows of sparks, and blood flew up and around. Most of them hadn’t had the time to put on the majority of their armor, making them slow, easy targets.

  The bodies fell on both sides in quick succession, though the winner was obvious. The Vrebathians were dying unspeakably painful deaths due to the Resonances the Anees had. With each death, Corrin felt more and more guilty. Despite these people having imprisoned so many and betrayed him for their own gain, Corrin could not help but feel the pain with them. He was, after all, a Vrebathian as well.

  In the sudden fray, they were scattered. Swords clanked, men and women screamed out, and bodies ruptured under the intense might of dozens of Resonances. In the chaos, Corrin grabbed Tutsoi.

  “We need to get to the castle! If we find Axel, then we can get the location of the shards out of him!”

  Corrin was already incredibly tired, and he was sure they were as well. Though surely starved, they fought with a sense of morale Corrin had seen in few. Corrin and Tutsoi left the immediate battle, trusting the rest to find their way out of the castle. The two of them ran up the steps quickly, which were covered in soldiers. Most of them were too busy fighting the ranged Resonances to notice the two running by them.

  The two of them quickly made it to the top, where fewer soldiers were. The two large doors were already open. Around them, soldiers were running in all directions, oblivious to the presence of two Anees. Corrin fell to the ground, the gold around him flickering to an end. He was far too hungry and exhausted to keep pulling the Ani from the air any longer.

  “I got you!”

  Tutsoi grabbed Corrin and pulled him up. Behind them, dozens of wounded soldiers were retreating. Corrin leaned on Tutsoi but also helped himself; he knew that Tutsoi was also exhausted.

  The two of them walked further into the castle in the main hall. A soldier bumped into them and fell to the ground, his left arm mangled beyond recognition.

  “Holy Gods above, save us!!”

  One soldier fell to the ground in prayer, though he knew such prayers would go unanswered.

  The two limp their way to a large corridor to the left of the main hall and look down it. Corrin began to regain some of his strength.

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  “Do you have any idea where Axel is?”

  “I just know that he stays on the upper floors.”

  Corrin nods his head and lets go of Tutsoi, propping himself up. The two make their way quickly through the halls and upstairs that were directly at the entrance to the hall.

  “Fewer soldiers are here…”

  Corrin could feel his own voice failing. His speech and screams from before had all but destroyed it. They peeked around the corner before turning in the direction of the main hall, which was in front after reaching the top of the stairs. There was a large double door there. Corrin turned to Tutsoi.

  “Okay… we’ll peek at it and see if any threat is in there. Then… we’ll decide after that.”

  Tutsoi nodded swiftly, and the two slowly crept the door open and peered inside. Around a large table stood five individuals. All of which seemed high in the ranks; commanders. Axel stood speaking with these people. Axel himself leaned on the table, pointing to certain points on it.

  The two backed away from the door and looked at each other. Corrin nodded, and Tutsoi readied himself. The two jumped forward and broke open the door with incredible intensity. Without letting anybody inside a chance to think, both of them lunged towards the most dangerous-looking soldiers in the room. They wore luxurious and formal attire, like that of nobility.

  Tutsoi vertically cut one's face and slashed another’s leg. He quickly turned to another and stabbed him directly through the chest, ending his life. Corrin used the back of his katana and hit the head of one, knocking him out suddenly. The last was able to dodge backwards and landed on his feet, quickly unsheathing his katana.

  Axel fell to the ground in shock and horror. The old man crawled back until his back was against a wall. Corrin ignored him, facing the immediate danger instead.

  “You murder my own comrade in front of me!?”

  The unwounded man pointed his sword at the two, his hands trembling. The one with the slashed leg limps back and grabs his leg in pain. The man with the slashed face grabs it, squealing out in pain.

  “Don’t kill us! Please!”

  The man with the slashed leg, who looked younger than the others, fell to the ground. Tutsoi walked up to him and set his katana at his neck.

  “That’s what we begged of you savages. But we got no mercy.”

  “Tutsoi, that’s enough.”

  Corrin brought his hand up, stopping Tutsoi. The commander with the sword dropped it, showing he was no threat. Tutsoi looked back at Corrin and pulled back. Corrin turned to Axel.

  “Where are the shards, Axel?”

  “Like I’ll tell you anything.”

  Axel had disgust written on his face, and Corrin noticed.

  “What is wrong with you? You changed. Ever since the Queen died.”

  Axel sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The silence was deafening for a moment, with only the screams of soldiers, locked in battle outside, muffled and far off. Axel sat up slowly.

  “I dreamed of a New Vrebathian Nation. One that could rise out of the ashes of its fallen predecessor. Crush the Shem and its hold over us. Your grandfather gave me a task, Corrin. In the final battle for Vrebathia, all those years ago. He made me promise to continue Vrebathia.”

  Corrin thought again of his grandfather, whom he had never met. Though he remembered the vision he had seen of him and his unfortunate grandmother, the Queen of the Shem.

  “And so I did. I led the rebellion against the Queen of the Shem. I sent my only son on a suicidal mission. The truth being, nobody really expected you or anyone else to escape. On the fateful day, when we sieged the castle to distract them just long enough, I regretted everything I had done. I prayed to the silent gods above that he would be alive. But he was dead. On that day, I died alongside him.”

  Corrin shook his head in disbelief. He pointed his sword at Axel in anger.

  “You gave up because your son died? I lost my own father to an attack by the same Queen that killed your son-”

  Axel raised his hand, stopping Corrin. He used his other hand to cover his eyes from his tears.

  “You don’t need to give me your damned life story, Corrin. I know it. I was there for all of it. You want the shards, Corrin? You can have them. They’re in the highest tower. Down the hall, take a right, and up the staircase. You can’t miss it.”

  Corrin looked at Axel with pity, a form of pity that hurt him to carry. Though even knowing what had caused the insanity that rose within Axel, he still could not forgive him for the things he had done. Corrin tapped Tutsoi's shoulder, and the two ran out of the room swiftly.