Chapter 3

(Michael's POV)

I walk up the steps the next day with regret hanging off my shoulders. We should have just run; we should have just left the forest alone and above all I shouldn't have endangered everyone at all. Now the city may die because of my ambition. How will I break this grave news to Lark? She will be devastated by this all she want is to live her life. I find her and the Storm Hawks in the throne room. I walk in the room with my face smothered in sadness and regret. I look at them with the gravest news I must give. I have to tell them. Just I am about to say anything Lark lash out.

"So do you have anything to say about this 'honey'; I bet you want to take over since you got here."

"Lark please I didn't -"

"Save it; I don't want to see you; one of my soldiers told me about your plans of moving the city; just leave and don't come back."

I hang my head with a sadness I can't comprehend. I never felt like that since nine years ago. I turn tail and walk out of the room. I can't believe it after all of that work, all of the time we spent, it's all gone. I don't blame myself for this; if anyone is to blame its Simon. I used to look up to him. The sword of retribution, to that I laugh. This is cruelty not retribution, I can't believe it he's a hypocrite. He wants best for the people but instead this is probably the worst thing he's giving to me. Why me? I want Lark to be happy but not like this. There is only one plan of action to delay this if not stop it. I must challenge Simon to a duel.

I walk through the palace ignoring the stares. I don't care whatever they think; I no longer care for anyone but Lark. If this will make her happy then so be it. I reach the shipyards to see gravity augmenters filling up two docking areas. I search the area for Simon until I find him directing the troops who are moving the power cells for the augmenters. I yell out.

"Simon, hey Simon."

"Ah Michael; have you come to watch progress in action?"

"No; I don't want this to happen; Cease this madness and if you won't then I challenge you to a duel."

"Hmm, so the cub becomes a lion; alright I accept your challenge."

"This duel will commence at high noon here on the docks."

I turn on my heel and walk away. Now the only problem is the skill I must incorporate into this duel. Simon is Richard's twin brother so they undergone the same training: assassin training. I went through sniper and medical training along with fencing. I have to practice if I'm ever going to match my older cousin.

I can see that my jet was loaded off of the Storm Blade and for that I'm grateful. I walk over to my jet and I press a button on the haul of the fighter. The fighter begins to change shape from its complex wing design to somewhat of a miniature house. I enter and it doesn't surprise me that it's a pocket dimension space. I draw a Rapier from one of the racks hanging on the wall. I practice my form and my riposte. I practice my thrusts and my prime stance. My favorite stance is the octave stance but I have to practice every parry or I will lose this. I flick to the left and right but at the same time keeping myself centered. I look at the time and it's almost noon. I equip on my body my family's traditional whites for interfamily duels. The whites are standard fencing whites but our foils are not as dull. I pick up the rapier I used and I sharpen it on the grindstone.

My heart feels as heavy as when Wrath used to control my body. I shrug the feeling off. Wrath is dead and I saw that happen. He made his peace with the gods. I just wish why. Why didn't he tell me everything about himself aside from being a dark manifestation of myself? I just wish he is here stand with me, but no. I buried him; I surround his grave with white stones. I don't want any of this to happen.

I hear the city's bell ring indicating its high noon. I stand up and walk to the docks. A platoon of soldiers are gathered in a circle. I suspect that this is where we are going to fight. I walk past the soldiers so I can meet with Simon. I reach the center of the ring and Simon is ready with his rapier. We stand at attention towards at each other.

We encircle each other determine each other's moves before one of us makes that move. The wind blows heavily and that is my signal. I start my assault with a lunge. Simon block with a coulé and parries. I disengage and I lunge trying to land an in quartata. Simon however notices the feint and riposte. Before I know it we are moving this fight more inland to avoid environmental hazard. As I move backwards Simon sends a barrage of hits at me but I keep in the Quarte form. I feel Simon's every attack press against my foil and for a moment I heard the foible crack a bit. I keep moving backwards and before I know it we are inside the palace. Then soon we enter the throne room. Our duel catches the attention of Lark.

"What in Atmos is going on?"

I turn my head and before I say a word I feel something cold enter my body, something sharp. I look down to see Simon's saber thrust into my chest cavity. The blood stains my whites. I hear the clatter of my rapier hit the ground. I reach up and I feel the blood seeping out of my mouth. Then I feel the cold steel exit my body leaving a fatal wound in its place. I collapse to my side. I can feel my life slowly fluttering away from my mortal body. I hear Lark screaming.

I look and I see her running to my soon to be carcass. She forces my body so I can face her. I see tears streaming down from her eyes. I wrap my arms around her. I'm scared and I don't want to be alone. I cough some blood that have been pooling inside my mouth. I don't want to die. I must not die. I must live for myself, for Cyclonia, for Lark Cyclonis. I have to persevere for them, for her. My eyes feel heavy; I close them for a moment. Darkness envelops my sight and blinds me.

I open my eyes and I see a desolate green field. The color of everything however is dull. No light, no darkness just a hue of gray mixed with everything else. I barely see another soul here. The only thing I see is my past playing back to me. From the moment I am born to the moment I die. Everything else in between are moments I savor and moments I cry the most. I cry the most whenever I see that horrible moment; the moment my mother was killed in front of me. I turn away from that since it is the past but yet the past will find a way to come back. I always savor the moment my cousins stood up for me when I was bullied eight years ago. I even savor the moment I accepted my feelings for Lark. I now know this place. This is the border between heaven and hell. I sit next to the black willow tree up on the hill. Every moment, every tear, every laugh and every death is here. I sit down on the willow tree and I rest for a moment.

That is interrupted when something bright approached me. I open my eyes to see it's my great grandfather: Achilles. I stand up to meet his gaze. He's very regal in his armor. I kneel down and cross my fist to meet the opposite shoulder. He gestures to me and points behind me. I turn to find a mirror embedded in the bark of the tree. I look deep into the mirror to find Lark sobbing over my corpse. I can hear it so clearly. I'm feel like I'm about to let a river of sadness go from my eyes. I rub my eyes until.

"Michael, please come back to me; I'm sorry that I yelled at you; please come back to me; I don't want to be alone again."

Those words released something deep inside of me. I'm her champion, I'm her guardian, and I'm her true love. I feel the hidden reservoir every honorguard have inside of them open the flood gates holding the energy back. I close my eyes letting the tears flow down and I take a deep breath. I exhale and the energy begins to release. I look to my sides and I have wings. I look at my hands and a bow is nestled firmly in my grip. The shape of the bow resembles a heart whenever I pull back the anchor point. The color of the bow is pure white as the snow. I achieve true form. I'm a knight and no longer an honorguard. I look back to thank my great grandfather but he is nowhere to be found. The fields begin to gain color and glow bright. The brightness turn to a clear blinding light.

I wake up in the throne room. I see Lark sobbing into my whites. I wrap my arms around her and sit up. She looks up to meet my eyes. I nuzzle my muzzle into her black hair. I release my wings and I wrap ourselves behind its elegance. I place a kiss on her forehead. I stand up and I tuck my wings in.

I pick up my rapier and I get into the Septime stance. Simon see me and he engage into the Prime stance. I charge forward and I start with a false thrust. Simon couldn't block the thrust in time. I flick upwards giving Simon another scar for his little collection. I finish with a froissement causing Simon's rapier to fall off his hand. I salute to him and the our duel is done. I throw my rapier to the ground and I present my hand towards him. He accepts and I help him back up. He nods and walk away.

I turn around and I see stray tears on Lark's face. I walk towards her and I wipe away the tears with my hand and I pull her into my embrace. In silence we cry together. In that moment I really believed I was going to pass on from this world. I loosen my embrace and my eyes meet with hers. I lean in and I place a gentle kiss on her lips. I want to savor this moment but it's broken when Piper walk up and says.

"So you two back together again?"

I laugh. "Piper we only had a little fight but that won't end my love for Lark then and there."

"So you have wings now" Lark asks.

"Yeah; while I was dead I found something that makes me realize that there are more thing in life but yet even that remains a mystery to me."

I pull Lark closer into my embrace and I take flight. I fly through the skylight in the vastly large throne room. I can see the city and with Lark in my embrace. I could say this was some day. I died and then reborn. I land at the docks where they are loading the gravity augmenters. I walk up to Simon who is still in his whites.

"Simon."

"Here to claim your prize Mike?"

"Yes it's more of a change in plans."

"So what is it Captain?"

"Instead of the city we could move the mountains."

"That is a risk and not to mention a financial risk; we could lose hundreds of troops; it cost millions to manufacture these soldiers at the factories; but fine."

I stand by with Lark as the drop ships descend down to install the gravity augmenters. The quiet and dullness of the fog under the city begins to fill with sounds of blasters. The vivid teal flashes of the blasters replace the gray of the fog. I hear a very shrieking sound from the fog and screams of the soldiers sent down there. Then the excitement fades and nothing.

The sound coming from the fog is now the muffled sound of excavation tools digging into the mountains. For this operation to work all fifteen augmenters need to be installed into all three mountains the city stretched over on. The tools stop after twenty minutes of digging. The radio in Simon's hand begins to static through.

"Admiral Blade to excavation teams; what is the situation?"

"Just some bugs' sir but all of the augmenters are in place; all teams are staying close to each augmenter to keep them in good condition as we teleport these mountains back to Atmos."

Lark's face light up we she heard that we are teleporting this whole city to Atmos. She forces me into her embrace. I know she seems eager to return to Atmos but this is adorable. I wrap my arms and wings around her. I lean close and I give her a kiss. I open my mouth allowing her to gain entrance into my mouth. Our tongues touch and we explore each other's mouths. Our little make out session is interrupted when Aerrow taps me on the back.

"Hey Mike me and others need to get going."

"Oh you're not going anywhere."

"Why is that" Finn asks.

"We're all going home."

"You mean" Stork asks.

"This whole city is on its way to Atmos; but to where old Cyclonia used to be."

All their faces light up in excitement and at least Stork look like he's ready to go home. I figured that there so many things that he feared back in Atmos like Murk Raiders or those spine sloths. The only thing these friends of mine want is to go home. And to home we shall. They say home is where the heart is and mine is with Lark. My home is with her. In perspective I'm like a little puppy and Lark is my Mistress.

I look down and the energy fields engulf all three mountains in a single dome of light. A kilometer or two away a portal open large enough for the dome to travel through. The ground rumbled and I hear a set of thrusters pulling the trio of mountains. I look up to see the Strom Blade towing the mountains. We travel through the portal with anything but ease. Due to the mass of the mountain we travel through the portal at a slow pace.

I clench my hand around Lark's hand. I feel her lean closer to my side. As the wall of energy that will transport us to Atmos inch closer, I turn to her and I lean in for a kiss. The warmth of her lips and the energy of the portal engulf us. The portal preserves our moment for a brief amount of time until we reach Atmos. The moment the entire mountains are engulfed by the portal we move in a quick pace where we end up where old Cyclonia used to be.

Our kiss ends as soon the energy that engulfed around us. I look at my watch and Lark and I have been in our kissing position for two minutes. I release Lark and I of my total embrace. I examine the skies and they're bleak and dull. I fly high into the air and with the flap of my wings I clear the dark clouds that surround the area. The clouds dissipate into nothing. The skies are now clear and blue. I glide around until I found a perfect empty spot for the city to be placed. I measure the city and the total of the area of the city is 50x60x90 kilometers. I watch with pride that the Terra of Cyclonia have been rebuilt upon the ruins of its former self.

As I'm about to fly back to the docks I see multiple Sky Knight Squadrons fly towards the city. I fly over to greet them. As I get closer there are so many of them, many of which I can identify. Among the fleet I see the Third Degree Burners, Rex Guardians, Absolute Zeros, The Neck Deeps and so many more. I notice the person leading them is the Interceptor Starling. I fly in front of them and I introduce myself.

"Day to you I am Michael Blade friend of the Storm Hawks, Fiancé to Lark Cyclonis and Knight of New Cyclonia."

Starling gives me a mean look in her eye. I have a feeling in the back of my mind that they are here for something I don't think its tea and cakes. As soon she is about to say something Aerrow arrives.

"Starling hey" Aerrow yells out.

"Hello there Aerrow it's good to see you again but let's talk later; now excuse me I now have to defeat Cyclonis's newest Champion."

"Wait it's cool we didn't have to get rid of Master Cyclonis."

"Wait what do you mean?"

"Mike here was able to turn her around; Cyclonis is one of us now; she's a good person now."

"I highly doubt that."

"Trust me she is" I said reassuring. "I'm the one who convince her to switch side; after all I am a licensed doctor; and if something comes up I am the one to know first."

She look at me skeptically but then she caves in. "Fine but one little invasion or conscription nothing will hold me back from destroying that city."

I hold up my hand and said "you have my word as a knight and as a captain of a Special Forces group; now I must invite you all for a feast after we get situated"

"Very well" Starling says with some spite.

I fly back to the docks and I watch the Storm Blade leave to space. This whole ordeal was a trying one but it is an exciting one. This will give life anew in our world of Knights and creatures alike.