Bang!
The sound tore through the quiet, a violent punctuation to the gruesome scene. Ren's foot slammed down on Riven's head, driving the commander's face deep into the dirt. He twisted his heel, grinding harder before finally pulling back. Riven lifted his head, blood streaming down his bruised, face.
Kirian watched silently, a deep sadness in his eyes. Nox and Soren stood a few steps behind Ren, while the children and villagers looked on in a silence heavier than when Solar and Kirian had clashed.
"So why'd you do it, Riven?" Ren's voice was low and rough with anger. "Why would someone as good-natured as you lay waste to thousands of innocents? Have you really fallen that far?"
Riven, kneeling in the dirt, said nothing. His eyes were hollow, the eyes of a man who had lost everything, even himself.
Ren raised his leg again. "I'm not asking twice. The next time my foot comes down, you're finished."
Nox felt his chest tighten. Ren clearly knew this man. Was killing really that easy for him now? His mind glanced back at the piles of bodies Ren had created around them, maybe that question had already been answered.
"Tch. Fine. Have it your way." Ren's foot started to fall.
"The King!" Riven shouted.
Ren froze, then slowly lowered his foot.
"The King has gone even crazier since you left," Riven said quickly. "He wants Ignis to rise above all kingdoms, no matter how many citizens or soldiers he sacrifices to make it happen."
"That's terrible and all," Ren growled, "but it still doesn't answer my question. Why'd you do it, Riven?"
Riven's voice trembled. "Among the King's forces, I'm one of the few who can use Iora, who's ability is useful to the king. I've done horrifying things to be considered for the King's personal guard or a general in the army. This mission was supposed to be the last."
"Before what?" Soren interjected sharply.
"Before being inducted as one of the royal guard."
"And what good would that have done?" Ren snapped. "Get to the point."
"Only his generals and guards are allowed close the king."
Kirian's eyes widened slightly. "You were planning to kill the King, weren't you?"
Soren nodded. "And to do that, you had to earn his trust. So you did all this, just to get close enough."
Nox blinked. "Wait so you mean you killed all these people just to get the King's trust?"
"Yes," Riven said softly. "But somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I couldn't keep up with the killing anymore, the destruction, the burden was too heavy to bear. I was tired, but I had come too far to stop. It was by then I realized this was how the King also did things. Before I knew it, I had become the very evil I wanted to destroy."
His words hung in the air like a confession meant for no one.
"So that's why your eyes looked so empty," Kirian murmured.
"I'd be better off dead," Riven whispered.
"Better for who?" Ren barked. He grabbed Riven by the collar and yanked him up. "After everything you've done, you don't get to run from it. You'll live, and face it."
Riven's tears spilled freely, like a dam that had just burst after years of pressure.
His tears were genuine as can be, but to the children watching, they were still the tears of the devil.
"Your tears won't help anyone now," Ren said, releasing him.
Kirian stepped forward. "Where did those rings come from, the ones your soldiers wore?"
Riven hesitated. "Ignis had been preparing preparing for war with Blitz for a very long time now. But that plan was pushed forward, two months ago when two men appeared in the King's castle, and defeated nearly the entire garrison by themselves."
"Two men?" Ren frowned. "Two months ago?"
Kirian's face hardened. "Describe them."
"One had pale hair and an aura so heavy it made it hard to breathe," Riven said. "The other… had hair red as blood."
Nox's eyes widened. "Red hair?"
Kirian clenched his jaw. "Pyros!"
Ren rubbed his forehead. "That bastard again."
"The men gave us the rings," Riven continued. "They told us to find young ones who possessed Iora here while also provoking Blitz into war. And well you know the rest."
Ren exhaled. "While you were trying to poke the bear, you stepped on the devil instead. And now he's heading straight for your door."
Soren folded his arms.
"No, they also managed to poke the bear too," Soren cut in. "Things have been pretty hectic in Blitz, but it won't be long before the kingdom starts functioning properly again. I'm sure they already know about this.Blitz won't stay quiet either. They'll retaliate."
Kirian nodded. "Blitz has stayed on top all this time, they don't take kindly to threats, they've crushed every one who's threatened to challenge their sovenringthy. They'll do it again."
Ren sighed heavily. "So Ignis is about to be hit from two sides. I don't know what It is had planned for Blitz that made them attack in the first place, but with solar and Blitz closing in on them, they're not going to have a chance. Go back, Riven. Tell your people what's coming. Tell them to prepare."
Riven climbed onto his horse. A faint spark of purpose flickered back into his eyes as he rode off toward Ignis.
Ren watched him disappear, he let out a huge sigh, then turned to the others. "We'll head back to Eden and report all this. The children need to rest first."
"You've been sighing a lot lately," Soren muttered.
"Yeah, well, it's been a long day, and it's not even noon yet" Ren replied, clearly mentally tired.
"It'll take Riven four days to reach Ignis," Kirian said. "Solar won't move attack until he's stronger, not after he was shown how weak he was today, and Blitz will take some time to mobilize their armys for war. Give or take we have three weeks at least to prepare."
They started toward the village, the children following quietly behind.
The old village chief stepped forward, taking a scythe from one of the men. He staggered toward the bulls and slit one's throat cleanly from a safe distance.
"What's he doing?" the villagers whispered.
"That was the price of our village," the old man said. "We promised a bull if we survived today."
He turned to Nox and took his hand. "You fulfilled your promise, and I've fulfilled mine. We are in your debt. Thank you."
Tears streamed down his face as the villagers erupted in joy.
They had been saved.