Another Life In The New World

General

We covered ourselves with cloaks and hid under the dirt. I could not see anything will all these heaps surrounding us. Then footsteps walked through the door.

“I know that you are still in here somewhere. There are no windows where you can escape from. I have secured all the exits. Surrender and I will forgive you, resist and you will meet your ends,” a deep voice threatened.

I could feel Girly breathing heavily. She gripped my arm, but I pushed her hands away softly. That made it hard for me to concentrate. When I heard the footsteps coming closer, we crawled beneath the mounds of dirt.

The general slashed through them as we made our slow exit. I ducked out and saw that the door was still open. I dragged Girly with me as I phased through the dirt. We were so close. Then the inevitable happened, Girly stumbled to the floor with a loud thud.

“I heard that,” the general rushed with big steps.

We tried for the door, but the general beat us to it.

“You thought you could trick me?” Gurthe gave a throaty laugh. “Now, you will feel my wrath for such treachery.”

“Warning! This is a Boss Battle! You will be sent back to your last save point if you lose,” a message popped up.

I suddenly remembered that our last save point was from the previous town. The room’s atmosphere became darker and colder than before. An electric current ran down my spine as I felt the surrounding air move towards the general.

“I don’t think we can beat this guy,” Girly was petrified.

“Let us have faith. We have no other choice but to get through to him,” I suggested.

“Are you insane? He might erase us from this game.”

“You don’t know that. Besides, I have a good feeling about this.”

“I hope that your gut is right.”

“I don’t have guts but I have balls,” I smirked at her.

“So, what’s your plan?”

“Like before, I have no plan. I just want this to be over with.”

Suddenly, the general swung his heavy sword. A shock wave blasted through the room as a forceful wind made its path. I quickly pushed Girly with me to the side. Char replaced the dirt after the attack. As we recovered, the general prepared for another attack at us.

The general carried his sword over his shoulders, then aimed at us. A huge shot of wind came from the tip of the weapon. We barely had time to react. I threw my weapon at the eye of the storm and it exploded. The shocking wave pushed us back.

Girly could not move her body. I had to save ourselves somehow. The attack has blinded me, but I still held my shield forward. With nothing to defend myself, I asked for a miracle and wore the sapphire earrings. The general rushed with full force. His glaring, blood-red eyes bore through my soul.

As I prepared for the attack, I felt a sudden inflow of energy through my fingers. I could read the air around me as if I was seeing the room and my enemy with extra sets of eyes. I could see the attack the general was making, but I think I could dodge it with no problem.

The movement was so slow and I sensed him prepare for another strike. He thrusted his sword towards me as I intercepted it. I pushed him back, ran towards the nearest wall and jumped past him. I felt an outflow of energy towards my shield and slashed the general’s arm off.

He let out a war cry. I grabbed the heavy sword with ease, as if it was just a feather. He swiftly turned to me and grabbed my neck.

“Enough with your petty tricks, your end has come,” he glared at me.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that if I were you,” I laughed at him.

“You dare mock me?”

“Wanna kiss my ass?”

“Why you puny bug…!”

He slammed me to the ground, then kicked my ribs. I felt something break within me, but I brushed it off. I breathed in deeply as I balanced myself. He summoned another sword out of nothing. I blocked the incoming attack, but it broke through my shield.

The nerves on my arm got cut, and it became swollen. I screamed in pain. I breathed in and let the energy flow out of my body to my sword. It surged like an electric current and it burned through my veins.

Our weapon clashed like lightning and storm. Neither was gaining advantage of the other. Cracks formed around the room as bolts of lightning shot the walls. The light was blinding, but thankfully, I couldn’t see it.

The general was hurling in pain as his eyes had prolonged exposure to light. His grip on me weakened. It was my chance to strike. I pushed harder on him until he gave in and slashed him crosswise. It was like cutting through wind or water.

“No, how could this be?” Those were the general’s last words.

Suddenly, all the energy flowed out of me, and I fell to the ground. I could not feel my limbs. I looked for Girly. Good thing nothing hit her from the clash. I could finally rest.

I dreamed of Epeitha in its former glory. The people lively bustled around the marketplace. The Royal Family sat at the tallest tower, away from the people. They oversaw the people from the highest balcony. It was like watching a living painting.

Children were playing under the scorching sun, sweat dripped from the day workers, and pastries permeated the summer breeze. Birds flew across the eternally blue sky.

In the palace, the people partied in the afternoon. They danced like the brightest stars in the galaxy. They twirled to their heart’s content, wearing their simple but elegant clothing. The guards protected the happiness people had in this kingdom.

I saw the general lead the guards for the special occasion. It was the one hundredth anniversary of the kingdom’s founding. It required all the Royal Family members to attend this ceremony. The people prepared an abundant feast for this special day.

This was the only day where the kingdom allowed its constituents to dress like royalty. The kingdom distributed clothes to them by the kingdom’s guards. To the most poor, they gave them an addition of a year’s worth of supply of sustenance. Everyone was always happy and smiling until the fateful day came.

The day has come to celebrate the kingdom. Some guards were also merrymaking with their own special drinks. General Gurthe joined them.

“Be happy now, men. Tomorrow, you must rise early for a new day whether sober or not,” he told his boys.

“Come join us, general. You must unwind and join in the celebration,” replied one of them.

“I must not let the temptation to get to me. I do not want to ruin this important celebration.”

“Suit yourself. We will still be here if you ever change your mind.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

He went to the dance hall. People were the happiest in this place. Times were simple, but at least they were happy. He helped the servants by serving them drinks. Some offered to dance with him, but he declined each one of them.

There were children who snuck in the castle and played in the hall, then went to the other rooms.

“Hey, don’t go there. Those kids…” he sighed.

“Let them be, general,” the king placed a hand on his shoulder.

“But your important treasures are there.”

“We can always make new ones. The important thing is that they are happy.”

“Is happiness always the key to living?”

“Well, all other emotions are also important. You cannot be happy all the time, that’s just crazy.”

“Your Highness, may I ask what makes you happy?”

“It’s the people. I love seeing them smile and laugh like this. It makes the kingdom alive. How about you general, what makes you happy?”

“I don’t know. I guess I haven’t found my happiness yet.”

“Don’t look too hard, general. Good luck. I must join my wife on the floor.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

He went out of there and tried to look for the little children. They were playing hide and seek, so he joined in the fun with them. The other children were all laughing and singing across the hall.

“You look so handsome when you smile, sir,” a girl complimented him.

“Oh, really? Should I do this more often?” He flashed his smile wider at her.

“Yes, you look less terrifying and angry when you do that,” a boy replied.

“Is that so? I am scary?”

“At least you are happy, right?” Another child asked.

“Yeah, I think I understand now.”

They kept on playing and singing until they heard a loud crashing sound followed by screaming. The general bolted out the door. He saw people dying and dead. The unfortunate event transformed the happiest room in the kingdom. People were crying everywhere while some decided to end their own lives.

He grabbed a hold of some of them, but it was too late. In the end, he could not save everyone. Then monsters came in and ravaged the whole castle. He went to look for the children. Before he could get to them, they had suffered the same fate. He went out to look for his men, but they all vanished.

All of these misfortunes were too much. He resented himself and thought to join the people in the afterlife. Instead, fought off the monsters, but he barely managed to save himself. They were just too strong.

It had been so peaceful for a century that people forgot to defend themselves. Days have passed, and the general was all alone. He cannot die as he felt that it was his duty to protect the kingdom, so he went on defending it.

The guards outside the walls decided for themselves to close the kingdom. The general cursed at the gate, but his words could not reach them. For all they knew, he perished with the people. They remembered him as the most dedicated general who guided them through the years.

The scene slowly blurred from me. Suddenly, some unknown force pulled me away from the scene. 

“Keith, can you hear me?” a familiar voice called out to me multiple times.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain on my face, “Ow!”

“Thank goodness you are alive. You had me so worried!” She exclaimed.

“How long was I gone?” I asked.

“Long enough for me to worry. Get up, we must get out of here before the monsters reach us.”

“Hold up. I still feel dizzy.”

“We can’t stay here much longer. We must go now.”

“Okay, okay. I’m on my feet.”

My head was heavy as a rock as we walked out of the room. Then, I heard rustling sounds just as we reached the door. Girly looked at it and it her body became still. She shook like my alarm clock.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“Nothing, we should hurry to the exit,” she hesitantly replied.

“No one gets out of here alive,” the general declared.

We hurried through the door and locked it. That should buy us some time. We ran straight to the narrow space, and we were suddenly back to the starting point. We reached the dance hall, then the first floor.

When we reached the first floor, we heard a loud thudding noise on the ceiling. It cracked and something fell from it. We ran for the door, but he was suddenly there. I tried to force out the power I had before, but it did not come to me.

I looked back and saw a large hole he created. I signaled to Girly, and we made a run for it. We sprinted there just in time before his hands could grab us. He stomped the ground with curses, but we held our silence. Then he peered through the hole and poked his arm in. 

“I will get you sooner or later,” he threatened.