Hello everyone! I'm glad that more reviews have come in, so I'm really grateful for that. I am very, very sorry if I sounded a little pushy for reviews in the previous chapter. It wasn't my intention to sound that way. I would like to make it clear that I have always enjoyed writing my story, and it's a real pleasure for me to upload my stories on here. I do hope you enjoy my stories as well, which is why I like to see reviews and constructive reviews as well, which really help me to improve as a writer. Anyway, thank you to the following people for reviewing my story: A happy reader, Ssi'ruuk, Alpha Death, mcmlxxvii, three guest readers, FierceDeity24, AresTheUnderlander(trust me, you're really close to convincing me to kill off Conrad), LightningAres, Myname and HumanicHedgeHog.

Anyway, one of the guest readers asked me how to make your own stories. Essentially, you create your own fanfiction account, upload a document under Doc manager, create a new story and upload documents. Not sure if the process is same for everybody, although it should be.

The quality of this chapter may drop, admittedly. I actually finished writing this whole chapter and was about to upload it when my computer crashed and I lost this chapter. I was so frustrated that I raged around the room for a while and ended up hurting myself. Pretty dumb of me, huh? Unfortunately I was really frustrated and lost my cool. Hope you enjoy this chapter anyway.

This chapter is written from Gregor's perspective.

Chapter 36: The Black Armour

Gregor sat in the armchair in his room, brooding away in the silence of the gloomy environment in Regalia. He could hear a small commotion going on outside the royal wing. Calvin had told him that they were sealing off the entrance to the royal wing of the palace by destroying the pillars of the High Hall, which would lead to its collapse. Gregor wasn't complaining. Now he had an excuse to stay out of the fighting.

His argument with Calvin earlier had admittedly caused some doubts in his mind about whether he should have joined in the fight or not. Gregor hated getting into arguments. His mother had taught him since young not to fight, yet it was a fierce argument with his mother which had caused him to break away from his family. Gregor never wanted to let an argument ruin a relationship with anyone ever again. But Gregor's friendship with Calvin was now in tatters. In all likelihood, that was probably the last time he would ever speak to Calvin. The battle against the foxes and the Overlanders would definitely not be successful for the Underlanders. They stood no chance against a ruthless army led by Flavius and fifty upgraded versions of Calvin. Calvin would probably be dead at the end of the day.

Gregor felt a sharp pain in his heart at the thought. Calvin was his only Overlander friend, and Gregor didn't want to say goodbye to his friend on such a bad note. Calvin deserved to be treated better by Gregor, but he was probably out there, waiting for his death while remaining disappointed in Gregor. Gregor slumped even further into his armchair. Why would nobody understand that what he was doing was necessary for their own protection? How difficult was it to understand that Gregor was choosing not to fight because he didn't want them to suffer? Why did nobody understand him?

Gregor slammed his fist down on the table next to him in frustration. And then suddenly he realised something, and he felt as if a dagger was twisted into his heart.

Gregor hadn't said goodbye to Luxa.

Knowing her, she was out there at the walls of Regalia, preparing to fight to the death next to her people. Gregor let loose a cry of anguish as he smashed his fist down on the table again, this time channelling all his frustration into fist.

How could he forget her? At the very least he should have said goodbye to HER. The reason why he still fought to live was because of her. In his darkest moments she was probably the last ray of light still shining brightly. Even when Conrad was married to her, Gregor never felt his heart resent her for choosing him. Instead, Gregor had yearned for her even more. There were many occasions where Gregor could have given up if the thought of her hadn't spurred him on.

But Gregor just couldn't bring himself to get out there into battle. To be honest, Calvin was right. He was scared. Not just of killing other people, but of dying. Back when he was a kid, he was scared of dying when the prophecy had called for it. And here he was, nine years later, still scared of death. He had been ready to put his life and body on the line, but when it came to certain death, he wasn't prepared. Whatever Calvin had said at his eulogy wasn't really the truth. The truth was that he was never ever truly prepared to sacrifice his life for Regalia, because he was too scared to do it. Sure, at certain points, he had prepared himself for death, but he hadn't done it out of love for Regalia, and neither were those situations one that would result in certain death.

It was natural for every human being to be scared of death in Gregor's opinion. Death was such an unexplained and uncharted area that Gregor had no idea what to expect of it. The image of the knight in Cloisters was always enough up till now. Perhaps it was because Gregor had more courage as a child than he had now. Maybe it was because that innocence and goodness in his heart all those years ago had been lost deep down in that cavern where the Bane's remains lay. And because he no longer had that innocence and goodness within him, he no longer had the courage either.

He felt as if his body and spirit had been broken from multiple trials over the years. During his first few trips down to the Underland as a twelve year old boy, he had suffered from numerous injuries, and the scars which were etched across his limbs and body was proof of that. Then leaving the Underland broke his spirit. Not only was he leaving the love of his life, he was also leaving the one place where he actually felt truly at home. He had real friends down here, whereas up there… There was Larry and Angelina, but they didn't really have as close a bond to them as he did to the Underlanders. Along with the horrendous memories of all the atrocities that had occurred in the Underland, Gregor's spirit was strained to its fullest.

And then his spirit and body just kept taking a beating back in the Overland. He was getting into fights, losing control of his rager instincts, disappointing his parents, being kicked out of schools… every single event had taken a toll on his spirit. And it finally broke down when he had that argument with his mum. That night, the world around Gregor had finally crumbled, and his misery was compounded even more by the fact that he would never see his family again after he left them.

Then when he went to New York, he couldn't find the entrance to the Underland in Central Park, nor could he find his old apartment. It had sent him spiralling down into the depths of depression, and he hadn't been able to pick himself up since then. he kept drinking for over a two years, letting his body rot to waste. Calvin's appearance had inspired a brief revival, only for his spirit to finally break when he heard of Luxa's marriage to Conrad. Then his murder of Damien had ensured he would never have the moral strength to get up anymore. Gregor's spirit had taken a lot of beating, but it was finally broken.

Then his body followed soon afterwards. His battle with Flavius, his foxes and the royal guards was the battle which truly showed that Gregor could no longer keep up with the standard of fighting in the Underland. He may have beaten the foxes and the royal guards, but against Flavius… against Flavius he didn't stand much of a chance. The fresh scars on his body was the last straw for him. Physically and mentally, he wasn't going to be able to continue fighting. He was well and truly done with being the Warrior.

Someone knocked on his door gently. "Come in," Gregor grunted.

The door opened, and Miravet shuffled in with a key in her hand. "I heard you weren't fighting," she said softly, "But I thought I'd give you this anyway."

She placed the key on his desk. Gregor eyed it for a while, before asking, "What is this key?"

"The key to your black armour," Miravet replied, "It's still in the same cupboard. I'm done with readjusting it to fit you. I know you have chosen not to fight, but… but the key still belongs to you. It's yours to keep since the armour is yours. It's a real pity that you won't use it because many people put in an incredible amount of effort to build it. But I still think it is your decision. If you change your mind, just go to the armoury. There is a corridor that leads from the royal wing to the armoury. It's the door next to Hazard's room. Just run down the corridor and you will find yourself at the armoury soon enough. Like I mentioned earlier, this is just in case you change your mind."

"I don't intend to change my mind," Gregor responded brusquely, "In fact, Miravet, do me a favour. Take my sword and Solovet's dagger. Put it back into the armoury. It would be good for people more willing and more deserving to use it. Because I'm not lifting those blades in my hands ever again."

Miravet looked heartbroken at Gregor's words. She quietly made her way over to his sword and dagger, picking them up and slotting them into her belt, which had hooks to carry swords. She then slowly ambled out of the room. But just before she left, she said, "Words cannot even express how disappointed I am with you, Gregor."

"I don't care," Gregor snarled, "I'm sick of people telling me that I'm wrong or selfish or deluded! I don't want to hurt any more of you and that's why I'm choosing not to fight! Let me do what I want to do, and stay out of this!"

"People out there are sacrificing their lives, Gregor!" Miravet cried out, "They are all going to die! At least let them die with the honour of serving next to you! At least give them some hope before the end!"

"There is no honour in dying next to me," Gregor said coldly, "And neither is there such a thing as hope. I'm an Overlander anyway. You technically can't force me to go out there and fight for you. I've spent my body and soul for this city and yet you people still don't find it enough. WHEN IS IT EVER GOING TO BE ENOUGH?"

"I know what this means to you," Miravet said with tears in her eyes, "I know the pain in your heart that you feel. I know the disappointment and the fury directed at us for using you. And I'll admit right here that we got it wrong. We should never have treated you the way we did in the past. You don't owe us anything- especially not your life. But your friends are out there willing to die for you. Are you really going to sit in this armchair as they die? Do you honestly think that will make you feel better?"

"I honestly do," Gregor replied, "Because the alternative is going out there and hurting my own friends. Between both, I choose the former."

"You are being too pessimistic!" Miravet exclaimed.

"And you aren't being realistic!" Gregor shot back.

"Gregor," Miravet sighed, "If you choose to focus all your pain in fighting to defend Regalia, if you choose to focus all your misery in defending Regalia, you can do wonders. You can finally learn to control your rager instincts and direct them at your real enemies. It's all about focus, Gregor. You may still be getting used to your rager abilities, but as long as you focus, you need not worry about harming your own friends."

"What do you know about being a rager?" Gregor growled.

"I've suited up many ragers and great fighters in the past," Miravet told him, "I know exactly how most of you feel about losing control. Gregor, the pain and misery you face can be made positive for you. It can be used to control your rager instincts. Without a shadow of a doubt, I truly believe that you have the potential to be the greatest fighter the Underland has ever seen. But if you choose to remain in this room and sulk, you will never find that potential. Luxa, Calvin and Ripred are fighting and dying out there, Warrior. They need you more than ever. The hope of this city hinges on you, whether you want to believe it or not. It's your fight too. But you are old enough to make your own decisions. Fly you high, Gregor the Overlander." With that, she left the room.

Gregor remained seated in his armchair as the fiddled with the key. It was the only thing he could fiddle with, now that he had given his dagger away. He heard a loud explosion, which probably meant that they had sealed off the entrance to the palace. So there it was. Any last glimmer of motivation within him to try and fly out there to fight was gone. He sat up in his armchair, and decided to listen to the noises going on in Regalia to figure out what was happening.

After about ten minutes, he heard the horn blow. Finally. The foxes and the Overlanders had arrived to destroy Regalia and in doing so, destroy the last stand of the Underland. He could just about hear Flavius' velvety voice reverberating around the city. Damn, his voice was loud. Gregor couldn't catch any words, and he didn't plan to. Flavius' words were probably laced with venom and were probably fear-inducing.

Then Gregor's stomach leapt when he heard the most epic battle cry he had ever heard. As goosebumps burst out over his skin at the sheer volume of noise, he could hear them chanting, "FOR REGALIA!" The whole room vibrated and the table next to Gregor was actually shaking quite violently from the noise. That was definitely not just the Regalians. That was definitely the whole of the Underland belting out a massive battle cry. He was a bit surprised that the other species were willing to cheer for Regalia as well, but Gregor figured that in such a desperate situation, chances were that they would scream anything to get their spirits up.

Gregor then heard a response from the foxes as well, when he heard a loud half-bark, half-growl that sounded more like a howl than anything else. So this was it. The battle of Regalia had begun.

Gregor just sat in his armchair, almost in a daze at the fact that the battle had begun. Who knew, maybe every time he heard a scream in the air, it could signify that one of is friends had died. Was this really the decision he wanted? To watch his friends fight in this bloodbath, with him remaining as the sole survivor? Gregor didn't know. He was starting to feel doubtful over his decision to remain in the room.

Miravet's words echoed in his head. "But your friends are out there willing to die for you. Are you really going to sit in this armchair as they die? Do you honestly think that will make you feel better?" she had said. Was she right? Would he actually feel better that he wasn't out there hurting them? Would he even hurt them in the first place? And could he actually find a way to fight off the urge to lose control and surrender to his rager abilities?

Miravet's words continued to linger on in his head. "If you choose to focus all your pain in fighting to defend Regalia, if you choose to focus all your misery in defending Regalia, you can do wonders. You can finally learn to control your rager instincts and direct them at your real enemies. It's all about focus, Gregor. You may still be getting used to your rager abilities, but as long as you focus, you need not worry about harming your own friends." Was it honestly that simple? Was it just a matter of focus? It seemed too good to be true, but Miravet had rightly pointed out that she had seen many great soldiers and ragers before him.

Gregor thought about it for a while. Was it still really worth it to sit back and let his friends die out there? This was their last stand. Shouldn't Gregor be a part of it? Shouldn't he die side by side with his friends?

A small part of him whispered softly to himself that he could harm his friends. But Gregor was really struggling to believe that. Why was he even so scared in the first place? He was going to die anyway. Was it really more honourable and dignified to die in the palace as compared to the battlefield? Couldn't he just focus and concentrate on saving the city?

"What the hell am I thinking?" he asked himself out loud.

He felt a flood of emotional pain surge through him. All the memories that had defined him so far hit him like a tidal wave. But instead of resisting it, Gregor allowed the pain and hurt to consume him. He let every single last bit of pain crash into him. He didn't want to let it all in, but he knew he had to. He had to let himself confront his fears.

Calvin's words returned to him briefly. "I do believe that fate exists. Where we differ is that I believe that fate ironically gives us a choice. A choice of whether to believe that we are consigned to a designated fate, or a choice to change our destinies. We aren't being forced to become slaves of fate. We do have free will, Gregor. Using fate can never be an excuse for not doing anything because it always gives us a choice. But as long as we choose to believe it dictates who we are, then we will always remain its slave and we will always be beaten to a pulp by it." Gregor thought about those words for a while. They were really wise words to come out of the mouth of a teenager. And those wise words were possibly true. Maybe Gregor did have a choice after all. Maybe he really could, for the first time in his life, stand up to fate and spit in its face.

"I was there when I saw the people of the Underland unite. They knew that they were going to die. They knew that their fate was and still is inevitable. Yet even though the Council did not make it compulsory for them to join forces with Regalia, every single species there decided to help out Regalia although technically they could have surrendered or bailed. If anything, this shows that they were willing to stand to the bitter end with Regalia, despite the insane number of casualties that are going to be incurred. This is courage, Gregor. Courage that I don't see in you right now." Calvin had said these words to Gregor. The people of Regalia had chosen to fight despite their fate being sealed. They had a choice.

Gregor realised he had a choice here too. He was fighting an internal conflict right now. One part of him told him to go out there and fight, the other told him to stay in his room. Who should he listen to? He found himself torn apart. His mind told him to stay put, his heart told him to go out there.

Gregor continued to fiddle with the key in his hands. What was he supposed to do? What was he expected to do? Too many questions swarmed his mind and he let out a cry of frustration as he sank to his knees. As he did so, one more voice popped up in his head and said, "Don't hate yourself for who you are, Gregor. That's the first step towards destroying your life forever. You may think you're trying to hold yourself back, but it never works that way."

"What am I supposed to do? Even if I hate myself, I don't know what I should do!" Gregor exclaimed frustratedly.

Susannah's voice spoke up in his head to reply, "Something you must come to realise is that the hero never gets a happy ending like he or she does in fables and the tales of old. In fact, there are very few heroes in the Underland today. And more often than not they have a tragic ending. It's something quite unavoidable because the world isn't designed to help those who fight for good. In the Underland it's generally kill or be killed. You are a hero, Gregor. And although as your doctor I must encourage you to believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as your friend I must also warn you that the journey will probably not end perfectly."

Gregor closed his eyes and calmed himself down, allowing himself to process what she was saying. She went on, "The truth of life for a hero is that you must make an ultimate sacrifice in the end, and that often costs your life. My husband is no hero, which to be frank with you, is the reason he is still alive. All the great heroes of Regalia are gone. Both of my siblings were heroes, and now they're dead. Howard may be a hero in a hospital, but he's no hero on the battlefield. Luxa has disappeared for months on end from the eyes of the public. Conrad is definitely no hero, and your report on what he did confirms it. Ripred isn't a hero either. Vikus is long past his prime. You're the one great hero still alive, Gregor. Which means that you're going to have to make a huge decision in the end."

She finally concluded by saying, "If you choose to spend the rest of your days lying inside the palace as your friends out there fight and die for you, you will feel even worse and you will hate yourself even more. But if you go out there and fight, you may lose your life, but in the process you would have saved the life of thousands of Regalians. It can still be a happy ending for everybody else. Would you rather die on your bed with a thousand regrets, or would you charge out into battle to fight for Regalia?"

Gregor opened his eyes. He felt every single word he had just heard from his past return to his mind, filling him with inspiration, fear, courage and disappointment. He allowed every single whisper, every single look of encouragement, every single action from whatever his memory could gather to return to him. He could feel immense pain, but he could also feel immense courage.

Gregor closed his eyes again. He remembered his fear of heights and the fear of dying before fighting with the Bane. He remembered the despair of holding Ares' claw as he looked on at his dead friend. He remembered the physical scars inflicted on him by the Bane. He remembered the trauma of leaving Luxa behind in the Underland, and the ensuing nine long, barren years in the wasteland which was his life. Then there was the bitter pain of knowing Luxa was married to Conrad and Temp was dead. And just when things couldn't get any worse, he remembered the guilt and regret at killing Damien. Now came the pain of knowing he would never see his friends again.

But just as he found himself enveloped in darkness and fear, he saw a bright light ahead of him. Fighting past all the pain and sorrow that he was experiencing, he slowly but surely inched himself towards the light. Thousands of voices filled his mind, reminding him of all the bitter pills he had to swallow throughout his life. But he fought past it all. The pain was tearing his soul to pieces, but he endured. Images of Calvin, Luxa and even Ripred appeared at the area of the bright light, giving him the drive and inspiration to continue pushing forward. Every last bit of misery inflicted by fate on him was forgotten. This was his fight too. And there was no way he was going to be beaten by his fears.

They were his friends. He would not stand by and watch them perish. He reached out and grasped at the light.

Gregor opened his eyes.

This was his last stand. He had almost nothing left to fight for. He knew what his decision was going to be.

He grabbed the key on his table and stuffed it into his pocket, before rushing out of the room. He raced down the corridor and found himself meeting one of the guards who was walking around the royal wing. "Where is Apollo?" he asked the guard as he grabbed the guard's shoulder.

The guard looked slightly alarmed, but he recovered in time to say, "Apollo has left the hospital and is somewhere around the royal wing. As your flier, he is to stay near you all the time."

"Get your other friends or other guards and find him. Tell him to get ready to fly out into battle," Gregor ordered the guard.

The guard looked surprised, and Gregor couldn't help but notice the feeling of hope which was rising in the man's eyes. "Fl-fly out sir? I mean Warrior?" the guard stammered.

"You heard me right," Gregor said to him earnestly, "I'm flying out into battle. Get the other guards to help you to remove the debris and blockage in the High Hall. I want to fly out into battle."

"B-But W-Warrior," the guard stuttered, "We were given orders to seal it off. We… we cannot just ch-choose to disobey that order, sir. It was ordered by Lord Ripred."

"I'm overruling that decision," Gregor told him, "And given the chance to, I'm sure Ripred would want that decision to be overruled as well. Blow up the debris in the High Hall if you have to."

The guard hesitated, before finally nodding and saying, "Very well, Warrior. I will let Apollo know you intend to fly into battle and I will have the debris in the High hall removed." Bowing deeply, the guard rushed off to perform his duties.

Gregor himself then proceeded to run down the corridor towards Hazard's room. He stopped at the door next to Hazard's room and opened it, before sprinting down the dark and dank corridor. The musky smell was disgusting and its grimy walls made Gregor's stomach toss and turn about, but he tried to push it to the back of his head. He nearly slipped and landed on his rear end on a number of occasions, but he was always able to maintain his balance.

Finally, he emerged in the armoury following a walk down another corridor which was far less filthy and disgusting. He ran past all the empty racks towards the cupboard at the end of the armoury. He found his sword and dagger placed neatly on the rack next to the cupboard. Good. At least he wasn't going to have to run around the whole place trying to find his weapons. He pulled the key out of his pocket and slotted it into the lock. He then unlocked the cupboard door and placed the key back into his pocket.

Taking in a deep breath, he pulled the cupboard doors open.

That's it for this chapter! Originally I intended to continue the chapter by writing his feelings when he saw the black armour again, but in the end I decided to leave it like this because I thought it would be a more effective ending to this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please don't forget to review this chapter! Would really love it.

Question: Ah yes, death predictions! I asked this question for my last story and I will ask it again for this story. Who do you think will die in the battle of Regalia? Let me know all your thoughts in the reviews section.

Fly you high!