S

tepping back nervously, Darek laughed. “That’s um…a joke, right? Didn’t you tell me I was pardoned? There’s no reason for you to execute me.”

“The Federation has pardoned you,” said Dionus, placing his hands behind his back rather formally. “That’s for sure. But I’m no longer part of the Federation. The Federation has nothing to do with this. I’m here to finish what I started.”

“How did you find me way out here?” asked Darek. “The only one who—”
“You may have told him where you were,” said Sorren.
“Are you crazy? I didn’t tell him anything!” Darek shouted.
“That day when you saw Dionus in your dream,” said Sorren. “He was inside your mind. He was able to read your thoughts and memories. Your mistake was that you did not kick him out. It was your mind, you should’ve had the strongest control, but instead you let him do as he pleased.”
Darek snapped, “Then why didn’t you tell me anything? Why didn’t you stop it?”
“Because it’s not like I could tell you anything at the time,” said Sorren. “He killed me in your dream to force me out. I had no idea what was going on inside your mind. All I could do was try to enter, but Dionus had it blocked off until he left. I had my suspicions about what had taken place, but I didn’t want to worry you with assumptions. Furthermore, I had no idea Dionus wanted you dead.”
Darek grimaced. He had spent all that time trying to run away and hide. But in the end, everything begins again. Everything comes full circle.
“Please understand, Darek,” said Dionus, “this is nothing personal. I will make it as painless as possible.”
“As if we’d let you do that,” said Azura, moving into a fighting stance. “If you haven’t noticed, it’s three on one. I say you should back off and leave while you still can.”
“Actually,” said Dionus, “it’s ten against three.”
Nine others walked out of the shadows and stood beside Dionus. Their clothes were made of white and purple linen, glistening in the light of the torches that surrounded the room.
Looking shocked, Azura recognized them instantly. “Vaelthren—What is going on here? This…can’t be. Why would they—”
“Who are they?” Darek asked Azura, nudging her in the arm. “Federation soldiers?”
“The Vaelthren Guard,” said Sorren. “Bodyguards of the Overlord. They only follow and listen to the orders of the Overlord. All of them are Heroes of the highest class.”
“The Overlord?” said Darek, surprised. “The Overlord of the Legion is here?”
“You’re looking at him,” said Dionus.
“Where?” Darek flicked his gaze left and right, searching the room briefly, but he didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.
“Right here.” Laughing, Dionus patted himself on the chest and bowed. “I’m the Overlord now.”
“How dare you say such things,” Azura snarled. “Don’t insult the great Althair, our glorious Overlord, with your disgusting lies!”
“It’s no lie,” said Dionus, staying composed. “I am now the Overlord. Althair has stepped down from his seat and has graciously given it to me.”
“I won’t listen to your lies!” Azura shouted. “Althair would never give up the seat to a sniveling, conniving Federation snake like you!”
“Still your tongue, nameless Hero Azura,” said Eir, captain of the Vaelthren Guard. “What he says is true. Pledge your allegiance and bow down before him.”
Azura shook her head defiantly. “You can’t be serious. There’s no way—”
“Bow,” said Eir again, this time in a commanding voice. “Azura, this is the will of Althair. If you bow, Dionus may forgive you for your wayward words.”
“It can’t be,” she groaned. Though she was in a state of disbelief, she reluctantly obeyed and bowed her head before Dionus. Even if she couldn’t trust Dionus, she had absolute faith in Eir and his words. Defying the law of the Heroes was the one thing she would never do.
“I’m sorry, Darek,” whispered Azura. “This is out of my control. Run.”
Darek staggered back, as confused as ever, and left the room in a burst of speed.
“Dionus—” Azura said.
“That’s Overlord Dionus to you,” said Dionus, “my young Hero.”
“Right,” grunted Azura. “Overlord Dionus, you cannot possibly execute a person unless they are a rebellious Hero. It is not the way of the Heroes to kill. Even if you are the Overlord, you cannot command us to kill.”
“I know,” said Dionus. “That is why it is fortunate for us that there is one here who can kill—and without hesitation, I might add.”
Though nervous, Azura tried to stay calm. “And who would that be?”
“Why, Sorren, of course,” said Dionus, gesturing at him. “Sorren, I know this isn’t exactly the best time for a reunion. I have forgiven you for what you did to me all those years ago. I’m a different man now, as you can see. And I’ve dedicated my life to protecting the innocent. With that said, Darek…must…die. He may look innocent now, but in the future he will bring untold destruction.”
Sorren made firm eye contact with Dionus, trying to understand his intent. “I know the stories as well as you do, Dionus. Darek seems special, but I’m—”
“Sorren,” said Azura sternly. “He’s lying! Don’t listen to him!”
Dionus laughed at Azura’s words. “Who do you think this man is? Sorren is a man of the darkness. Do you think he cannot tell lie from truth?” Dionus turned to Sorren and said, “Examine him and you’ll see what I mean. He is the one we are looking for.”
“Dionus,” Azura roared, “as Overlord, you dare order an assassin to kill?”
“I don’t need to,” said Dionus. “All I’m doing is telling Sorren that he needs to see it for himself. That is as far as I will go. The rest of the responsibility is his.”
“I understand.” Sorren’s green eyes stared coldly at Dionus. “If you are right, I’ll see to it that he will not be able to cause harm. But keep in mind that we have unfinished business.”
Azura said, “Sorren, listen to me! This is Darek we’re talking about! We’ve been traveling with him for a few weeks. You know he’s not—”
Sorren ignored her and dashed away; Azura chased after him, sticking closely behind so as to not lose sight of him.
Eir bowed before Dionus. “My lord, we really must be going. It is not safe here. If you are done with whatever you needed to do, we should leave.”
Dionus replied, “You are right.” He looked at the open doors. “Even if Sorren does fail—it wouldn’t matter. The others can finish the job.”
Eir said, “What of Azura? Should I send someone to go after her? She might not be able to escape otherwise.”
“Leave her be,” said Dionus darkly. “I’m sure she’d refuse to come with us anyway.”
While they breezed across the massive labyrinth of walls and doors, Sorren was silent and tried to shake off Azura who was right behind, but Azura was able to keep up with Sorren’s top speed.
Azura gulped for sufficient air in her tireless run. “Sorren, you aren’t really planning to kill him, right?”
“Help me find Darek first,” said Sorren.
“Don’t tell me you actually believe what he said.” She analyzed Sorren’s cold expression. He seemed emotionless, as always.
Sorren said icily, “Why don’t you? He is your Overlord. I thought all Heroes took the words of the Overlord as law.”
“I won’t recognize him as the Overlord. He was not even a Hero to begin with! How could I possibly accept that?”
Sorren kept his gaze on the corridor ahead, scanning for any sign of Darek.
“Wait.” Azura grabbed Sorren by the arm, prompting him to stop. “Let’s make this clear. You will not harm Darek. Understand?”
Sorren became uncomfortably silent. He didn’t even turn to face her as she spoke.
“Did you not hear me?” snapped Azura. She angrily shoved Sorren into the wall and held him up against it. She hissed, “You’re starting to scare me with your strange attitude.”
Looking into her eyes, Sorren said, “I’m sorry. But this is what I have to do. Please…please don’t get in my way.”

Darek did not get very far at all. He was too exhausted to run and so he decided to search for a hiding place. Going through a wide corridor, Darek checked door after door. Most of the doors were locked. The sound of rapid footsteps echoed in the halls behind him. Someone was coming toward him and at a frighteningly brisk pace.

With the sound of footsteps coming closer, Darek ran to the next room and found an unlocked bedroom for guests. He quickly slammed and locked the door behind him, just in case. There were no good hiding spots. Darek decided to check the window to see if he could escape. He peeked out, only to discover he was nowhere near the ground.

Someone was banging on the door so hard it almost sounded like it would break. “Darek, I know you’re in there. Open up!”
Frightened, Darek crawled out the window without a second thought. He found himself walking along a skinny ledge outside the castle. A brief glimpse at the ground made him whimper and close his eyes. But something wasn’t right. There was something about the scene that he found disturbing. He slowly opened his eyes to the world before him.
The city was no longer there; it was now a pile of rubble and scrap. Spots of flame and puffs of smoke littered the barren land. Darek searched through the gloomy haze, hoping there would be survivors.
“What happened here?” Though he was fearful of the height, his curiosity forced his eyes to continue watching the dismal picture. “The city…it’s all gone…”
“Darek, even if you don’t open this door, I’m still coming in after you!”
He heard the person outside start kicking the door. Darek, realizing that climbing outside was a big mistake, remained where he was. Being chased was now the least of his worries. All the strength in his legs was gone and his knees quivered slightly, though he really wished they wouldn’t. He was now rooted in place, too scared to move back to the window. He started to panic, huffing and puffing uncontrollably.
The hinges of the door flew off as the door was kicked down. The wolf, Thedes, entered the room. Seeing that Darek was not around, Thedes lifted his nose to sniff for his scent. Thedes stopped sniffing. He stared at the window and said, “Darek, are you out there?”
Recognizing Thedes boorish voice, Darek replied, “Y-yes.”
“Get in here,” growled Thedes. “Time for you to make your report. Stop running away!”
“I’d come back if I could, but I really can’t.”
Thedes stormed his way to the window. When he looked out and saw the city in ruins, he gasped loudly, “Oh my goodness…THE CAPITAL! IT’S BEEN—”
“Yes, yes, I know!” Darek said, “Forget about that now. Bring me in first!”
Thedes turned to Darek. “What’s wrong?”
“Can’t you see I’m a bit scared?” he replied.
Thedes held out his paw and said, “Take my hand and I’ll pull you in.” His paw was no more than three inches away from Darek’s hand.
Darek, overly cautious, slid his hand slowly across the wall to get within Thedes’s reach.
“Almost there,” said Thedes. “Just a little bit more.”
Just when their fingers managed to touch, Darek’s lost his footing. He flailed his body back and forth, trying to maintain balance. He could feel himself losing control, but Thedes practically threw his upper body out the window to snatch his hand. Darek was now dangling below the windowsill; his only means of staying alive was Thedes’s outstretched arm.
“Hang on,” said Thedes. “I’ll pull you right up.”
At that moment Darek caught a glimpse of a silhouette right behind Thedes. He warned him, “Watch out! There’s someone in the room with you!”
“Behind me?” Startled, Thedes loosened up. The rest of his body was dragged out the window by Darek’s weight. At the last second, before they both dropped down, Thedes jammed the claws of his feet into the wooden frame of the window. Thedes breathed a sigh of relief. He would probably be able to survive the fall because of his immortal body, but Darek on the other hand was too feeble.
“Now what do we do?” asked Darek, looking up at Thedes. “Are we going to be stuck here?”
All of a sudden, the two of them were jerked upward. “Stop worrying so much,” said Azura at the window. “I’ll pull both of you up!”
Azura had planted her feet firmly inside. She gradually hauled them in, keeping a steady hand so Darek wouldn’t panic or fall. As soon as they were inside, they sat on the floor, taking a moment to rest from the ordeal.
“Thedes,” said Azura, “why are you here? I didn’t think anyone was still in the castle.”
“During the banquet, Merdon was concerned about you,” Thedes explained. “We were never able to contact you inside the ballroom. He ordered me to stay behind and wait for you. I waited near the basement’s secret entrance all night, but only saw servants leave. It was now that I picked up Darek’s fresh scent in the halls.”
“Phew,” breathed Darek, brushing off the sweat from his forehead. “And thank God for that. I would’ve been stuck there.”
Thedes headed for the door.
“Where are you going now?” said Azura.
Thedes said fretfully, “Don’t you see the city in ruins? I must find my master immediately! He needs my help!” He feared the worst and disappeared from the room.
“We might as well leave too,” said Azura, exhaling. “There’s nothing more we can do. The elders are dead. The city is destroyed. It’s all over. Let’s just find the spaceship and go.”
Looking rather perplexed, Darek blinked. “Where’s Sorren?”
“Um…he said he’d meet us at the ship,” said Azura. “He’s…getting it ready.”
“Azura?” Darek observed her strange reaction to his question and became suspicious of her behavior. “You’re not good at lying. What happened to Sorren?”
“Nothing!” She insisted. “He’s waiting for us. Now let’s hurry!” She walked to the door and anxiously gestured for him to leave the room with her.
“Azura.” Again, Darek pressed the question, “What happened to Sorren? Is he okay?”
Azura laid her hands on his shoulder and said with an unconvincing smile, “I’ll explain everything later. But we have to leave—right now!”
“You’re starting to sound like Sorren,” said Darek, giving her a dirty look. “Tell me, did something happen?”
“Be careful!” Azura yanked Darek away from the window right when a loud whoosh came from behind.
Darek checked his jacket and there was a clean rip on the back. Had Azura not moved him a few inches away, he would’ve been sliced in half.
Sorren was standing by the window with his sword drawn.
He said, “Let’s make this quick.”
CHAPTER 28 Invasion