Part II

Exodus

July 10th-July 20th, 2019 AE

"A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth."

-Charles Darwin

"Long is the way and hard, that out of that Hell leads up to the light."

-John Milton

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."

-Buddha

Chapter 10

The Wasteland

July 10th, 2019 AE, 8:31 AM

Jaden woke up at 8-o-clock the next morning for his journey to the third Divine Temple. His phone's alarm clock pierced through his eardrums with its incessant ringing. He woke up groggy, still exhausted from all the planning they all did the night before. Thankfully, he's always been an early bird, so he immediately got ready to leave with his comrades. He changed out of the pajamas that he borrowed and into his outside clothes. He hopped across his room, trying to get his pants on, and it was just as hard getting his boots on. At that point, he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he responded.

The door opened, and he saw Astra entering the room. She was dressed in her royal, white battle armor and armed with her golden rapier.

"Good morning, Jaden. We're almost ready to go," she said. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yeah, I just need to get my stuff."

As Jaden was putting on his black shirt, Astra saw all the scars on his back that he got in battle. Astra instinctively looked away from his torso, but couldn't resist taking a quick glance at it. Each of his wounds told a different story. They were written with swords, knives, claws. One of them was even made by a speeding bullet. They were the marks that this war has left on him.

Jaden then took the Astral Sword, leaning against the wall and resting inside a black scabbard, and wrapped it around the strap carrying his own blade, the Dark Night Sword. These were the best weapons that he had in his entire arsenal, and he chose to carry both of them, keeping them close at hand.

"Do you think you're prepared for this?" she asked him.

"Your father wouldn't have chosen me if I wasn't, right?" he asked.

"Yes, but we're walking into something greater than all of us."

"Well, there aren't many people greater than me." As Jaden spoke, he put on his gloves and his hookshots around his wrists.

"And what if we run into something that even you can't face."

After a few seconds of thinking about this possibility, Jaden finally responded. "We'll just have to see what happens."

Even though he was trying to be humble, it was true. The only people Jaden could think of that matched his power were Revan, Kaiser, his Death Riders and possibly Astra. He only prayed that he didn't have to face the wrath of the gods themselves.

Jaden put on his long, leather coat, took his sword in its sheath, and carried it over his shoulder with its strap. He looked in the mirror with his electric blue eyes and saw a warrior completely draped in black. On the buckle of his strap was the eight-pointed First Star: the symbol of Arkaeon, King of the Gods, and the Ark Knights that served him.

"Hey Jaden, I always wondered...Why do you always wear black?" she asked him.

"Ark Knights fight in dark times. That's when I shine brightest."

The inspiration for this persona came from his years back home. He used to look up in the night sky and wonder his purpose was in life. Why God put him on this world in the first place. The only thing he found was darkness and the stars shining among them. The only light in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty. People used to say that each one was someone's soul watching down on them all. He wanted to soar through the sky and reach those lights, hoping that one of them would have the answers he sought. As he reached out to those stars, Jaden saw the light, and it gave him hope. He was reborn.

* * *

After eating a hearty breakfast, the Champions gathered in the courtyard at around nine o'clock. They were all dressed in their combat gear. Even Darek was dressed in his green and black fatigues, carrying a brown poncho and a massive greatsword over his shoulder. At the top of the front steps was the King himself, who wanted to give them some encouraging words before they depart.

"I'd like to thank you all for taking part in this momentous journey. You are all some of the best warriors that Astrelm has to offer. Though the path ahead is filled with danger, I still have faith that you will all succeed. And when you do, by the time your quest is at an end, your deeds will have made you legendary. I wish you all the best of luck. May the gods guide you in your travels."

They all turned around and began their journey out of the Sanctuary. But Ramon called out to Jaden, stopping him just as he was leaving.

"Hold on, Jaden! I'd like to speak to you for a moment."

"You guys go ahead!" Jaden said to the other Champions. "I'll catch up!"

His teammates thus moved forward without him. The King slowly descended the stairs. and he continued to speak to Jaden once they met eye to eye.

"I know that you and Astra have been close these past two years, and from what I've heard from her, I know you'll always do the right thing. But I can't stop her from wanting to do the same. She has always been persistent when it comes to helping others....just like her mother."

Ramon's face filled with sadness as he remembered the loss of his beloved Queen.

"I couldn't be there for her in the end, and I can't always be there for Astra. That's why I want you to promise that you'll protect her. Please...bring my daughter back safe."

Jaden felt the weight of this heavy burden press down on his lungs. Even though he was tasked with a quest that would determine the kingdom's fate, defending just one person was just as hard. But knowing himself and the man making this request, Jaden knew he couldn't say no. And so, the Ark Knight nodded at the King before walking away.

* * *

And with that, they were off. The sun rose up from behind the mountains, lighting the valley before them with its radiant glow. The Champions followed the dirt path that circled around the cliffs of the citadel. Astra led the way with Jaden next to her, while Revan walked behind them to make sure he can see his sister. Jesse and Kaylah were close to each other while Darek was in the way back. In the distance, the dreaded volcano stood tall over the mountains separating the world from the Wasteland.

The Champions spent hours trekking across the fields of the Kavalah Province. They scaled large, grassy hills, and at the top, they could see the vast expanse of Astrelm. The wilderness was filled with marvelous sights that almost took his breath away. Jaden felt like he was on top of the world.

The mountains surrounding the valley were topped with layers of white snow. Long rivers flowed through the land and into the ocean. The best part of it was that there wasn't anyone else for miles. There weren't that many demons lurking in this part of the kingdom, so they barely had to worry about encountering them. Instead, wild and majestic creatures roamed across the sea of greenery. They admired the giant, wooly Mulhorns feasting on the grass, blissfully unaware of the horrors plaguing Astrelm. These six travelers knew they had left the war behind as they traveled deep into the peaceful countryside.

About four hours into their trip, the Champions came across the decaying remains of a town ravaged by the Empire. While this valley was now free of the Empire, it still left its mark on the earth some time ago. This thriving center of human life was now reduced to a monument of their existence that returned to nature. Once standing tall in front of the town's church, a statue of the goddess Astraea was toppled and left as a ghost still watching over the ruins. The corpses of Centurion Giants protruded from the ground like scarecrows, with eyes followed the Champions as they walked through the village.

While he's always been fascinated with ancient ruins, Jaden now had a sense of melancholy towards them. It was so sad to see how war has caused so much destruction throughout the ages. But seeing how much of it was left behind within the last two years, he worried that civilization was about to join the ruins in extinction. Sometimes, he felt that his world was cursed to destroy itself again and again, and that it was humanity's job to clean up the mess that it made.

* * *

Tired from carrying all of their bags and weapons, the Champions decided to stop for lunch there. They sat atop a large hill next to the ruins overlooking the valley. Jaden stood by the cliff's edge and looked out at the volcano spewing smoke and ash into the sky. That was their destination, and quite possibly their doom. He kept thinking about the danger he was walking into, and how he was taking his friends right into the heart of it. Even after he allowed his friends to join him on this mission, he still had trouble talking to them. Just by looking at their faces, he was reminded of how he might have been guiding them to Hell itself.

He chose to sit alone and read the King's dossier on Kaiser. He read that he met Ramon in '94 when he was part of the Knights of Astrelm. This was before the latter married the Queen and rose to power. At the time, Kaiser was already an accomplished Ark Knight, but his merit skyrocketed after the Battle of Galaheim in '95. He had singlehandedly stopped an Imperial invasion by destroying their entire airship fleet. From then on, he led his own team of mystic warriors in battles throughout the planet. He was even expected to become a member of the Arkanian High Council.

That all changed when he and his team were declared MIA in '97, right after a mission near the Imperial border. Everyone knew this as the failed abduction of Emperor Alderic, thought to have been carried out by Astrean agents. In a way, this was true.

The world also knew how this event resulted in an explosion that nearly killed the Emperor. Though they didn't know that was an accident caused by the Ark Knights, the truth made no difference. He still accused the Royal Family of trying to assassinate him, fueling his people's hatred towards the Kingdom.

After this fateful mission, Kaiser and his team surprisingly turned up in the Citadel in Newtown about a month later before returning home. He continued fighting with the Ark Knights for another two years before all contact with them ended. There were no records on him for about twenty years until his attack on Newtown. Everything after that was just records of the atrocities he committed for the Empire. Despite all that he learned about this once great war hero, Jaden was particularly caught by his sudden disappearance. It didn't seem like him to just vanish like that, given his remarkable strength and years of service.

Why would he just disappear like that? Jaden thought. Why did he come back?

"Hey Jaden, lunch is ready!" Jesse announced.

Jaden was thrust out of his contemplative state by the gunslinger's voice. He turned around to see Jesse and Kaylah sitting around a campfire with a full pan cooking over it.

"What do we got?" he asked Jesse.

"We got apples, bread, and what looks like chicken."

Using one of the forks to pick out a piece of "chicken," Jaden took a little bite out of it before spitting it onto the grass.

"It doesn't taste like it," he said, cringing with disgust.

The rations given to the assault team were not the best meals on the planet. They were synthetically made and grown through gene editing to give people the nutrients they needed, while lacking the taste of the real thing. The fact that they were wrapped in sealed plastic didn't make it any more appetizing.

"Hey Jaden, come over here!" Astra requested.

He walked over to where Astra was sitting. She was digging into her picnic basket and took out two sandwiches wrapped in paper.

"I made lunch for the two of us."

He quickly unwrapped what appeared to be a combination of spiced meat, lettuce, and tomato resting together in a long, fresh roll. Its mouth-watering aroma awakened his appetite. He was so hungry after hours of walking that he just dug right into it. With one large bite, Jaden devoured about a fourth of it in only a few seconds. He practically inhaled as he tried to swallow it all at once.

"Wow, this tastes great," he exclaimed. "You made this yourself?"

"What, a princess can't cook on her own?"

"No, it's just, this is the best sandwich I've ever had." Jaden wasn't being polite. It was really the best one he's had in his entire life. It was even better than the sandwich he ate when he first arrived in Newtown two years ago. He hated to admit it, but his aunt's homemade sandwiches didn't beat this one.

"Thanks. I also added my own special seasoning." After she mentioned it, Jaden did detect the taste of a savory mayonnaise sauce drizzled into the sandwich.

"Really? I didn't know you had the time to practice cooking." As a leading member of the Knights of Astrelm, I didn't think she had that much free time on her hands.

"Well, we all got to do something besides fight all the time." She took a bite into her own sandwich, which she also enjoyed very much.

Jaden simply nodded at Astra, fully agreeing with her. He still remembered the value of a life without war. He did not always enjoy fighting as an Ark Knight, but he still found repose in honing his abilities. He liked to spend his spare time practicing swords and sorcery. His training was strenuous, and he was always trying to improve himself, but all the focus he put into it helped him forget his worries. While it may not have been the best way to relieve the stress of war, it was better than actually fighting in it.

"Look over there!" Astra's attention quickly turned to a lone flower sitting next to them. She cautiously approached the blue and white plant sticking out of the grass.

"What is it?" Jaden asked.

"It's an Astraea Flower. We've done all we could to preserve them, but they've been all but wiped out in the war. All we can do is hope that they can repopulate the kingdom when it's over."

To Jaden, it was a great shame that such a lovely flower was on the verge of extinction. Every day, it seemed like the world was getting a little bit worse. But looking at the star-shaped flower somehow gave him a sense of wonder that he hadn't felt for so long. If such a delicate thing could survive all this destruction, there was hope for it yet.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, Kaylah stared at them from across the campfire. Her eyes resonated with a solemn yearning for the attention Jaden was giving to Astra. Ever since her parents died when she was ten, she spent most of her time looking after Jesse. Even though she was his sister, she acted more like a mother towards him and those she cared for, and they all adored her for it. Despite this, Kaylah never got that loving attention she wanted from someone besides her brother. She used to believe she couldn't afford to be with anyone else, that she needed to focus on her family and those that needed her. She had managed to convince herself she didn't need it, at least up until now.

She remembered that day in the capital, when he ran into the sight of chaos without a second to save those inside. She saw herself in him, someone who wanted to help others, no matter what. She had met many other brave souls fighting to protect Astrelm, but none of them were quite like him. Even after all the heroic deeds she had seen him do, he still looked down on himself and chose to be alone. Maybe she just liked being the one to fix him. Maybe she just liked the feeling of being needed. Or maybe she wanted his attention because she simply didn't have it. No matter what the reason was, ever since Jaden left her and Jesse that day, she knew she wanted to reach out and help him.

On the other side of the campsite, Darek walked over to Revan as he was quietly scanning the horizon.

"Hey, Revan. I get that we can't just drive across the mountains, but why couldn't we take an airship to the Wasteland? Even for me, ten days of walking is too much to handle."

"I don't like it either, but it's our only choice. We have to stay below the Empire's radar. If they saw where we were going, they'd know that we found the next crystal. I don't want to have anyone suffer another battle with them again."

Their conversation was cut short as they both noticed a small aircraft in the distance.

"What's that?" Darek asked.

"I don't know, but it's coming fast," Revan answered.

Jaden also noticed this airborne anomaly, which buzzed through the sky like a swarm of bees. This sound slowly unnerved him as the aircraft flew closer to them. When they could finally discern the shark-shaped object flying towards them, they all panicked as they immediately recognized it.

"Imperials are coming!" Darek announced, pointing the airship was in the sky.

"Everyone, hide!" Revan ordered.

They all frantically scattered across the campsite, trying to put all their belongings away. They stuffed their food, their weapons, and their tools into their bags. Jesse even poured water into the campfire, getting rid of the most obvious signal. They all then hid underneath the rocks and the surrounding bushes them to keep out of sight.

While they were more than strong enough to defeat just one dropship's worth of soldiers together, the Champions didn't want to alert the Empire of their quest to the Wasteland. They couldn't risk disclosing their secret route to the temple. And if they discovered the children of the Royal Family and an Ark Knight traveling together, they'd have an entire army of Centurions chasing them down.

Jaden and Astra ducked under a large rock perched atop a small mound. Holding her tight, he covered her with half of his coat, blending her in with the shadows around them. Revan kneeled under another jagged rock, leaning against it for as much cover as possible. Jesse hid with Kaylah beneath the bushes, holding his sister with his right hand and wielding his holstered pistol with his left hand. At the same time, Darek was lying on his back under a cluster of shrubs. They all looked up at the sky, holding their breaths as the imperial ship slowly flew above them. The mechanical hum of its engine rumbled through the air like a beast's growling stomach. Time seemed to have slowed down while his heart was beating with the speed of a locomotive.

After what felt like a minute of hiding, the ship casually flew past them. Revan slowly crawled out from under his rock and looked out at the vessel shrinking in the distance. "We're clear!" he announced.

Jaden and Astra exhaled with relief as everyone came out of their hiding places. He finally noticed his arm across her body. She looked at him with a restrained surprise. He turned to her and realized what he was doing. He rapidly retracted his arm, and they awkwardly crawled out from under the rock.

"Sorry about that," he said to her.

"No, no, it's fine. Thank you," Astra responded with a warming smile.

Revan continued staring at the dropship as it flew across the valley and above the mountains. "It's heading towards the Wasteland," he said. "The Empire must be searching for the temple there."

"How many do you think are there?" Darek asked.

"Five, maybe six," Revan answered. "That's about a hundred Imperial troops. We need to keep moving. Stay below the cliffs."

* * *

After narrowly avoiding the eyes of the Empire, the Champions changed otheir travel route to keep out of sight for the next several days. They traveled through the maw of Mount Sarum, passing through the hot springs bubbling in its stomach. Under the jagged cliffs of the fissure trail, they hid from both the Empire and the demons. Following the path sloping up the cliffside, they eventually had to climb up the rocks themselves. Jaden had no problem scaling these cliffs, as he was strong enough to do it with his bare hands. He even managed to climb ahead of everyone else, who relied on their hookshots to ascend the amber mountainside.

When they all reached the mountaintop, the Champions gazed out into the desolate hellscape that was the Wasteland. The mere sight of the valley pierced their hearts with dread. Dark storm clouds filled the sky and swirled around the volcano summit. Giant dragons circled Mount Sarum as they searched for unsuspecting prey. Burnt, dead trees sprouted out of the gray earth like hands on a buried corpse. From this, Jaden felt a torrent of evil energy wash over him with a crashing pulse.

He reached down and picked up a lump of dirt and watched it leave with the wind. He could not sense any energy radiating within it. Everything pure and magical that once dominated this land had left long ago.

There was only death.

"My God, this place is terrible!" Kaylah exclaimed.

"This is only the beginning," Revan added. "If the Empire gets its hands on the First Star, the entire kingdom could become part of this."

Jaden began to imagine the horrific land Astelm could become if the Empire's achieved victory. However, seeing how low the kingdom has sunk in the past two years, this hellish nightmare didn't feel far from the one they were already in.