Republic Of The Shadow Walkers - Naomi's perspective

I stared at what was right in front of me. One of the images that I had imagined: Langdale in flames and ruins.

Bethany peered around me, and gasped. "Who did this...?"

"We should investigate," Tim observed. "Maybe there are some clues around here."

I was barely listening, for I was thinking, Is Laurel okay? Is the mansion in ruins as well? Is everyone okay?!

Stepping out of the shelter, I whirled around to see the mansion. It seemed to be okay.

That is, until I walked towards the front door and saw that the left side (my left) was partially destroyed. Rubble was on the grass, and smoke rose from the house next to us, which was about twenty feet away.

So the house next to mine was bombed... That explains why mine is only partially in ruins, compared to everything else in sight.

Good thing my office is on the right side, and not the left. Lucky me.

Bethany was also looking at it, and she commented, "Lucky you, the office isn't on the side that's damaged."

"Did you just read my mind?" I said, looking at her curiously.

"What?"

"... Never mind."

I looked around, in yet more shock.

"The world just loooves to shock me a lot, doesn't it?" I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Tim looked at me curiously. "Being shocked three times isn't that much, if you think about it."

"No, make that four. There was Jan's poisoning attempt, the car explosion, the arrow, and before all that was-" I stopped, realizing that I hadn't told them about Leo yet.

"Was what?" Bethany asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Um... I haven't told you all of what happened yet, have I?" I said sheepishly.

"If we haven't heard all of it, just tell us so we can," Tim crossed his arms.

"Well, I went into the Cemetery to look for Ransom two nights ago, and um... Well, Leo's grave was open, and I tripped over it and fainted, which was why I didn't come home that night..."

"You WHAT?!" Bethany growled.

"Wait, Leo's grave was open?! Was the body... Gone?" Tim raised an eyebrow.

I nodded. "And Ransom was right by the open grave, out of battery."

Bethany muttered something under her breath.

Tim blinked for a second. "Are you sure that wasn't a hullucination?"

"Yes, I am sure!"

"We'll have to look into that more a little later... We've got things to do," Bethany said.

"We need to do what, exactly? It's not like we can go shopping or whatever in this..." I waved my hand at the bombed landscape. "This... All this destruction."

"Darn you, I wasn't talking about shopping!" Bethany muttered. "I was talking about getting you both to Sonraeria, and bringing back the military so that they can help get the survivors outta here."

"Okay, that makes a lot more sense! Imma go start getting my surviving belongings together so we can leave." I rolled my eyes.

As the dawning rays of the sun illuminated the horizon, I opened the front door and headed inside, coughing at the dust that the opening of the door threw up from the floor.

I kept on coughing as I walked through the house. Everything was covered in dust, and I couldn't take a step without dust flying.

With a lot of that, I made it upstairs and into my bedroom, which was also on the right side of the house, thankfully. The living room and the dining room, however, were not.

I took the suitcases that I had used for the move out of my apartment, and used them to hold the rest of my clothing and bedding. As I packed up everything that I needed, I wondered where Laurel was, and if she was okay.

Please be okay, my friend... Please be okay.

Time passed, and the sun was a lot higher in the sky when I placed the last of my things into the car. It was quite small, but I didn't have that many things.

Tim was already in the car, trying to select a song out of Bethany's vast collection of music. She always wanted her music to play in her car when she was driving, which I was totally okay with, since we had the same taste in music.

Bethany looked at me. "Aren't you going to get in?"

"You know, I want to stay for a while..."

"Why?"

"Well, I want to go see if I can investigate for any clues around here; maybe I can find out who attacked us, and I also want to go check out Leo's grave to see how the fudge he survived. Also, there are probably people who need some help," I pointed out.

"Naomi."

"What?"

Bethany nodded at me, and handed me my katanas. "ALWAYS have these when you're alone, okay? I don't want to risk you being unarmed."

I took them, and made sure I had Ransom in my hoodie pocket. "Thanks, Bethany. See you guys later."

Beth smiled at me. "You're welcome."

She got into the Honda Fit, and I was thankful that we were on the edge of the city, and therefore didn't have to drive far to get out of the chaos that we were in. As the small white car drove away, thanks to Bethany's cautious driving, I turned away and took out Ransom.

"You're my only company right now, little guy," I said. "How about let's go out and see if we can find Laurel?"

He didn't respond, as always, but when I ordered, "Ransom, follow me," he followed me loyally, like a normal obedient dog would.

I sheathed my katanas and strode down the street, observing the damage that was the result of the attack. "I hope we find clues," I said to myself. "Or else we'll have nothing to help us find out who did this."

My gaze caught several people rumaging through rubble, and I silently wished them luck in their work. Nobody took notice of me; they were too focused.

I was about to ask if I could help, but suddenly, Ransom stopped, and I looked at him curiously. "What is it, Ransom?"

His head was turned toward the ruins of the library.

"Ransom, go!" I ordered.

He raced in the direction he had been facing, and I followed him closely. Jumping up onto a huge slab of concrete that was at a steep angle, he slid down and raced towards the center of the rubble pile. I could see the remnants of destroyed books, a sight which saddened me, since I was a book lover.

Ransom lowered his head when he reached the center, and he seemed to be sensing something.

"What is it- GAAAAH!" I shrieked as the rubble gave away under my feet.

I tumbled, along with the rubble, down into a huge underground tunnel, and when the concrete stopped shifting, I was half buried under a pile of tiny and medium-sized rocks, most of them bricks.

"Ransom, come!" I called as I started to get the rubble off me.

I heard his metal paws come in contact with the concrete chunks at the top of the huge pile that had fallen, and he came to me and tilted his head.

He used his handy paws to help dig the rubble and bricks off me, and after a few minutes, I stood up, covered in dust, but fine, other than a few bruises and small cuts here and there.

Then, I finally gazed around the tunnel I had fallen into. It was - of freaking course - covered with dust, and it seemed as if no one had been down there for a very, very long time.

I had the urge to venture inside and perhaps discover treasure or long-lost legends, but I had a grim feeling about going into the tunnel.

Picking up Ransom, I climbed up the pile of rubble, getting out of the creepy and ominous tunnel. I would investigate later.

After my siblings came back. I wasn't going to go in there without them, since it truly didn't feel safe, not in the slightest. And also, it would be a lot more fun with them both by my side.

And Laurel too, if she was still alive and well.

So, I kept venturing around, climbing around mountains of rubble, jumping onto concrete slabs, and doing things that tested my parkour skills. (Which weren't all that great, but still pretty decent.)

Finally, I glimpsed the tip of a plane wing on the other side of another huge pile, and I could see a flag imprinted on it. I realized that was the flag of Pyolangi, and then thoughts started racing through my mind.

Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. Dragon's blood, griffin tails, and SEAL GUTS.

Glitch, why?! I didn't even have the chance to explain myself...

I shook my head in disbelief, and started to parkour up the rubble to look at the remains of the plane more closely.

Onto the huge flat slab of concrete... Step around those bricks... Leap over that piece of a rooftop... Climb the pile of broken concrete...

Finally, I made it to the top of the pile, and looked down at the plane. It definitely belonged to Pyolangi.

I cursed under my breath, saying something about exploding suns and flying zombies.

"Why me..." I muttered, climbing back down the rubble and going back to the safety of the streets.

Why do all the bad things have to happen to me?!

First, my family line is almost completely wiped out. Then Crather comes into power, and turns the peace into war, and murders most of my friends and nukes most of their countries. Then, the war ends, and now we're going to war again just because of simple misunderstandings?!

Will history repeat itself? Is this just a circle that will keep going, on and on throughout the ages?

I really need to research and try to find out more about what happened to my family line, exactly... I feel like I need to know.

I also need to research on Crather, and Radish Land. That'll probably do some good.

I then made a mental note to check out a library or something, as soon as I had access to one.

Coming back to reality, I found myself walking towards the Langdale Cemetery once more. Was I zoning out again?

I mentally sighed.

Wait, maybe I can try to figure out what happened with Leo, I thought as I passed the Cemetery's archway that revealed the entrance.

The Cemetery was a lot less sinister looking in the daylight, which was a relief. I easily found the courage to walk over to Leo's grave, which was still open, unchanged from how I last saw it.

I felt eyes on my back, and glanced around to see nothing. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

Glaring around at the gravestones that were a memorial to my comrades, I growled, "If someone is here, you can come out now."

Only the wind answered me, which would have chilled anyone who wasn't as used to cold temperatures as I was. I narrowed my eyes, but kept on with my little investigation.

As I came to Leo's grave, I observed the coffin a little closer. I leaned over into the coffin (which was quite deep and also quite wide for someone like Leo, but that was the first coffin I found at the time we had to bury him, so we used it.), and I started to poke and jab every inch of the velvet inside it.

It was made of wood, I knew, and there was velvet carpeting on the inside, so I was searching for a secret button or lever or trapdoor or something, since there had to be a way out of it.

Well, unless Leo had just survived on carbon dioxide the entire time, which was obviously NOT the answer.

I didn't find any trapdoors or buttons, however, I did find that the carpet was able to be peeled back. I did so, and I jabbed one of the boards very hard.

It gave way easily, falling down into some kind of hole. The same happened with the boards next to that one, though they were more stiff and harder to move.

Is this how he survived? He just went into a hole?!

I lay flat on my stomach, and crawled down into darkness. I used my phone to emit light into the room that lay before me, and I dusted off the dirt that smeared on my hoodie.

I knew that if Leo was a very thin person (I figured he probably was, since there wouldn't be much to eat down here), he'd have no problem sliding down the boards and getting in. I myself had a bit of trouble, and I was considered thin.

It was a very earthy room, and didn't have much space in it. I wondered how one could sit in here alone for long without feeling like they were imprisoned, much less live here.

Now, how did he get out? Ransom was involved, I know...

But how?

Those questions floated around inside my brain as I attempted to accomplish the challenge of getting out of the room. It was definitely challenging, but I finally managed, after a lot of wiggling, struggling, and encouraging myself.

Finally, I got out of the coffin, and I sat on the ground next to the gravestone, tired.

Once again, I felt the feeling of being watched. Another stalker?

Or someone trying to kill me? Just in case, I gripped one of my katanas in my hand, ready for battle.

But no one came.

"Too scared to come out and face me?" I taunted.

I stood up and headed to the fountain at the center of the Cemetery, and sat on the marble edge of it, resting. The marble was dusty from the debris, but I brushed off a section of it and sat down.

After a long moment of staring off into space and wondering about what would happen to the Republic next, I glimpsed movement out of the corner of my eye.

I spotted someone in a black hoodie and white jeans heading out of the Cemetery. Blinking, I wondered why they had been watching me, or even if they had.

And who is that anyways?

The person, whoever they were, turned around for some reason, and saw that I was staring at them. Their face looked familiar, somehow, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him, or if I knew him.

... I just can't put my finger on it...

As he walked away, this time going a little quicker, I finally realized who he was. Leo... That's him!

It has to be.

I started to run after him, to catch him and ask the questions I had been wondering, and possibly try to talk to him and get him to understand my side of the war. However, he fled, and I lost him as soon as I exited the archway of the Cemetery.

Darn it, Leo! I need to ask you so many things... And tell you so many things...

Why does this happen to me?

I sighed. Was that reeeeally Leo, or am I just hullucinating? Stuffing my hands in my hoodie pockets, I started walking again.

As I looked down at my boots, I saw that they were now smeared with dust and dirt. I silently told myself to clean them as soon as I got to Sonraeria, because then I'd have good access to water and a cloth that wasn't dusty.

As I headed back to the ruins of the mansion, I crossed my arms, not because I was cold, but because I was irritated.

Why didn't Glitch, like, contact me to get me to explain- wait, he can't... That explains it.

But he could have at least WAITED to be able to...

I wanted to go over to Pyolangi, grab Glitch by the shoulders, shake him and ask, "The heck bro?! YOU COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS, DUDE!"

Two of my friends turn out to be alive...

Aaand one of them is trying to destroy me. Great. How the fudge did this get SO messed up...

While I was deep in thought, I tripped. Looking down at the thing I had tripped over, I realized that it was the same cat I had tripped over the other day while I was searching for Ransom.

I glared at the cat, who was a smug looking tabby.

As the cat strode away, glaring at me the entire time, I shook my head. "The heck..."

Several hours passed, and I finally spotted a white car on the horizon. After looking for Laurel without success, I had been waiting back at the mansion, since I wanted to shut out the world for a while and just... Think.

However, my thinking had mostly been about how insane this situation was, and how so much chaos could erupt in only a few months.

As the car rolled in, I stared into space gloomily.

Only Bethany got out, since she had dropped Tim off. She sighed. "Come on, we need to go."

I made sure Ransom was in my pocket, and that my katanas were still firmly sheathed in their scabbards. Then, I headed over to the vehicle and stepped inside.

"Find anything?" Bethany asked as she turned into the road that we had to go on in order to reach Sonraeria.

"Yes," I replied, and then launched into a monologue about what I found.

"... So it was Pyolangi... Not surprising, at least for me. And honestly, I'm really impressed at how Leo survived down there," She laughed.

"I know, right?" I looked at her, and then stared out the window again.

"Also, I was thinking-"

"Oh no!" I gasped dramatically. "Not the THINKING!"

Bethany rolled her eyes at my dramatic sarcasm, and then muttered, "According to your own story of what happened the other day, you literally disobeyed nearly everything I specifically told you NOT to do."

"Wait, which ones?"

"Lemme see... You went with someone suspicious, you took a DRINK from her, you nearly drank something poisonous, you searched for Ransom in a sketchy place, and you certainly were a bit of an idiot."

“I know, I know. Don't do anything stupid, don't go with anyone suspicious, don't walk in the middle of streets without looking, don't take drinks from weird people, don't eat anything that looks poisonous, don’t punch anyone, don't go searching for stuff in sketchy places, don't be an idiot, and don't die," I remembered saying.

"... At least I accomplished three of them, right? I didn't punch anyone, I didn't walk into any streets without looking, and I certainly didn't die, which is the most important one, right?" I smiled innocently.

"True... Because Laurel was there."

"Which is why she's my best friend."

"True," Bethany laughed. "Okay, fine. Just don't do anything else stupid, kay?"

"I can't promise that I won't do anything stupid, can I?" I shrugged.

"... You have a point."

During the rest of the time it took to get to Sonraeria, we listened to loud music, ranted about how blind certain people were, and ate chips that Bethany had purchased a while ago.

"Soooo... What I was thinking is that you can hang out with the NightWalkers for a while," Bethany looked at me as she was parking in a secluded and quiet part of the city, where not many people went or lived.

"Why- WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" I screamed at Bethany as she nearly ran into a lamp post.

She slammed on the brakes, throwing me forward a little. "How about let's talk after you park?" I said, facepalming.

"Okay, fine."

After she parked, I then asked, "Why do I need to hang out with them for a while? I'm fine with that, don't get me wrong, but I want to know why."

"One, I need to get some stuff done and assign some tasks to people; Two, it'll be a lot safer for you there than anywhere else, and there could be anyone else that may try to assassinate you again. I'm not taking any chances. Three, I need to introduce you to your two bodyguards, and they're in there," Beth walked towards a shady-looking house as she explained, and I followed.

"... Did you relocate? Last time I visited, the NightWalkers were somewhere else."

"Yes, and many more have chosen to join since then, so you'll be seeing a lot of people you most likely haven't seen before. This place is much better to train inside of, a lot bigger, and a lot safer, since we're underground now."

"Oh, cool!" I nodded as she went inside and locked the door behind us after I followed suit. "Has anyone discovered the existence of this movement?" I lowered my voice, since we were now almost inside a top-secret place.

Bethany coughed at the dust that coated the inside of the house, and then replied, "No, we haven't. And I am certain we won't. Even if we are - which is extremely unlikely - we have the ability to easily defend an attack."

"Excellent."

She then stomped on a loose floorboard, and said quietly but intensly, "NightWalkers, your leader, Bethany Ashkill, has returned, along with her sister Naomi Ashkill, the Dragon Of The Shadows. Reveal the entrance, and let us enter."

Suddenly, in the furthest corner from the door, the floor rose, revealing the fact that it was actually a trapdoor.

Smart, a hidden trapdoor that can only be opened from the inside. Smart, Bethany.

"It's you," The girl who opened the trapdoor commented, looking at me.

"Yes, indeed," I said.

Bethany glanced at me, "They have wanted to invite you down here and get to see you, but you've always been busy in Langdale, so..."

I laughed, "Seriously?"

"Yep." She gestured to me, "After you."

I descended down the ladder that lay before me, into the dim light of the NightWalkers' base.

"Wow," I breathed, looking at the smooth stone walls and the purposely dimmed lights. "This is so cool."

"You haven't even seen the whole thing yet!" Bethany said as her feet landed on the floor.

"I am aware of that fact."

The girl who had opened the trapdoor ran ahead of us, and Bethany led me down the tunnel that led to where I would find certain safety.

As we emerged into the underground, my eyes widened at the sight of the room that lay before me. It was a long room, pretty much just a really wide hallway, but it seemed to be the dining area, since everyone was sitting down on tables along the sides and eating. As soon as they caught sight of me, everyone watched me walk along the room, towards the other side, where a double set of doors awaited me.

Literally everyone was watching me (except for Beth), and I felt extremely self-conscious.

Complete silence reigned as Bethany led me to the other side, and I felt like I needed to say something to break the silence, but I didn't know what.

Bethany banged the double doors shut as we entered them, and there wasn't anyone around, not in this room.

"Why were they so astonished that I'm here?" I tilted my head at Bethany.

"Oh, funny story, two of them really wanted to see you in person - not sure why - and they kept on asking me, over and over again, and eventually, I had enough of their questioning. So, I told everyone that you never were going to come, to make those two shut up. But I've heard them whispering that I lied about that recently, and everyone secretly believes them. However, they haven't bothered me again, so I'm good with that."

"And how do you know about them secretly believing?"

"You know, sometimes you gotta have spies, even where they don't seem to be needed. You never know."

"That's smart, having some of the NightWalkers secretly watch over the others," I smiled. "And also quite ironic, since these guys are literally trained to spy."

"Yeah, I figured." Bethany came to the end of the enormous room, which seemed to be a training room. It had many different features which helped to train and practice for battle, stealth missions, or perhaps even top-secret ones that not even the rest of the NightWalkers were allowed to know.

I noticed hallways branching out of this room, and Bethany saw me looking. "Those lead to their rooms, since they live down here."

As Beth opened the last set of doors, I laid eyes on her office. It had a similar setup to my former one, except that the chair didn't spin.

"Okay, so before I go and get some stuff done, I need to talk to you." Bethany motioned at the extra chair on the opposite side of the desk.

It felt queer, being on the other side of the desk, but I did so.

"So, you know how Deolark and Emeraldia both planned an assassination to kill you? And how Pyolangi attacked us, without giving you a chance to explain yourself?" She put her elbows on the desk, leaning forward to talk to me quietly.

"How could I forget?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno. Anyways..." Bethany closed her eyes for a long moment, then opened them and looked me in the eyes, straight into the depths of my soul. "I believe that we need to make our move."

When I didn't reply, she sighed deeply. "I know you're protective of your former friends and that you don't want to harm them, but we're talking about the fate of the entire country. If we don't do something to defend ourselves, then we'll be destroyed. I'm sorry to push you like this, but it's the only way."

No, there HAS to be another way!

However, not even I could see a way to fix this, to turn back and make things right again. The other three wouldn't believe me if I told the truth, much less listen to me if I tried to make peace.

We were at the point of no return.

"Okay, since I know that the best way for you to agree with me is for you to think it over by yourself, I'll just go and come back in a little while." Bethany nodded at me and left the room.

I was alone, with nothing but the brutal reality and my thoughts.

There's always a way out, isn't there?! There has to be SOMETHING that I can do to avoid war...

After a lot of pacing and thinking, I finally gave up on the idea of trying to find a way out.

Nobody outside of the Republic would listen to me, much less do what I say.

War, I don't like the idea of you, but you're the only ticket to survival right now.

Ry, Dark, Glitch... Beware, for I am Fearless.

It's time to make OUR move. You've made yours, now I'll make mine.

The door opened, and Bethany stood there. "You done?"

"... Yes."

"We're declaring war, correct?"

I hesitated for a second. Am I really doing this?

Yes. Yes, I am.

"Indeed."

A/N: *dramatic music*

Pyolangi has declared war, now the Republic has declared war...

What will happen next? Will the other two countries join the club of declaring war? What was the tunnel that Naomi fell into, and where does it lead? Will someone find a way to make peace, or will everyone go to war without a second thought? Who will we meet in the NightWalkers? Find out next time, on Chasing Chaos!

Wait, I forgot to use my signature in most of the chapters I wrote... Oh well.