Chapter 1 - Fallen
POV: Sid
"You've got some nerve," Barodius pointed out, sitting on his throne. "Showing your face here after losing the Element. I have no use for fools in my inner circle."
I was taken aback by that last part. I had a big feeling that something terrible was going to happen to me. I panicked and cried out, "But Sire -"
BefBefI could finish what I was going to say, Rubanoid floated in front of me and, as he turned bright red and then into his true for, shouted at Barodius, "Are you serious? You can't disrespect us like that!"
"How dare you, insolent fool!" Gill said.
Rubanoid took a few steps towards the throne and said with a frustrated voice, "Our loyalty deserves respect. Do you hear me?"
Out of the blue, Krakix showed up behind Rubanoid and hit him in the back, causing Rubanoid to fall onto the floor with a loud bang.
Kazarina laughed, "I can use this one in my experiments." Then, the minute Kazarina lifted her hand up in front of her, Rubanoid vanished.
"Rubanoid, no!" I cried out before shutting my eyes.
"Emperor Barodius, give us another chance!" Ren pleaded, making me look up. "Grant us a pardon this time, and I promise we will take down the Brawlers. We will redeem ourselves."
"Silence!" Barodius barked, startling both me and Ren.
"Begging for your life, Ren?" I asked, smirking. "How weak and pathetic you are."
Suddenly, I felt the floor underneath me give way, like a trapdoor was opening up. I fell into the hole. I was falling so fast I didn't have enough time to grab the edge. As soon as my body was beneath the surface, I saw the trapdoor closing up.
For roughly five seconds, I was falling before I finally landed on my side with a grunt. My side really hurt, but I hoped that nothing was broken. I took in my surroundings and I realized that I'd fallen into a spacious room with a table and a trolley in the center, along with bright lights above me.
I tried to get up, but agony sparked up in my side and I instantly stumbled down.
But I wasn't going to give up. Kazarina's had said that she was planning on using Rubanoid in her experiments and Rubanoid needed my help. So, with a huge amount of effort, I painfully got up, clutching my side. I was going to find my partner.
Out of nowhere, something jagged its way into my neck. My vision became blurry - almost black. As I wobbled, I began to feel a headache growing.
Then, I stumbled. Then, everything went black.
POV:Lena
Kazarina and I had just gotten back from Neathia, and I knew that I was going to suffer for my failure. I had had my chance to retrieve the Element, and I had blown it. All because the Brawlers and the Neathians had gotten lucky, especially now that the Second Shield was regenerated.
But I was aware of what would come to pass, even as I stood on the lift while it rose to the next floor. When the lift stopped moving, I was in a massive room with dark walls the same as the rest of the castle, and a throne similar to Barodius's. In front of the throne, I spotted Kazarina.
"You summoned me, Misstress Kazarina," I said, sounding blunt.
"I don't have to tell you what an embarrassment today's events have been," Kazarina stated. "You were given a chance to redeem yourself, and you've failed miserably. You were warned what would happen if you didn't succeed. So do you have anything you'd like to say for yourself, Lena?"
Just then, a memory came to me. It was about the conversation Gill and I had had before me and Kazarina had departed for Neathia.
"I like you, Lena," Gill had said to me. "You're clever, but you don't suffer from arrogance. Like the others. So I'll give you this piece of advice."
"I'm listening, Sir," I had said.
"I hear you're going on a mission with Kazarina."
"Yes."
"You would be wise to watch your back around her. She is loyal to no one but herself, and would think nothing of sacrificing one of her subordinates to save her own skin." Then, almost as soon as he had stopped speaking, he'd grinned. Like Gill had wanted something to happen to Kazarina.
Regardless, I'd already had a feeling in my gut that Kazarina couldn't be trusted with anything. As well as I'd trusted my own instincts, I'd said, "Yes, Sir. I understand."
The memory finished, and then I heard Phosphos cackling as he jumped into the air. Kazarina cackled, too, looking up at Phosphos heading towards her. I was expecting her to be scared. It was almost as if she'd known about my plan to finish her off.
Suddenly, a roar forced Phosphos's laughing to come to a halt, making me gasp as I watched Lumagrowl pushing Phosphos away. Phosphos cried out in pain as Lumagrowl tightened his jaw on his shoulder. I guessed it was so tight that it caused Phosphos to return to his ball form.
Lumagrowl landed on his feet, shaking the entire room, and then Kazarina pointed out, "You've got some nerve, Lena." I turned back to Kazarina, and took a step back while Lumagrowl roared behind me. "Trying to take me out to cover your own blunder. How bold of you." Kazarina raised her hand in front of her. "But also very, very foolish!"
Blue electricity zapped all over Kazarina's hand. My eyes widened at the sight of it. This was it. My punishment was coming. All I could do was stand there, literally scared to death. Kazarina grinned before the electricity spreaded, blinding me as it transformed into a white light.
Everything vanished...
POV: Jesse
Everything was dark when I stood in the center of the coliseum. Two lights suddenly shone above me. Besides the fact that the curtain was about to fall one last time, I actually felt calm to be in the spotlight. The rest of the lights came on, showing the whole coliseum. Kazarina, Stoica and Ren were in the stands.
"Have you finally accepted your fate, Jesse?" Kazarina asked.
"Or do you need to rack up another colossal failure for it to sink in?" Stoica added.
"Nice work on the retrieval, Ren," Kazarina commented.
"In fairness," I heard Ren say, "I was also involved in the battle that was lost."
" Well, I'll let you share that information with Emperor Barodius in person." Then, I heard Ren growl under his breath at what Kazarina had just said. It was like Ren wanted to take the blame, too. Granted I knew that Ren felt guilty, especially from the losses of Sid and Lena. But this was my time. Not his.
"So are you two ready to pay the piper?" Stoica asked.
"It is you who needs to be ready," I said, opening my eyes before raising my arm up, "to bid adieu to Gundalia's finest actor." All three of them had confused looks on their faces, but I continued. "The applause has finally faded, and the curtain has dropped. There are no more encores to be had on this stage or any other. So now the actor takes his final bow."
"Ha, are you serious?" Stoica asked with an incredulous voice. "Do we really have to listen to this?"
"Now you know how I feel!" Plitheon shouted, turning bright green and then into his real form. "I can't take any more of this. I'm ready to go now. Anything to get away from this weirdo!"
"Plitheon?" I asked, completely stunned at Plitheon's words.
"Finally at a loss for words, Jesse?" Plitheon asked me while looking at me from the corner of his eye. "What a shock!"
There was a moment of silence until, out of nowhere, Lumagrowl and Lythirus struck Plitheon, making me gasp.
"Turning on your battle partner, Plitheon? You truly are despicable," Lumagrowl remarked.
Lythirus chuckled maniacally. "Lower than scum!"
Lumagrowl and Lythirus released Plitheon, then I said, "Plitheon, it's okay. Sometimes, co-stars have friction between them. It's a natural part of the relationship." I held out my hand to Plitheon.
"I meant what I said," Plitheon declared. "Call what you want, but I'm done with this guy!" I spotted a twinkle in Plitheon's eye before he turned green and gradually disappeared into thin air.
"Ren," I called out, looking at my friend/teammate. "It looks like the spotlight has shifted to you now."
I set down my book in front of me, and took my final bow.
"Farewell," I heard Ren say.
I screamed as the curtain painfully fell...
POV: Zenet
I'd spoken to Kazarina, disguised as Nurzak. After I'd done my task in being sneaky, I told Gill about what I'd learnt - that Nurzak and Kazarina were planning on overthrowing the Emperor.
"You have done very well, Zenet," Gill commented.
"Thank you," I said, smiling. "I'm totally ready for my next assignment, Sir!"
Gill raised his hand and grinned viciously. My good eye widened before red electricity surged from his hand and zapped me.
'I... I don't understand,' I thought. 'You said I did well. Why are you punishing me?!'
...
I felt like I was floating in an unfamiliar environment. Maybe I was, given the fact that I'd just been punished. Which meant that I was long gone.
I began to whimper.
"Zenet," a voice called out to me as I opened my eye.
"Contestir." I held out my hands while he floated towards me.
Once Contestir had landed on my palms, he briefly pointed out, "They betrayed us."
"I told you," I whimpered. "Tha-that Gundalians don't do loyalty. Remember?"
"That's not always true, Zenet." I stared at Contestir, confused. He continued, "You and I were loyal to each other. We were real partners."
I smiled. "Wow, man. You're totally right. We really were partners." I started to let a tear fall down my cheek. "Contestir?"
"Yes, Zenet? What is it?"
"I'm sorry that it took so long to realize that," I said as I put myself into a fetal position, holding Contestir close to my chest.
"It's okay," Contestir said. "Better late than never."
I made a small, happy laugh before closing my eye for the final time. Then, Contestir laughed.
"Goodnight and sweet dreams," I said happily, even though I felt myself fading away. "Partner."
Fading until...
It was over...