The stars shine brightly in the sky, and the moonlight filters through the leaves, embracing the gloomy ground. Sounds of explosion still can be heard clearly though it's deep in the night, the night which is no longer quiet and serene.
The war has never ended.
No one knows what'll happen next, who will win and who, will be the loser; who will die and who will survive.
It's midnight now.
Although David have told her to have a good rest and do not leave her room, Irina still cannot fall asleep partly due to the explosion sounds and noises. More, she is terribly worried about Rush and Emmy, cause she's already treated them as the most important people in the world.
Are they still alive? Mr. David told me so but...there's dangerous everywhere. She thinks to herself, standing in the garden, watching the starlight shed on the her favourate flowers.
This most agreeable scene seems to become the most horrible one in her eyes. She is so scared, not only because of her own safety, but also others', and she can hardly imagine what her life will be if she loses Rush and her friends.
No...They must be safe and sound now, because never lies. She comforts herself, picking up a flower and crossing her fingers. She prays for their safety; it's only what she can do now.
In the bedroom, David is processing his documents. He hasn't slept well for several days while he's not tired at all because only he himself knows it is his duty to protect Athlum during the war and if he don't govern it, the consequence can be out of imagination. And partly, he misses Rush so.
Still now, his smile, his voice is getting deeper in his heart. Never has a person impressed him so much, like an arrow piercing into his cold heart. Never has a friend stolen so much of his yearn from his mind. And never has one...has brought such a lovely girl to him...
He looks out of the window, finding the brown-hair girl standing alone in the garden. His eyes softens, then a gentle smile spreading on his face. Everytime he meets Irina, he feels as if he is the happiest man in the world. Of course, he wants her smile, living without pain and misery, being happy everyday. But the fact is cruel.
Conquerer has divested everything-the peace, the happiness and the smile on her face. It happened so suddenly that he even didn't know how to be confronted with it. He clenches his fist, but it's no use. All that he can do, is to protect his country, his people, his friends. To reach for it, he has to work continuously, day and night.
"Peace do will come." He murmurs, with full determination.
0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000
The blond girl in red appears in the darkest side of the cave, who seems to be fighting with several man, using superior mystic arts to attack while other man, using their swords to strike against her. When Rush and Emmy has arrived, the fight is getting much fiercer and harder.
In spite of girl's incredible ability of using mystic arts, she's still in the inferior side. The moment she's distracted by the intruders, other man have already caught her on her both arms, with a sword straghtly piercing into her chest.
Suddenly, Rush has realized something.
"No...That-that's Sheryl!~" He promptly rushes directly to those people, drawing his sword out with great anger, ready to kick them harshly with no mercy. To his astonishment, all of them block in an unbelievable speed and gives him a sweet blow in his stomach, then following a buttok which forces him to get down with great pains on his bones.
Who are they and why they can be so strong? It's only thing he thinks when he sees Emmy beated harshly and then lying unconscious beside him yet Sheryl, even worse, getting a huge crack on her chest where bloody streams down till the ground.
All enemies around them seem to be satisfied, smiling and chatting. Not even for a while, two of them lifts Sheryl up and runs away and another two does all the same, making him extremly angry.
"What the shit are you nuts going to do?!" Rush struggles to stand up, but he finds his wounds hurt and bleed so much that he even cannot move. Biting his lower lip, he tries again, yet still fails.
"Are you guys deaf? I've..." Suddenly comes a blow on his head, after that he loses all the consciousness...
0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000
Where is it? The hell?
A muddy smell filters in is nose, stimulating his physical body, waking his tired heart up.
Rush strives to open his eyes. When the sight gets clearer, he finds himself in a small room, with his hands tied tightly on his back. He glances around, finding Emmy and Sheryl are both here, just beside him, unconscious yet maybe still alive.
He tried to move, surprisingly finding his wounds don't bleed anymore but still a little hurt. According to this, he deduces he's been unconscious for quite a few days and now, they must be moved to a external place, not in that caves nor the Great Sand Sea. But, where is it anyway?
Then he gazes at the scene out of the only window, dozens of flags floating in the air, and the pattern on them is...
There must be Conquerer's beachhead, and the man attacked us before must be his troops. He thinks to himself, head down.
But...why? They have that rights and strength, but why they didn't kill us and just tied us there? Whatever plans do they have?
He still loses deep in thought until it comes a small noise.
"Uhhh..."
"Emmy, are you okay?" He turns to her, asking and trying to get closer.
"Yeah..." She replies, aching and spinning in head, "Still alive, aren't we? Who are those enemies and where are we?"
"I'm not sure...I guess we are in the beachhead of Conquerer and-those guys are his flunkies."
"I see..."
She tries to get the ties off but it's too tight. With annoyment and anger, only she can do is to curse.
"I'll devote all that i have to him if one can tell me how to get this shit off..."
"I'll be more than willing to tell you if I'm not in the same situation." He jokes.
After a while, they both keep their eyes on the third one in this room-Sheryl, for she's still unconscious now, which may owe to her bleeding too much before. She looks exceptionally pale and painful despite she hasn't come to herself.
"Seems our honored guests have waken up."
With the huge sound of kicking the door, a blond man comes in, followed by several soldiers. The man is really big-He is almost two metres tall and his body is muscular, with goatee on his face. From the deduction, he might be the leader of this troop.
He comes close to Emmy, fingers slipping through her chin till her neck.
"See what I've captured, the fXXkin' general of Athlum~!" He smirks, while Emmy just bites her lower lip with no words. However, his behaviour becomes ruder and violenter.
"How pretty you are...It's really a waste for you to be a general." He violently pinches her chin, forcing her to directly look at him, "Try some new, such as...being my woman and..."
He leans forward, but only gets a glowering.
"What shits are you mad-guy talkin' about?!" Rush yells to him, clenching his fist," If you dare to touch her again, I'll KILL you do ya know?"
"Humph..."The man smirks, then turning into laughter," With you? Hahaha..."
Now he is got rage. Anger, annoyment...the mixture of emotions have all broken out, with a huge power buried in his heart, seeming to be going to erupt. A green light bursts out through his eyes, the rope is torn into pieces by this great power. Now, he is truly angry. His body is burning like a bunch of fire, agressive and fatal. He raises his head, staring extremly angrily at that man who is much more bigger and taller than him, fearless.
"SHUT UP! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!"
" Cut it out, little baby boy."He laughes, drawing out a sharp broadsword, eyes filled with coldness and bloodiness, "Let's see how much strength you have. So don't let me down, my sweetie boy~~"