Cloud awoken on the floor by his staircase. All the cloaked men are gone. His head hurts and he is a bit confused. A trail of drool comes from his mouth. He gets up slowly with his hand on his head.
"Man...what happened.." Cloud looks around and spots Mr. Wheaton on the ground, surrounded by blood.
"Oh no.." He thought. His heart sank as he rushed to the old man on the ground. Mr. Wheaton lays in the same position as he was before Cloud got knocked out.
Cloud kneels down by him and checks for a pulse. He does this by pressing his ear on his chest. Cloud's eyes widen because he can still hear a heartbeat. It's faint and weak, but it's there.
"Mr. Wheaton! Wake up!" Cloud grabs his shoulders and shakes them gently.
"Wake up! Please!" Tears well in his eyes.
Mr. Wheaton coughs and opens his eyes a bit. He looks at Cloud with fading eyes.
"Cloud..." He coughs. "Go to a village called Cherryshire. It's five miles north of here. When you get there, look for a man named Bildo. He will tell you what to do.. " He swallows the blood in his mouth, which was an unpalatable metallic taste.
Cloud rubs the tears from his eyes.
"Alright Mr. Wheaton. I'll do it. I'll do it for you. For your sons. For our village. For the Aether. For the world.."
"Goodbye, King Cloud.." Mr. Wheaton's voice fades. His eyes close. Cloud can feel the old soul leave this world. Mr. Wheaton is dead.
Cloud gets up, uncontrollably crying. He looks at Mr. Wheaton's fresh corpse. It looked so peaceful how he slept.
"If I was really a king, I wouldn't have let you die.."
Cloud turns around and runs up his stairs to his wooden chest. He grabs everything; steel tools, a bow and some arrows, a fishing rod, a couple gold ingots, and a note from his father. He straps the tools and the rod to his right side, puts the bow on his back and ties his arrows together with a string to make a small bundle.
He goes downstairs and picks up his diamond sword on the ground where he fainted earlier. He walks towards his kitchen, not making eye contact with the lifeless body that was Mr. Wheaton in the middle of the floor. He packs a couple loafs of bread, mushrooms, a few apples, and a wooden bowl. He goes outside to his backyard which he had some crops growing. He harvests some wheat and carrots to take.
As he does this he looks around the village. People had been rebuilding a bit. However, no one was outside because it was extremely early in the morning; the sky was a very dark blue, almost indigo, and it was a bit cold. He goes back inside and makes way to the front door.
As he grabs the knob of his door he looks once more at Mr. Wheaton's body on the floor. His eyes filled with hatred as he discourages himself for not saving him.
"Nether King...you will pay for what you have done.."
Cloud leaves and begins his 5-mile quest to Cherryshire.