I do not own Dragon Quest 11 or any of the characters.
For Heliodor
Kai stepped up beside David, glancing at him and nodding approvingly at his armor. It suited him well. It didn't look complete without its cape, but it suited him. He looked to the other side, meeting Hendrik's gaze from astride his horse.
"His Majesty?" Hendrik asked.
"I forgave him," Kai answered, Hendrik's eyes widening slightly while David nearly dropped his swords in surprise. "As of today, I am an ally of Heliodor again. But, once Heliodor has been reclaimed, there's somewhere I have to go."
"We'll get there," David nodded.
"No," Kai shook his head. "It's something I have to do alone. If I want to deserve the live my mother gave me at the cost of her own, I have to go alone."
David hesitated, then nodded.
"Whatever you will do tomorrow, we must get through today, first," Hendrik said, drawing his greatsword.
Kai eyed him, taking in his outfit. Gone was Hendrik's beautiful, imposing, black plate mail. In its place, he wore only a full-length, sleeveless, checkered tunic of a pale blue and a lighter, white-blue squares alternating, a tight, long-sleeved, yellow sweater, black pants, and brown leather boots and gloves. His pendant sat as proudly on his chest as Kai's own did.
"It'll be a nice change of pace to fight alongside you for once," Kai admitted. "Though, I still kind of want to see which of us is the better warrior."
Hendrik glanced at him, saying nothing.
"Enemy forces!" a soldier shouted as an army of monster began to mass out of the darkness ahead. "Here they come!"
Kai watched as an army of skeletal soldiers, Ghouls, Skelegons, and a huge variety of flying monsters approached. Hendrik led Heliodor's defensive forces out to meet the soldiers, stopping them in formation at the start of the large field that would be the battlefield.
"Positions, men!" Hendrik called.
"I'll clear the skies," Kai promised as the monsters broke into a charge.
"Fire!" the soldier commanding the archers ordered.
A hail of arrows flashed out, slaughtering a large number of the flying monsters as well as a good number of ground units.
"Charge!" Hendrik roared, spurring his horse into a gallop.
Kai spread his wings, happy he could regrow any of his dragon body parts he lost by transforming back and forth, then took off. Several of the soldiers around him shouted in surprise, but then cheered as he tore into the aerial forces of the enemy army with his sword and dagger. All of the flying creatures eyes glowed red with Mordegon's influence, but despite his reign empowering them, none stood in Kai's way. A Dracky met its end with a sweep of his dagger. A Rantingen Raven suffered a devastating kick that crushed its body. A pair of Grim Gryphons swiped at him, only for his sword to split one nearly in half and his dagger to slash the other's neck. A group of Rantingen Ravens were bathed in flames, several Drackies were frozen and crashed down on the ground forces of the monster army, shattering and crushing a couple of Ghouls. A Skeleton Swordsman, which was a skeleton possessing six arms and holding four curved swords, leapt at him, only for his own sword to slash through all six of its blades entirely, splitting it in half. A Grim Gryphon caught him in a bear hug from behind, only for his tail to burst from its back then retract, dropping it to the battle below. A dozen more Drackies swarmed him, only for him to spin himself, his sword and dagger shredding them all.
As the last of the aerial units, now exclusively Grim Gryphons, swarmed him from all sides, he spun again, roaring and sending a ring of flames out to meet them, burning them all. Then, as they crashed down amid the monstrous army below, Kai dropped, driving his sword down through a Ghoul and into the ground. Instantly, a wave of flames erupted outward from him on all sides, slaughtering more than a dozen monsters before he ripped his sword free of the ground and went on the offensive. He slashed through a Chasmonaut, the skeletons with the sword and shields, slashed a Shadow Minister's spine with his dagger, ducked out of the way of a six-bladed strike from a Skeleton Swordsman before slashing its skull in half with his sword, slashed a Ghoul up the front with his dagger. Flames roared along his sword's blade before he slashed a Chasmonaut, carving through its shield and armor like butter. A Ghoul leapt at him from behind, so he pivoted, slamming a heel into the side of its head and freeing the head from the Ghoul's shoulders.
Ahead of him, a group of soldiers were being pushed back by a Skeleton Swordman and a Shadow Minister, so he sprinted forward, sheathing his dagger and snatching up a fallen soldier's sword, then leapt over the Heliodor soldiers, planting the soldier's sword in the Shadow Minister's face as his own sword slipped between the Skeleton Swordsman's blades, splitting it across the ribcage. The soldiers cheered and thanked him, but he ignored them, turning and carving his way through the army toward another group that was struggling. He could see David doing the same as him, helping groups of soldiers that were struggling to fend off the monsters, wielding his Cobblestone Sword in one hand and the Zombie Slayer Kai had given him in the other. David had improved through necessity, it seemed, and was fighting nearly as efficiently as Kai was. Kai was almost proud. It had taken him long enough to learn efficiency as well as proficiency.
David spun around a Skeleton Swordsman, slashing its spin, then used his Cobblestone Sword to knock a Chasmonaut's shield aside before slashing it with the Zombie Slayer. He spun again, bringing his Cobblestone Sword up through a Ghoul, then drove his Zombie Slayer into another. Kai sheathed his sword and dagger as he passed a Cobblestone Greatsword, a huge, dark blue blade that belled out near the bottom and had an intricate design along the sides of the blade. It was short by greatsword standards, but it was heavy, sharp, and sturdy. And once Kai had it in his hands, it was sent spinning through the monster army in a blur, slaughtering a dozen before Kai drilled a left-handed punch into a Ghoul, killing it as his right drew his sword and slashed a Skeleton Swordsman, once again striking completely through its own blades. David leapt over him, flipping and slashing a Ghoul down the front just as it burst out of the ground, then ran in the other direction, entrusting Kai with a trio of Skeleton Swordsman and a Chasmonaut while he himself rescued a martial artist and a wounded Heliodor soldier from a trio of Chasmonauts. By the time Kai had finished with his enemies, barely seconds after engaging them, he was proud to see David had finished his own enemies as well.
Finally, the tide had turned, and their forces had rallied, beginning to push the monsters back. So, Kai and David charged forward into the battle, past the front lines, and carved their way toward Hendrik. As they ran, Kai sheathed his sword, snatching up another sword from a fallen soldier, though this one was only wounded, and promptly used it to split a Skelegon's head in two, then spun, lopping off a second. A Chasmonaut leapt at him, but David deflected its sword, slashing its head off with his other sword.
"Enjoying a challenge again?" David asked.
"Proving a point," Kai said. "It's not the weapon, it's the wielder."
He spun and ducked through a group of Skeleton Swordsmen, slaughtering them all before exhaling a jet of flames onto a pair of Ghouls. Flames roared along his blade as he slashed another, before he dropped into a crouch. David leapt onto his shoulder and off again, flipping over a phalanx of Chasmonauts, landing behind them and spinning, cutting them all down. Kai passed him, his dagger flashing out and killing a Ghoul as his sword jabbed a Skelegon in the skull, killing it as well. Then, within seconds, they had broken through to Hendrik. For a moment, Hendrik was riding around on his horse, slaughtering anything that came in reach. However, as they approached, and as Kai darted off to take down a Skelegon running futilely after the horse, Hendrik leapt off of the horse to kill a Chasmonaut that leapt at David from behind. Kai sighed as he spun around a Chasmonaut, deflecting its shield with his dagger and killing it with his borrowed sword. David still needed work on his situational awareness.
Kai leapt backward to land in a triangle with Hendrik and David as the monsters surrounding them formed up. "This aught to be entertaining."
"You will need to pull your weight if we're to escape this one," Hendrik said. "Have at them!"
Kai roared, bathing the monsters before him in frigid air, freezing them solid before stabbing the ground, flames erupting under the frozen monsters and shattering them. Then, as he withdrew his blade from the ground, he thrust it forward into a Chasmonaut as the monsters charged. For a moment, the three of them danced and weaved around the battlefield, slaughtering anything that reached them. Then, the ground shook. Once. Twice. On the third, Kai turned from a Skeleton Swordsman as it collapsed, staring at the newcomer. A Headless Honcho. A decapitated knight's corpse astride a pale, rotting horse in battle-scarred armor, wielding a flail with a morning star's head at its end and holding a shield with a face on it, from which it spoke.
"Our beloved commander, best and brightest of the Spectral Sentinels, spake truly when he spake of thee, Hendrik," the Headless Honcho laughed. "Thou art without a shred of guile. Any other would have fled the field long ago."
"I'm any other, and I'm still here," Kai countered. "You gonna back up your big talk, or are you as worthless as the fodder we've been slaughtering so far?"
All around them, any monsters still alive laughed and jeered at Kai and the others, cheering for the Headless Honcho.
"Our reward for tearing thee limb from limb will be a handsome one indeed!" the Headless Honcho declared, the monsters around him cheering. "Well, fools!? Wherefore gapest ye like ninnies!? KILL HIM!"
The monsters all charged again, and Kai rolled his eyes.
"Handle the loudmouth," Kai said, sheathing his dagger and swapping his borrowed sword to his left hand, drawing his own sword in his right. "I'll handle the fodder."
Hendrik and David nodded, charging and carving their way through the handful between them and the Headless Honcho. The rest, however, charged at Kai, and he smirked, spinning and forming a cyclone of flames around himself, incinerating a dozen before taking off just as the flames faded, ripping into the monsters. He slashed through a Skelegon, stabbed a Ghoul, burned a Shadow Minister, kicked a Chasmonaut, shredded a Skeleton Swordsman, froze a Ghoul, kicked the same ghoul to turn its pieces into projectiles to slaughter half a dozen other monsters. He deflected several swords, countered, parried, shredded, dodged, slashed, stabbed, crushed, kicked, burned, slashed, stabbed his sword into the ground to cause an explosion. The monsters flooded toward him without end, but no matter in what combinations or frequency they tried to reach him, nothing did. And then, finally, he was out of fodder. He turned toward the Headless Honcho just as it crashed to the ground, dissolving into darkness instantly.
"Took you two longer than I was expecting," Kai commented.
"Our coordination took a moment to adjust," Hendrik admitted. "But the beast is dead." He looked around. "As are all of its troops, it seems."
"I told you they were just fodder," Kai said, sheathing his Dragovian King Sword.
"Commander!" a soldier called out, running over to them. "A message from His Majesty! He wishes to speak with you. All of you!"
"Right away," Hendrik nodded, heading back toward Last Bastion.
"Hey, whose sword did I borrow?" Kai called out to the soldiers as he and David followed Hendrik.
"It was mine, but you can keep it!" a soldier called back.
"Pass," Kai chuckled. "I've got my own. Besides, you should never relinquish your weapon so easily. In a fight for your life, this is your most loyal ally. Treat it as such, and it will never fail you."
The soldier nodded, accepting the sword back, and Kai walked away.
"That was a pretty way of saying your sword sucks," David commented, grinning.
"I also didn't tell him that it's going to need to be replaced or it'll break," Kai snorted. "Such inferior craftsmanship. No love of the art, just numbers."
David shook his head, and they pushed through the gate into Last Bastion together.
Kai ignored David's glances. They'd been ordered to infiltrate Heliodor Castle through the sewers, the same place that Erik and David, and a few minutes later Kai, had escaped. And as he passed the order, he'd held his sword. For ceremony. For authority. But from the moment he'd lifted it, and as he held it out to display his resolve to face whatever forces were sent for the Last Bastion in their absence, Kai had seen the torment in his eyes, the tremble in his hands that he was struggling to hide from Hendrik. And so, when Hendrik had knelt to accept the mission, so, too, had Kai. That was why David was giving Kai strange looks. But Kai didn't mind them. It was proof that he wasn't as he had been before. It was proof that he was trying to change.
"I never thought I would see you kneel before the King of Heliodor," Hendrik admitted. "You truly have had a change of heart."
"I have," Kai nodded. "Thanks to my mother. And thanks to Jade."
Hendrik glanced at him. "Jade is so important to you as to change your heart?"
"She's my friend," Kai said. "She reminds me of someone I lost. And she asked me to try to forgive her father. So I tried, and after listening to what he had to say, I did."
Hendrik nodded, remaining silent. They all climbed the cliffs below the sewer entrance, only to stop as a massive swarm of Rantingen Ravens and Grim Gryphons flew over them.
"So, the assault begins," Hendrik mused. "Move. This is no time for idling."
Kai and David nodded, and they hurried through the gate into the sewer. At a fork just inside, however, David stopped them.
"There's a dragon," David warned them. "This way."
"Big black one?" Kai asked.
"Yeah," David frowned. "How'd you know?"
"I killed it," Kai said. "On my way out."
"Oh," David blinked.
"Then we've no need to linger here," Hendrik said. "This way!"
He led them through the sewers quickly, the trio fighting their way through Drackies, which posed almost no threat, Infernal Armors, which were suits of animated armor, shields, and swords, which were annoying but died quickly between the three of them, Bubble Slimes that were as weak as the Drackies, and a handful of Rantingen Ravens. Then, finally, they'd reached the castle, entering the castle by way of the dungeons. The castle's dungeons were crawling with monsters, however, mostly meaning Chasmonauts, which made up the bulk of the monsters' forces, but also a few Dullahans, which were essentially just a dismounted Headless Honcho. There were also a few Hocus-Pokers, humanoid monsters that wore purple robes and fought using magic.
Finally, they had fought their way into the castle itself, finding it trashed and destroyed, numerous stairways they passed collapsed, and the floors, decorations, and walls damaged severely. More monsters patrolled the corridors of the castle, but they were lightly guarded, the largest group they came upon being two Hocus-Pokers, so they had no trouble whatsoever slaughtering the monsters. Finally, they reached the foyer and stopped. The stairway they needed to take to get to the throne room was completely demolished, and while Kai could simply fly them over the stairs, they decided to simply find another route. They headed out to a small courtyard where an Yggdrasil Root was wrapped around a tree, and when David rested his hand on it, their minds were filled with visions of Hendrik's childhood with Jasper. He'd always been the better fighter, and Jasper had always been more clever. Carnelian, in recognition of their loyalty and devotion, had given them matching pendants. The images shifted to Jasper convincing Hendrik to help him search Carnelian's bedchamber for a relic and symbol of Heliodor's greatest knight, the Shield of Heliodor. The means by which they'd get there were a secret passage, though the exact location wasn't revealed by the images. The images shifted to one of an adult Jasper, though younger than Kai had ever known him, dressed as a low-ranking soldier. However, the image remained for only a moment before vanishing.
"Of course!" Hendrik recalled. "The passage to the King's chambers! But...what was that? A vision? A dream?"
"A memory," Kai said. "Recalled from your mind and shared with us all by Yggdrasil through the power of the Luminary."
"So this is your power, Luminary?" Hendrik asked. "You are able to draw on the memories amassed within the World Tree? To pry into others' pasts? Very impressive." He turned away. "The kitchen is on the north side of the castle, beyond the banquet hall. Come."
They all headed back inside, finding a pair of monsters hauntingly similar to Dora waiting for them, though these wore red dresses and were only slightly larger than they were. They also both died easily. Then, they were hurrying through the castle again, passing through the banquet hall to the kitchen. In a storeroom to their left, Hendrik moved a set of shelves, revealing the secret passage, and they all sprinted into it.
"I never made it here, that night," Hendrik admitted as they ran. "I was caught trying to slip out of my bedchambers. The King made me polish all the armor in the castle. Jasper was disgusted with me. We had a furious argument. We had so many in those days. But there was more happiness than strife. Life was simple. We had a purpose. We would have stood together in defense of Heliodor no matter what."
"I'm sorry," Kai said. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now."
Hendrik shook his head. "He is a traitor. He must be brought to justice." As they reached the King's chambers, he slowed to a stop, turning toward them both. "I have treated you poorly. Forgive me." He bowed. "My loyalties have been tested, but not by you. Whatever lies ahead, we must face it together. Will you stand beside me?"
"Yeah," David nodded.
"Let's clean the filth out of your castle," Kai said.
Hendrik nodded, and they hurried through the castle, meeting no monsters and reaching the throne room unimpeded. Sure enough, there, seated on the throne, backdropped by a shattered wall, sat Jasper. He wore maroon boots, black pants, and a black coat with puffy shoulders, faux feathers below the collar, and a large, maroon collar shaped not unlike flower petals. As the moon emerged from behind a cloud, however, they stared. His blonde hair was now silver, his skin a pale violet, his fingernails black, and his irises a dark red. He clapped slowly, staring down at them in disdain but with a cruel smile on his lips.
"You have done well to make it here, old friend," Jasper commended Hendrik. "And with the Darkspawn and the vermin in tow, no less. Oh, bravo!"
"Mocked by a guy dressed like a jester," Kai mused. "How insulting."
"Jasper!" Hendrik snarled. He drew his sword and charged, leaping into the air and slashing, only for Jasper to vanish in a burst of darkness before reappearing behind Hendrik.
"Temper, temper," Jasper chided mockingly. "Brute force may have won the day once upon a time, but things are very different now."
Hendrik spun, slashing again, only for Jasper to again vanish. "Why!? Why did you give yourself to the darkness!? What of our pact!? We swore fealty to Heliodor! We promised to protect the kingdom! Together!"
"Why!?" Jasper scoffed, appearing off to the side, leaning against the wall, this time holding a staff with a silver head covered in cruel points. "You, of all people, ask me why?" He laughed cruelly.
"Does something amuse you, traitor?" Hendrik snarled.
Jasper vanished, then reappeared before Hendrik, holding his staff to Hendrik's face as he floated above the ground. "It is I who must ask you 'why', surely?" He vanished, reappearing behind Hendrik and striking with his staff, only for Hendrik to block it with his sword. "Why is it that you always thought yourself so much better than me?" He vanished, striking again, but again Hendrik deflected the blow. "Why was it always you who was given the golden opportunities? Why was it always you who always got just what you wanted? Why, hm!? TELL ME WHY!" He teleported behind Hendrik again, once again striking at him, this time sending Hendrik skidding backward, but again failing to get past his sword. "Well, no more. I will be second best no longer. I know the truth now. Love, dreams, light, friendship! All these count for naught! All that matters is power! And the only power that matters is the darkness!" He extended his hand, a flame of pure darkness bursting to life in it. "There is one who sees the worth in me. Who deserves my fealty. Who gives me the power I crave. And all who stand in his way must be destroyed!"
He hurled the darkness at David, but before anyone could react, Hendrik stepped in front of him, shouting in pain as he took the blow for David. Hendrik fell to his knees, holding himself up with his sword as he gasped and panted for breath.
"I lost my hometown...my family...my friends...all to the dark power that you serve," Hendrik said. "I lost my faith, my purpose...Though some called me 'hero', I believed I was a fraud...and that I was powerless to protect them." He took a steadying breath. "But I can protect them. I must. And there is one I must protect above all others." He pushed himself to his feet, looking back at David. "It is the Luminary's duty to deliver the world from evil...and it is my duty to protect him!" He turned, pointing at Jasper. "Jasper, you are a traitor to your kingdom, a servant of evil and a threat to the Servant of Light! I sentence you to death!"
Jasper teleported closer, brushing his bangs aside. "Really, old friend? Forgive me if I do not begin quaking just yet."
Hendrik charged and struck again, but again Jasper vanished.
"No, let us end this farce," Jasper's voice intoned.
And then, he was there, hovering just outside the shattered wall of the throne room, but he was changed. His muscles had swollen to rival Hendrik's, the Silver Orb shone from the center of his chest, a pair of spikes protruded from his shoulders, a pair of leathery wings extended out to his sides from his back, horns stuck out from his head, his finger and toenails had grown into claws, and his body below his waist was covered in shaggy, silver hair. He was a demon. A monster.
"You will outdo me no longer, Hendrik!" Jasper declared, his voice distorted. "This time, it is I who have been chosen, and you who will fade into obscurity!" He cackled one final time before streaking up and out of view.
"Jasper..." Hendrik growled.
Then, a new voice cackled from all around them. They all spun, looking around, only to turn to the throne as darkness began to swarm to it, forming their newest foe, who stepped out from behind the throne as though he'd always been there. It was a skeleton wearing shattered, black armor with a tattered blue cape and wielding a pair of large, curved swords. In its right eye socket was the Purple Orb. He stalked down the steps from the throne, and Kai and the others all readied themselves, Kai and David drawing their swords. It cackled again as it surveyed its prey.
"Well met, worms!" the creature cackled. "I am Tyriant, servant of the Lord of Shadows and proud bearer of the title of Spectral Sentinel! You would return the world to brightness?" Tyriant cackled. "Fools! Wretches! The time of light is no more! The age of darkness looms! All is as the Lord of Shadows wills it! So long as I yet live, the dawn shall not return to this place!"
"So all we have to do to end the night is kill you, then?" Kai asked. "Good to know. Simple enough. Shall we?"
He exploded forward, but before he could reach Tyriant, the Purple Orb flashed and Tyriant's shadow rose from the ground, slashing. Kai blocked the slash and was sent sailing backward. He flipped, narrowing his eyes, then charged alongside David.
"David, remember that technique I tried to teach you?" Kai asked.
David nodded, and as he neared Tyriant's shadow, his sword both shone blindingly blue. Then, he spun and slashed in a flurry of movement. However, even as he moved at double his normal speed, Tyriant's shadow deflected all of the strikes. However, that was fine. David was only the distraction. As the shadow moved to counter, Kai shot past it, moving to strike Tyriant as Hendrik moved to assist David. Tyriant snarled angrily, slashing both sword downward at Kai with enough force to shatter the ground. However, Kai avoided the strike and struck in return. Tyriant leapt away from him, escaping with only a scratch, and his shadow spun, slashing at Kai. Kai leapt over the blade, flames roaring along his own, then slashed downward at the shadow just as Hendrik's sword shone a brilliant gold and he slashed at it from behind. The shadow twisting, raising a sword to block each blade. Kai's blow stopped, but Hendrik's smashed through the Shadow's sword, then carved down through the shadow, shattering the ground as the shadow faded. But just as it did, another formed, then another.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "David, focus on Tyriant. Hendrik and I will handle his shadows."
David nodded, and the three of them charged. Hendrik struck at his shadow ferociously, but with his overly large sword, he couldn't find enough time to charge the same attack with which he'd defeated the last. Kai, on the other hand, ducked and spun around his shadow's blades, deflecting them when needed, for several moments, seeing David doing the same with the real Tyriant. Finally, Kai had an opening and his sword shone with light before he slashed twice in the blink of an eye, once vertical and once horizontal. The skill was called Miracle Slash, and was meant for two things. Healing the user, and killing undead. As the shadow vanished, Kai felt a bit of energy seep back into him. He turned instantly, roaring and sent flames washing over the other shadow, dispelling it, as well, and freeing Hendrik to assist David, who was starting to lose ground against Tyriant. Then, just as Hendrik's sword exploded into Tyriant's, hurling him backward, the Purple Orb flashed again. This time, however, it didn't conjure a shadowy doppelganger of Tyriant, it cast Zammle on all three of Tyriant's opponents.
Kai groaned, staggering to the side before steadying himself as Tyriant stalked toward them. Hendrik and David both readied themselves as well, and they all charged together. Tyriant slashed, but Hendrik deflected it. He stabbed with the other sword, but Kai slashed the blade down into the ground. He cast Zammle at David, but Hendrik used a Magic Barrier to nullify it. David slashed at Tyriant, but he leaned back avoiding it. David spun, slashing again, but Tyriant stepped back. However, as he did, Kai slammed a kick into his back, sending him forward into a stab by David's Zombie Slayer. The sword shone and Tyriant shrieked in pain, then slashed downward, smashing the blade and nullifying the sword's power. He spun, slashing at them all, and though they all blocked the strike, they were all hurled backward.
"Die!" He roared, conjuring three shadows.
However, the moment they'd appeared, Kai's eyes flashed, instantly dispelling the shadows and sending Tyriant staggering away, clutching at his face.
"So bright!" Tyriant shrieked.
"Let's end this!" Kai shouted, white-hot flames exploding to life along his blade as Hendrik's blade shone gold and David's shone as he prepared a Miracle Slash.
All three leapt forward, striking at once, and Tyriant shrieked in pain, launched backward into the wall by the force of their combined strike. Then, darkness began to flood off of him as he staggered forward a few feet, clutching at his head.
"N-No!" Tyriant shouted. "M-My darling darkness! Do not leave me! Do not let the light...prevail!"
"Shut up!" Kai snapped, extending his hand. "Gigaflash!"
A blinding light, several times brighter than what had come from his eyes, erupted from his hand, directed forward, and completely obscured Tyriant, who shrieked in agony for half a second before going silent. As the light faded, and Hendrik and David blinked several times to clear their vision, Kai hummed thoughtfully.
"I wasn't sure that would actually work," Kai mused.
"It seems to have done the trick," Hendrik noted, still squinting but staring at the Purple Orb lying on the floor of the castle.
Just as David picked it up, there was a pulse of magic above them, and the violet clouds cleared, leaving a star-lit sky.
"The clouds are gone," Hendrik said, squinting up at the sky, then rubbing his eyes. "Is it night?"
"It is," Kai nodded. "Sorry. Here." He healed them both, both blinking and looking around before sighing.
"Warn us if you do that again," Hendrik said.
"I will," Kai nodded. "But right now, I have to go."
"Already?" Hendrik asked.
"Heliodor is saved," Kai said. "I have somewhere else I need to go, now."
Hendrik and David both nodded.
"Meet me at Gondolia once you're done," David said.
Kai nodded, then spread his wings and shot into the sky, turning toward Octagonia and flying fast.
Leave a review.