The Republic Of The Shadow Walkers - Tim’s perspective

I had stayed back at Sonraeria, with my sisters’ agreement, just in case something happened to either of them.

I was the lifeline of the Republic if they died or were captured or something, which scared me a little. However, I was smart enough to operate a country if I had to, I knew. Everyone underestimated my intelligence.

Which was exactly why the distraction would work.

I had sent some of the military over to the city of Archway a day ago, and they would be fighting right now, distracting the Emeraldians from the true attack.

Hopefully that’ll give them safe passage over the ocean and Emeraldia until they get to Goldtropolis. Then I just need to make them retreat, because then the motive of the attack will be fulfilled. And then, of course, the bombers will be deployed…

I had timed this perfectly - it was sure to work. I had spent a lot of time planning this, so I was sure I had addressed everything.

The attack on Goldtropolis won’t take that long - just a couple hours at most, and the Emeraldian military will not be able to get back in time. It will be too late by the time they arrive.

Once Ry leaves the battle and gets back home, I’ll tell Bethany to lead the NightWalkers in, and she’ll gladly do that.

I hope Ry survives though. I don’t want her dead…

A notification.

Looking down at the computer, I tilted my head at it. The heck was this? Some sort of message…

Stop this war, Ashkills. Or else we’ll destroy Earth.

I blinked. Who in the world would send - wait.

The message didn't come from Earth. Excuse me, who are you’t do what you said? Isn’t your goal to stop us from doing that, or am I wrong?

I’m saying this because you won’t stop if I just ask politely. You will all be wiped out if you continue this war, but we’ll wipe you out anyway if you keep on going. Stop it. Right now.

I wondered what to say, and then smiled.

Sorry, maybe you should mind your own business. We’re working on it, Bozo.

Well, whatever you’re trying, it isn’t working. And what did you just call me?

I called you Bozo. That’s your new name now, accept it. Now, YOU stop.

No. You would not do well to anger me, Ashkill.

Okay, I’ll take your warning. I won’t call you Bozo anymore. My sisters are in Emeraldia at the moment... Why don’t you go and talk to them instead?

Hopefully Naomi and Bethany will see sense and stop all this when he gets there.

And maybe… This’ll help Ry survive too. I’m doing my part, Naomi.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Naomi’s perspective

I stared out at the city of Goldtropolis. It made me sick to think that it could be destroyed in just a couple of days.

In a couple days or less, I could be dead. Laurel, Bethany, Kat and Deathbringer could be dead. We all could be dead.

Ry could be dead.

I shook off those thoughts. Surely, as the leader of the Republic, I could stop Bethany from killing Ry… Right?

If not me, nobody can.

“You okay?”

I blinked, turning back to the face of Laurel. “What?”

“You were making that expression that you always have when you’re afraid and worrying about something. What is it?”

I literally can’t hide anything from Laurel, can I? “It’s… I’m worried about Ry. I know Beth wants her dead, and I’m afraid that I can’t save her from that.”

“I know you’re scared, Naomi.” Laurel put a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I looked at her calming dark blue eyes that never failed to help me. “But you’re an Ashkill, and you’re the Dragon of Shadows. I know you can survive this, even if Ry doesn’t. You always do.”

I nodded, still fearful for Ry. I wanted to help her, but I knew she’d be hostile and attack me… The only chance I had was to do one of two things: fight her and draw her away from Bethany, or talk some sense into her and get her to flee. But what were the chances of either of those happening? Ry was going to get in Bethany’s way anyways, considering she was also the type to defend her country and loved ones at all costs.

So what in the blazes was I going to do? It wasn’t like I was strong enough to take down Bethany.

Laurel distracted me by taking me by the wrist and pulling me gently away from the cliff where I had been standing. “Let’s go back to the others.”

We were hiding in the mountains, ready to attack Goldtropolis. Even though we had been here for a whole day already, I knew we were staying put in order for the plan to work. The night had fallen, so we were able to gaze upon the city freely without being seen, as long as we stayed in the mountains. Everyone else was hiding in an enormous cave not far from here that we had come across, staying put and either training or resting up for the upcoming battle.

Bethany perched on a rock, examining her katanas, and Deathbringer wasn’t too far from her, also sitting on a rock, but was watching the sky and mountains around for any sign of danger.

“Any word from Tim?” I asked.

“Nope,” Bethany said, not looking up. “Still waiting on that blasted guy. Like, what’s taking him so long?!”

“Maybe the fact that Ry hasn’t left the battlefield yet,” Deathbringer pointed out, still watching our surroundings.

Bethany narrowed her eyes at him, but he didn’t witness the wrath of her eyeballs, because his back was turned to her. Laurel brushed past me and sat on a boulder next to Deathbringer as I went back up the slope to look at the city.

I loved the view, but hated myself knowing that it was never going to be the same once the attack started. I’d never lay eyes on this exact view again once we descended into that valley.

Never again would I walk through those exact streets welcomed… Because, soon, blood would be shed on that concrete. And, chances were, I’d contribute to the bloodshed quite a bit.

I hated the thought of it, but it was very true. Emeraldian and Shadow blood alike would be shed in those streets, and there was a high chance that my blood was going to spill.

I mean, what Emeraldian would see me during the attack and spare my life? I was the one who waged war on them, for crying out loud.

I glimpsed someone a little ways down the mountain - evidently a NightWalker, since she wore the uniform, but I could see her face, since her hood was down. The messenger was back, and was running urgently toward us.

Meaning that we’d start the attack any moment now.

“Ry’s back?” I asked as she came within earshot.

She nodded, and then gestured for me to go tell Bethany, breathing heavily.

Racing over to my sister, I said, “the messenger’s back.”

Bethany immediately became alert, rising from her perch and leaping to the ground. “We attack in half an hour.”

Half an hour later…

We were ready, stalking through the city under the cover of night. Some NightWalkers fanned out across the rooftops, others darted through the shadows of the streets.

Bethany, Laurel and I were racing across the rooftops, the padded soles of our boots silencing our footsteps. I had my hood completely up, as did everyone else.

We had used tranquilizer darts to knock out those that were on watch as we entered the city under cover of night, and whenever we saw a living soul out on the streets, we quickly tranquilized them and killed them silently, as to not draw attention and take out as many Emeraldians as possible before someone noticed and raised the alarm. One less enemy didn’t hurt.

But I knew it wasn’t going to be long until we’d have to do actual fighting.

I shot another person down in the streets with a dart, and a shadow darted over and slit his throat, silently dumping his body in a dark corner and vanishing once more. Laurel accomplished the same, and I knew we were making good progress, considering the amount of people we had already taken out.

Then I heard it.

A scream pierced the silent night, and the three of us crouched down as low as we could, letting the shadows hide us.

In the streets all around us, I saw other NightWalkers dart back into the shadows, letting the city be as still and quiet as it was before. It was completely silent for a few very heart-pounding moments.

And then a door opened.

“Okay, what the heck was that?”

I heard someone walk into the street, and I crossed my fingers, hoping that there wasn’t a dead body anywhere near that person. Please, please…

A gasp. I held my breath, hoping that what I thought just happened did not just happen.

“There’s a dead body. THERE IS A FRICKING DEAD BODY IN THE STREET.”

Dragons’ blood. WHY.

“THE REPUBLIC IS-” the person was cut off, presumably by an arrow from one of the NightWalkers to shut her up.

But the deed was already done. The Emeraldians had been alerted to our presence.

As the city seemed to awaken, Bethany stood up. “SHADOWS, ARISE AND FIGHT!”

It’s time. I leaped off the roof, landing in a crouch, and Laurel and Bethany followed. Unsheathing my blades, I raced into the streets lit only by moonlight, running straight into danger, towards almost certain death, and a place where I would finally find out if I could change Ry’s almost guaranteed fate.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Laurel’s perspective

I followed Naomi, taking it as my responsibility to make sure she didn’t die.

Emeraldia and The Republic were about to have their first battle against one another, and I wasn’t quite registering it yet. Yes, I had fully processed that we were at war and were no longer friends, but I had yet to realize the danger I was in right now.

As I looked down at a corpse of an Emeraldian that we had taken out before the warning was sounded, I saw a small pool of blood around his head. Could that be me soon?

Is this the last place I will ever see? Is this my final hour?

Looking forward to the path ahead of me, I thought, so many people went through times like this to free us from Radish Land, right? Surely I can handle myself here.

Be brave, Laurel. Be fearless, just like Naomi.

You are a NightWalker, and it is your duty to fight for your country. For the Republic. For the Ashkills.

I stopped in my tracks for a moment, realizing something. Maybe it isn’t my destiny to help stop the war. What if my whole life has been a lie? What if dying here is my destiny instead?

Naomi stopped, looking back at me. “Laurel?”

I met her gaze for a long moment, and then nodded. “Right behind you.”

Accepting the fact that dying here could be my destiny, an alternate one from the one that I had hoped for for so long, I ran after her.

As an arrow brushed past my arm, I glanced back, and, barely hesitating, I pulled out a throwing knife and threw it straight into the person who had shot at me, getting her in the chest. I turned back around so I wouldn’t witness the light leaving her eyes.

This was the situation I’d always feared, deep in my mind: kill or be killed.

Ahead of us lay the fountain, the one that I remembered lay somewhere near Ry’s place. I recalled chatting with Sapphire here once, three years ago, back when the countries didn’t have any conflict between them.

If she’s here… I hope she survives.

I saw Deathbringer on the other side of the fountain, scanning the area. Not many Emeraldians were out, but that would certainly change soon. If we had to make some sort of plan, now was the time to do it.

“Deathbringer.” Naomi nodded as we rushed over.

“Ashkill. What’s the plan, you know, to hopefully save Ry?”

Nobody else other than Tim, myself, Kat and Deathbringer knew about Naomi’s secret desire to save Ry from Bethany, so we had to keep this discreet. After all, if another NightWalker knew, then they’d report to Bethany and everything would be out the window.

“I need to find Ry before Bethany does,” Naomi said. “I need to locate her, and hopefully I can talk to her… If not, I’ll try to lead her away from Bethany, tranquilize her, and hide her somewhere. Maybe in an overturned trash can or something - somewhere my sister wouldn’t think to look.”

“So what do the rest of us do?” Deathbringer asked, looking around to check for anyone else.

“Laurel comes with me. You and Kat follow us a little ways behind, and if you see Bethany, lead her away from the direction we’re going, or wherever Ry is, if you see her elsewhere. If all else fails and Bethany finds Ry, tranquilize both of them.”

Kat materialized from the shadow of a trash can nearby. “Sounds good. Scream if you need help, okay?”

Naomi rolled her eyes, but nodded and slipped into the shadows again, and I followed close behind, making sure my hair was completely hidden like Naomi’s. Hers was a bright color and was very telltale to her identity and would be seen clearly in the light from the streetlights, whereas mine pretty much glowed like a second moon, thanks to the extreme paleness of my long locks.

Good thing we had hoods. I knew Naomi was concealing her amulet as well as her hair, since that also was a dead giveaway and she never took it off.

Dashing along the street, I heard people coming our way, and I darted to the shadows and pulled Naomi along with me.

“The Republic really planned this out,” a voice said. “I mean, we don’t have the army, and they just stealthily attack in the dead of night? Certainly sounds like something they’d do.”

Naomi crouched, ready to spring into action. I did the same, gripping my katanas.

Suddenly, Naomi leapt out of the shadows and stabbed one of them in the gut, yanking it out immediately as another Emeraldian ran at her, wielding a sword.

The third had knives, and would have stabbed Naomi in the back if I had not intervened. I tackled him to the ground, but he swiftly got to his feet and slashed at me, a blow that I deflected with one of my katanas as I stood up as well.

I felt the wind from one of those knives on my neck as he threw one at me and started to run away. Dashing after him, I gritted my teeth, determined not to let him slip out of my grasp. I needed to kill him before he killed someone else!

Since I was fast, I caught up to him quickly, and he surprised me by throwing another knife under his arm at me as he ran, and the blade grazed my forearm, drawing blood, but not giving a life-threatening wound.

I took out one of my own knives, tripped him, and stabbed him in the back - the exact thing he was going to do to Naomi if I had not been present. Then, I stabbed him in the neck to be sure he was dead, and got back up, looking for Naomi.

She was back where I had first started chasing him. She threw the guy she was fighting against the wall, then stabbed him in the chest with one of her katanas, ending his life, and then she pulled out the blade, showing off the blood on the cold metal.

Looking back at me, she nodded, and we kept going in the same direction we had been heading, avoiding and averting our eyes from the pools of blood that were gathering beneath the corpses.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bethany’s perspective

As I snapped an Emeraldian’s neck, I rounded the corner to see the fountain, and standing near it, locked in combat, was Deathbringer. I narrowed my eyes as he was knocked to the ground, and his attacker was promptly skewered by one of my knives after it left my fingertips. Hearing someone coming up behind me, I whirled and the ringing of steel against steel echoed throughout the square.

Glaring at the girl who had just attacked me, I kicked her to the ground and finished her off with a stab of my katanas. I could see Deathbringer climbing on top of a roof and shooting arrows at whoever came into the square. I glared at him. Why are you stealing my fight?!

Idiot.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I growled at him, and he jumped when he saw my glare.

“Um… Helping.”

“Go help somewhere else! I can handle things on my own.”

“I don’t doubt that,” he muttered as he walked away.

Then why were you here in the first place?

Looking up, I also saw Kat, hiding in a shadow. “What are you doing here?”

“Keeping watch, and also helping you survive.”

“Nonsense.”

“Shush. I’ve already shot several people down who probably would have killed you if I wasn’t here.”

“Just be QUIET,” I snapped. “I don’t need your help!”

He vanished, and I turned to see another enemy. This time, it was a girl, and she stared at me in terror. Maybe that was because of all the blood on me, or the legends of my terror.

However, she didn’t live too long, because I shot her down easily before she could get away.

Then, I turned to see a mob of people running towards me, all armed. I laughed a little. Have a death wish, eh?

I grinned, happy to be in combat and to have a lot of targets. I’ll kill them all.

And then I’ll come after Ry.

You haven’t seen anything, world. I’m just getting started.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Naomi’s perspective

I turned a corner, heading towards a voice. Someone pulled a sword out of a NightWalker’s back, and she fell to the ground, life draining from her.

Then I froze. Is that…?

The person nearest to me readied their weapon, and I started backing away. That IS Andrew, I thought. But how is he here? He’s supposed to be dead!

What is this, the apocalypse?!

Andrew was a little ways behind the guy who was now stalking towards me, lit clearly by a nearby streetlight, and there were three others with him whom I didn’t recognize.

Andrew looked at me, and then narrowed his eyes, and for a moment, I thought he saw through my disguise. However, my hair and amulet were concealed, so I was still in disguise, fortunately.

Unfortunately, I was now their next target.

Racing along the street, I fled from them, hearing the five pairs of footsteps behind me. I slid under a fence, dodged a knife, fled up a fire escape, and jumped off a balcony onto a nearby building that had a large, flat roof with a small wall around the edges of the rooftop.

I ducked into the shadows right underneath the wall, hoping they wouldn’t see me. Looking over in the direction I had come, I saw them all leap down, with some difficulty on the landing, but on the roof nonetheless.

As they all observed the roof, looking for me, Andrew was getting close to my hiding spot, and I held my breath, hoping the shadows would hide me well enough.

However, he never quite got to my hiding spot, because something else distracted them. Well, someone. Laurel.

I knew it was her because a couple of her platinum blonde strands of hair came loose from her hood and trailed in the slight breeze, shining in the moonlight.

Oh no.

The one who had seen me first started towards her, and she looked over at my hiding spot, finding me immediately thanks to her training, and shook her head slightly.

Don’t do this, Laurel. Please, I need you!

She met my gaze, and I knew that look - you’re an Ashkill. Stay safe.

Turning away, she unsheathed her katanas and looked him in the eye as he slashed his sword at her. I watched the others, who were preparing to make an entrance and overpower her, I was certain.

Is there a way to stop this, stay safe, and get her out unharmed?

Alyssa would stay put and be guilty over it later. Mitchell would sneak away and run while he still could to save his own skin. Lauren would run and lead them away from her. Tim would try to talk them out of it.

And Bethany would attack them, if not say that this is exactly what NOT to do during a fight - freaking out instead of DOING SOMETHING.

Well, I can’t take them all on at once, I’m not going to stay put, I am certainly not going to run and save myself, and I couldn’t lead them away from her without getting killed myself.

Tim, you’ll be proud of me if I get out alive.

I looked around, saw that none of them were looking my way, and slowly edged out of the shadows, darting onto the wall and going directly behind them in order to make my entrance.

Standing tall on the wall, I tilted my head down a bit more to let my eyes be hooded with shadow so the moon, which was in the direction I was facing, wouldn’t shine its light on my face immediately. Then, I spoke, in a deeper voice than usual as to keep my identity concealed, just in case.

“Looking for me?”

They all turned and saw me, and the four closer to me tensed up, readying their weapons, including Andrew. My fingertips brushed one of the hilts of my sheathed katanas as the stare down began.

Laurel, knowing why I revealed myself, used the distraction to get away from her attacker, kicking him away and quickly swinging over the wall, into the darkness and out of sight. Now that she was safe, I could focus on getting out alive.

“Like there’s any chance of THAT happening,” I could imagine Tim saying.

And, to be honest, I agreed with him. But there was nothing saying I shouldn’t try, at the very least.

“Ah, it’s always the heroic ones who are unpredictable… Because you never know when they’ll do something incredibly STUPID. Do they not have BRAINS?!” If Bethany was there, I knew that those would have been the words to escape her mouth.

I knew she was right. After all, I literally just jumped onto the wall without a plan to save Laurel.

And now I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Was it smart? Was it stupid? Was it heroic? I had no idea.

All I knew was that I had to start talking unless I wanted to share the fate of so many others.

Start with some sort of an introduction. They won’t listen to you if you don’t say who you are.

Or they may not listen to you anyways.

“Who are you?” Andrew asked.

“I… Uh…” my mind blanked out, and I started to panic. What to do, what to do?! “I'm-I’m just gonna…”

Then, I turned and leaped off the roof.

“After her!”

Ducking into the shadows, I got to the corner that led to the street without being spotted, but they saw me and started out in pursuit after I accidentally tripped over an arrow sticking out of the ground.

Run, Naomi, RUN!

I fled from them as fast as I could, tearing across the street, and as I looked back, I saw that Laurel’s attacker was not with the others. Where…?

My question was answered when he came out of nowhere and blocked my attempt at escaping through a narrow alley. Curses! I whirled around, only to see that Andrew and the others were a wall stopping me from going back the other way. Looking up and surveying my surroundings, I came to the conclusion that there was no way out. Nothing I could throw at them, nobody to help me, nothing for me to climb up on, and the walls around me were too high.

I was trapped between brick walls and walls of people that wouldn’t let me through.

“Good work, Lunar,” Andrew smiled. Lunar. What a cool name. No, Naomi, focus. Not the time to comment on cool-sounding names.

I pressed myself against the wall, crouching and flicking my gaze from side to side as they came closer, pressing in and limiting my space even more. Option one: sit here and wait for death like a helpless, doomed soldier. Option two: fight my way out. Option three: persuade them not to kill me. Option four: try to scale the walls.

I was leaning more towards option two. All my instincts that were a result of Bethany’s training for fifteen years told me so, but my natural ones told me to go with option three.

I don’t want to hurt them.

However, I was forced to truly consider doing option 2 after I heard someone scream my name. A voice so familiar I would know it anywhere… Even though her voice was full of panic and I had never heard her in such a tone.

My head shot up. Laurel!

Frantically, I examined the walls for any sort of weakness I could use. Then, I looked forward. If I slam Lunar against the wall…

Springing into action, I leapt forward and swiftly slammed Lunar against the wall, kicked Andrew against the other side, and then chucked him at one of the other guys, taking them all by surprise and seizing my chance, even though my arm hurt from the effort afterwards. I scrambled up the wall at a record speed, hurting my fingers and scraping my shin in the process, but making it on top of the small building anyway. Sorry about that, but I have to save Laurel.

Another scream. It was so close by…

I leapt off the roof, landing in a crouch and racing off towards the source of the scream. Turning a corner, I was just in time to see Laurel being slammed against a wall and held up by her neck. Her desperate eyes met mine, and my protective nature sparked into action.

“I’m so sorry, Naomi… Izzie of Navire is dead.”

I was not about to let history repeat itself. Not this time.

“It won’t be the last time you lose someone, Ashkill. You can’t rewrite history, and you certainly cannot avoid the inevitable.”

But I’ll try my hardest for as long as I live. If anyone can foil death, it’ll be me. I’ve already done it, and I can do it again.

I let out a scream of fury as I charged, my eyes blazing with anger at this Emeraldian who dared to hurt Laurel. My katanas whistled through the air, and they would have gutted him if he had not dropped Laurel and blocked my blades with his own.

She fell to the ground, gasping for air. “Naomi…”

I glanced over my shoulder at her, but her attacker took his chance and slashed at me. However, in the process of deflecting it, I slipped and fell backwards on my back. Standing over me, he raised his sword, but I whipped out my throwing knives and managed to kill him before death found me. He toppled to the side, and I stood up.

Laurel was staring at me with wide eyes, breathing heavily, and I noticed that her clothing had splatters of blood on it. I hoped it wasn’t her own.

Looking down at myself, I noticed I had blood on my clothing as well. Neither of us were in perfect shape.

Recalling why I was here in the first place, I remembered that I should find Deathbringer and go find Ry. I needed more backup whom I trusted, because Ry could attack me, and, honestly, I didn’t blame her if she did want to stab me in the eye. And Laurel wasn’t the best at fighting - Deathbringer was much better - and I needed her for her convincing and peacemaking skills, and she would be useful also because of her emotion reading skills and her ability to see through people. If Ry did feel like she didn’t want to hurt me and was lying to herself or to me or both, Laurel would see that and could plant seeds of doubt.

She wasn’t that dangerous physically, compared to myself and Bethany and most of the other NightWalkers, but mentally and emotionally, she was a force to be reckoned with, and I was sure that she knew it. I had seen her verbally destroy people before, and even though it happened rarely and few people saw her like that, those who had knew where she was strongest - in the mind.

If she wasn’t a NightWalker and by my side practically 24/7, I was sure she’d absolutely star in psychology or in being a lawyer.

I needed her, not because of her physical skills, but because of all that she was behind her innocent, understanding blue eyes. Deathbringer was needed because of his observance and his physical skills.

Reaching my hand out to Laurel, I said, “we need to find Deathbringer and make sure Bethany’s… Occupied.”

She nodded once, and took my hand, getting back to her feet, and then gathered her weapons that were on the ground. Then, we departed from the street and went towards the fountain that I remembered was near the center of Goldtropolis, and also the place where I had last seen Ry in person.

Courage, determination, strength, truth… Don’t fail me now. You’re my only hope.

I’m an Ashkill. Determination, endurance, and our bond are what bring us through.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Deathbringer’s perspective

I gutted yet another enemy, and then, seeing that no enemies were around at the moment, spared a few moments to clutch my forearm. A gash had been granted there, and despite its size, it pained me quite a bit. Remembering that I had some bandages on me somewhere, I took out the small roll and wrapped my arm up snugly. It still hurt, but at least it wouldn’t drip blood so much. I rolled my sleeve back down, then picked my katanas back up, just in time to face a new enemy who rounded the corner.

He looked familiar. Tilting my head a little, I tried to remember. Was he one of Andrew’s friends back during the war, or was my memory fuzzy? Unlikely. I had a great memory.

If I remembered correctly, his name was… Apex.

Why wasn’t he with his friends though? Yes, Andrew was dead, but still. The others wouldn’t have disbanded after that, I didn’t think.

Whether or not his companions back then were here now, he had a sword, and he was preparing to charge. I stayed still, hoping to use some of my tricks that I had taught myself.

Gripping my katanas, I waited. I knew I had to stay alive in order for the plan to work, so dying was not an option. I had been on my way to find Naomi and Laurel while Bethany was still slaying left and right at the fountain, but I had been interrupted by attackers.

My arm was still paining me, but I endured it well, for it wasn’t nearly as bad as it first was. Hefting his sword, Apex charged at me.

I waited until the last moment possible, whipped out one katana to block his strike, and then used the other to stab at his foot. However, he leaped out of the block, evading my strike, and swiped at me from the left, but changed his direction and stabbed at my right side. Instinct kicked in, and I deflected his strike and kicked him in the thigh.

I sensed someone behind me, and turned just in time to block a blade that would have sliced my face off. I had been right to have doubts about him being alone.

Standing behind me was Andrew himself.

I stared at him, but remembered that I was supposed to be dueling, not gawking at people. So, I slammed the butt of my sword into his stomach and kicked him away before he could retaliate. Then, I leaped behind me onto a dumpster that allowed access to a rooftop, a route that I used.

Apex and Andrew had gotten up and were glaring at me. I wondered whether or not their thank-you would be like that if we saved Ry from Bethany. Well, judging from the miscommunications that had started the entire war, that seemed very likely.

Gratefulness probably was taking a vacation, along with Common Sense, Peace, and Friendship. Somebody needed to bring them back into the light.

“Apex, and Andrew, if I remember correctly?” I tilted my head.

However, before a conversation could start, an arrow whizzed by me, startling me and making me lose balance.

I fell to the ground behind Apex, and then fled the street. This was taking too long. Hearing their pursuit, I darted into a closed cafe. The glass doors were shattered, signaling that a fight had happened here, so I slipped in easily, feeling broken glass under my padded boots.

“Darn the Republic!” I heard Andrew’s voice saying outside. “Hopefully the Ashkills are here. Then we can put an end to this.”

I feared “put an end to this” meant killing all three of them. Lucky for us, Tim was still at home, so if the sisters died, we’d still have someone in charge. But unlucky for us, losing two Ashkills would be devastating all the same, especially for the remaining one, which, in this case, would be Tim.

I wondered whether or not Andrew could be convinced that I was trying to help if I stepped out and tried to talk. And speaking of Andrew, how the heck was he even alive?! Did he magically resurrect, or did something similar to Leo’s case happen? And what did Ry think of this? Was Andrew in charge again? Was he just a regular citizen now? So many questions swam around in my mind.

Hopefully they’d be answered soon.

My train of thought was cut off when I heard Apex say, “well, let’s see if we can find one of those Ashkills. Then hopefully we can get an explanation for all this.”

My eyes widened as I got an idea. Maybe I could go…

Stepping out of my hiding place, I walked out of the smashed doors and stood a safe distance away from the two Emeraldians. “So you want to talk to them.”

Apex bristled, reaching for his weapon, but Andrew stopped him and stared at me. “What do you want?”

I sighed. “Killing you is not in my interests, and neither is taking you hostage. In fact, Naomi herself is here, and she wants to talk to Ry.”

“And why should we believe you?”

“You’re right - I have no proof, and neither do you Emeraldians trust the people of the Republic. I didn’t expect you to believe me anyways.” I turned to walk away, but stopped. “After all… Ry never believed Naomi, even though she told the truth. You guys really need to work on trust.”

Andrew’s face darkened. “Naomi wasn’t telling the truth. Why else would you be here now, in the middle of a battle?!”

I put one hand on a katana. “You’ll have to talk to her about that first. I don’t know all the details. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go help her with the plan that’s the sole reason she came.”

“What? To assassinate Ry?”

“And stoop that low? God, no! It’s the exact opposite of that. She wants to SAVE Ry from her sister, who is currently hunting her down like the psycho she is.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I shrugged, glancing back over my shoulder. “I thought you wouldn’t. After all, what else should I expect from you?”

Feeling his glare on my back as I walked away, I kept my katanas ready in case he acted. As my boots hit the pavement, one after the other, my mind raced back to the plan. Where were Naomi and Laurel?

I have to find them.

However, I ducked under an arrow before I could walk away. Turning around again, I sighed. “You want a fight? Fine.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Naomi’s perspective

Flashes of my past were flickering through my mind as we went to find Bethany, and I, once again, felt the familiar stabs of guilt.

She’s my fault. My fault, my fault, my fault… I had run out to find Mother, but Todd killed her because I accidentally revealed the secret of our existence. After that, I had been hunted down by Radish Police, and I would never have survived if it wasn’t for Bethany going after me and fighting them off. Lauren had gone with her, and she had grabbed me and left Bethany to deal with them alone. After that, the chain of events started happening... Dad abandoned us and gave himself up to Radish Police, Emily died, Tim nearly followed her in death but didn’t, Bethany came back, barely alive, and scarred for life, always wondering where we were and if we were safe, something that affected her to this day. Alyssa was murdered, Lauren, Nixon, and Sunny were captured and killed, Bethany, Mitchell, Tim and I left, and a couple years later, Mitchell died, and several assassination attempts were made after the war, throwing Bethany even further into darkness and her own paranoia.

Bethany’s insanity was my fault. I had been told so many times that it wasn’t, but I knew in my heart that it was and always had been. Mother was my fault. Dad was my fault. Everything that had happened was a chain reaction that had all started when I ran off, and if I hadn’t, only Emily would have died. Everyone else would still have had a chance at life, and the worst thing was, the tendency to run off and fix problems myself without thinking had never left my personality.

Why was my life so complicated?

I knew one thing: I had to fix what I had started as best as I possibly could. I couldn’t bring anyone back or truly replace them, but I could mend what I had. My sister was not the person she had once been.

Tim? He had been affected just as much as I and Bethany were, if not more, but he had accepted what happened not too long after he felt that his mourning was over. However, whenever the name Emily was said, he missed her dearly, because, after all, she was the love of his life. But he had still turned out so much better than myself or Bethany did.

Bethany just had never been the same after what had happened so long ago, and even though sometimes her old self seemed to come back to the surface, it was quickly covered back up by the new Bethany - the one everyone feared and the one who had made her practically a legend around what was left of the world. She could never be truly fixed, but I could certainly try.

And now she would also become famous for killing Ry unless we stopped her.

Laurel and I were running through the streets, going towards the fountain, and, hopefully, Ry. I knew there were so many ways this could go wrong.

1; Ry could attack me instead of listening. 2; she could listen, but not believe me, and then attack me. 3; an Emeraldian could ruin everything for me by reminding Ry of every little thing I did wrong. 4; a NightWalker not in the know of the plan, or worse, Bethany, could crash the party. 5; I could accidentally say something wrong and ruin everything myself. 6; I could DIE, and then the plan would inevitably crash and burn.

There were a million ways the plan could go wrong, and my brain was speeding through every little possibility, even though I was trying to focus.

Focus, Naomi. Keep your mind on what matters right now. Worrying won’t solve a thing. I repeated the mantra in my head, so much that I barely noticed when someone rounded the corner in front of us.

When I felt Laurel grab my arm with an iron grip, I came back to my senses and realized the weight of the situation. Ry. Sapphire.

I stopped in my tracks, and Ry’s gaze met mine for the first time in months. Hers were full of disbelief, hatred, and anger, which I presumed was because of the attack on her city and her people, who were probably dying left and right, along with NightWalkers as well. Although, I knew the NightWalkers were very experienced, so I wasn’t worried about them all dying.

Mine? I kept my emotions hidden from them and kept my expression and gaze perfectly calm, as if I wasn’t actually freaking out on the inside. I felt relief that she was okay, and pressure because of Bethany probably being nearby and me having a limited time to talk to Ry and get her to believe me.

But I’m not scared.

My brain freaking out and being terrified of Ry not believing me betrayed that belief.

Okay, yeah, I’m scared. Lovely.

“Naomi,” Ry growled.

“Ry.” I nodded at her calmly.

“Why, of all people, did you turn on me after all we’ve been through?!” she unsheathed her sword and charged at me.

Ah, I thought. The typical heated conversation while dueling. Too bad Bethany never taught me how to do that properly.

I met her strike with a deflection, and, quick as lightning, Ry swung her sword around again, aiming at my feet. Barely leaping over the attack, I retaliated with a swift strike of my own, but she caught it on the edge of her shield.

“I never turned on you, idiot!” I sighed, then caught her strike on my two blades. We stayed there for a long moment, trying to shove one another off balance while maintaining a glare with each other.

“Then how do you explain all this?!” she asked as she yanked herself out of the block to swing again, a move that I narrowly dodged.

“Two words: insane sister!” I said while trying to avoid another strike by backing up. Thirteen hells, talking while fighting is much harder than it looks.

Ry glared at me once more. “That excuse again?” Then, she swung at my feet again, forcing me to back up another time. If she kept that up, soon I’d have nowhere to back up to and I’d lose my feet - and probably my life, if her hatred was truly there and wasn’t being faked for the sake of agreeing with her subjects to prevent a rebellion.

If that’s the case… I won’t be able to get through to her.

But, for her sake, I decided to keep on going. Please, please, PLEASE don’t kill me before I get a chance to break through and talk to you.

“Yes, that excuse again, because it’s TRUE,” I said, slashing downward with my katanas before she used her sword to block them.

Locked in combat, we shoved at each other, but were unable to unbalance one another. We were very equally matched, which worried me even more, because Bethany was unquestionably better than I was, and if Ry and Beth went head to head…

Ry would be the one most likely to die. With that thought in mind, I knew I had to break through, and soon. Knowing Bethany, she would be on the hunt for Ry right now, slaughtering enemy after enemy on her way.

And it was only a matter of time before she found us here.

Remembering that we weren’t alone, I glanced over to see Laurel and Sapphire, who were, somewhat, in combat. They were very reluctant to fight each other, and every now and then, one of them would say something or make a swing and stop again, but I couldn’t hear them because of the sound of my own duel.

Laurel, DO something! Help!

Another clash of steel, and another glare. Finally, I decided to just go for it. I scrambled onto the rooftop above us, and as Ry loaded her bow, I said, “Ry, Bethany wants to kill-”

As if the thought had summoned her, Bethany appeared, and we all froze.

Bethany had blood splatters all over her clothing, and her hair looked more crimson than black, even though she had dyed it black with crimson highlights. It was as if she had dyed her hair again… With blood. Her katanas were dripping with the scarlet substance, and her knives on her belt were also stained with it. Her eyes were full of hatred, insanity, and sociopathic delight at finally locating Ry. She had several cuts and slashes on her that were still bleeding, and even her teeth had blood on them.

She looked completely demented.

“Hello, Ry. I’ve been hunting you down ever since I came here. Thank you, Naomi, for holding her here so I could find her. Maybe you’re not so pathetic after all.”

My heart pounded, and I stared at her in disbelief. Instinct kicked in, and I stepped towards my sister. “I’m not going to let you hurt her.”

She smiled insanely at me and shook her head. “Just like how you killed Mother? No wonder Ry doesn’t trust you.”

I killed so many people… Why am I even trying anymore?

I blinked back tears. “I’m still not giving up here. Mark my words - you won’t kill Ry, and I’ll make sure of it.”

Bethany laughed. “You? My little sister? You’re not going to win, Naomi. Just give up now, and I won’t have to hurt you.”

“I don’t care. I’ll always stand in your way, no matter what you do to me. Just let Ry go.”

“No, I quite like hunting down my targets. Besides, you can’t even make people believe you… Why should I take you seriously?”

Another stab. “Bethany, this isn’t like you! Please, just… Just stop.”

“You shouldn’t even try anymore, Naomi… You always fail anyways.”

“You’re not going to stop me, Bethany. I’ll fight you, and no matter what you say, I’ll take a stand for those I care about. And I will win.”

“Fine. Let yourself think that. You should be grateful that I’ll go easy on you, since you’re my sister… But no promises.” she smiled, and her katanas glinted in the moonlight as she raised them in a battle position.

I glanced over my shoulder, and Ry was staring at me in disbelief. Please, Ry, don’t think of me as your enemy anymore. I’m not. And I’ll prove it.

I will win this fight, and Ry will live.

Laurel met my eyes as I looked at her too, and I knew exactly what she wanted to say: good luck. Do your part, and I’ll do mine.

I will, Laurel, I promised. I will.

Bethany looked down at me. “You done? Because my swords are impatient.”

“I’m ready.” I raised my katanas too, and I took a deep breath.

“Come at me, sister.”

She raced at me, and I readied my blades, prepared to strike. After fifteen years of training together, we were about to have our first actual fight. Two sisters, two companions, and two completely different people, at least at the moment.

As our katanas clashed, I knew she was going to kick me and throw me off balance, so I tried to leap away before she could. I succeeded, and she came after me, like I expected. This time, I lashed out first, but she dodged, and I blocked what I knew was coming next: a stab.

In skill, we were quite evenly matched, since she had taught me everything she knew, but she was much stronger than I was, so I was at quite a disadvantage in that field.

As our blades met again, she shoved me, hard, and I fell backwards, nearly dropping my katanas. I regained my balance, but not before Bethany slashed at my forearm and granted me a deep gash, which nearly made me fall off the roof.

As time went on, the duel just kept on going. I had completely lost track of time by the time I had several minor wounds, and Bethany was still going strong, since I had only managed to stab my blade into her ankle a little, a minor wound.

When she managed to give me a gash on my shoulder as well, that arm was painful to move in drastic ways, so she started to target that side. She went easy on me, I could tell, but I was still not doing so well. I was slowing down, in physical pain, and in quite a lot of mental pain from her comments from before that drove spears into my heart that hurt more than anything else.

I knew she wasn’t herself anymore. And it was all my fault.

Along with everything else on my mind: my dead siblings, my parents, all the flashbacks of things I could have done better in my life or could have done to avoid a disaster, such as the war itself. The war wasn’t entirely my fault, I knew, but a large portion of it was.

Finally, Bethany slammed into me, and I fell backwards again, falling flat on my back and knocking the wind out of me. However, I didn’t get up this time. I was simply too tired.

“Bethany…” I whispered, “please, don’t do this. The war needs to be stopped, and this won’t help.”

“Oh, really? I wouldn’t say that if I were you, considering that you practically are the cause of all this,” Bethany pointed out, gesturing around her at the battlefield behind her that was now filled with clashes of steel, cries of pain, and sounds of chaos.

Another spear stabbed straight into my heart, and I could practically feel the cold metal of the pointed tip.

“Please… Don’t kill her.”

“Says the person who brought disaster upon her - no, our - parents, and our siblings as well.”

“Bethany! Just… Stop…” tears started to fall as I let out a sob.

I looked to the side, and I saw Laurel talking to Sapphire and Ry. Laurel looked over at me, and her eyes widened. As she scrambled up onto the rooftop where Bethany and I were, Bethany looked over at her, her glare pinning Laurel to the spot.

Then, my sister grabbed her by the throat, and despite her struggling, she couldn’t free herself from Bethany’s iron grip.

“No,” I muttered. “Let her go!”

Laurel’s fearful blue eyes stared at me helplessly.

“I assume she’s been telling you to believe in peace and hope for the future to be better? Lies. She’s been influencing you so much, and I think she needs to leave your life,” Bethany mused. “For that, I will teach her a lesson she will never forget.”

“No!” I cried. “Don’t hurt her!” I tried to get up, but my pain forced me to stay down, so I did, tears filling my vision.

Bethany flung Laurel off the roof.

“NO!” I screamed.

Then, she picked me up too, the same way she did with Laurel. Tears blurred my vision, and I couldn’t see or think straight. All I could think was don’t leave me, Laurel! PLEASE!

I fought, but I fared just as well as Bethany’s previous victim. Laurel… Please…

Bethany sighed. “Naomi, don’t interfere with my plans again.”

Then, she threw me off too, the opposite direction Laurel was thrown, and I fell into a pool.

The water stung my wounds, and I swam up to the surface, pain piercing me with every move. Finally, I managed to get onto the concrete of the poolside and breathe. I clambered out, coughing up water.

Hot tears streamed from my eyes, and I lay there, in pain, feeling the stabs of guilt and loss, and not wanting to move from that spot.

Laurel was gone forever due to a plan that I made. And that plan had failed.

Now… Now Ry’s gonna die too…

I failed. Again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Hmm… To kill, or not to kill…

Hello from the awesome landscapes of Colorado!

I’m currently on vacation, and that’s why I haven’t been online at all. I managed to find WiFi to publish this, and I also managed to write all this, as you can see. I should be back online as normal in three or four days.

Anyways…

What will happen next? Will Ry perish at the hands of Bethany? Is Laurel truly dead? What will happen to Naomi? Who will win the battle of Goldtropolis? And what will happen with Yuri Omega? Find out next time, on Chasing Chaos!

All right, I’m gonna go now. Ry, time to write your chapter!