The Legend of Samuel Mason Pt. III

Chapter 13

"Decen, it's time for the Guardian Ceremony." Jonna woke me up.

I got up from my cot. The Guardian Ceremony. We were ready to get our Guardians. I wondered what I would get. I really wanted a wolf to help me in my hunts. But I wouldn't mind a huge dragon to aid me in aerial combat.

"Jonna, what Guardian are you hoping to get?"
"Definitely a snake. Can you imagine how cool that would be? As I take down my enemies and my Guardian drives them under the sands?"

Jonna and I joined Icarus, who was waiting at the Coliseum.
"Let's get our beasts." Icarus greeted us with a grin.

We entered the ceremony. There was hundreds of us, and they called us out, name by name.

"Paladin Horcas!" The Elder called out. A blonde man went up to the stage.

His body resonated with the orb as he touched it, and energy exited it, as it took shape, and materialized. Horcas stared at the being.

The monster emerged, goat horns, and everything.

"Paladin Horcas, your Guardian, from this day on, shall be Tauros. The Bull. From here on out, Tauros and Horcas will be one, Tauros will you dedicate your life in service to Horcas, The Paladin of Tenacity?"
"I shall." The beast grunted.

We applauded.

The ceremony continued, one by one, we were greeted with a myriad of beasts. From bulls, to hawks. One guy was lucky enough to get a huge soldier angel thing. The soldier saluted his master.
"I, Apostheyon, shall serve."

We finally got to Icarus.

Icarus stood on the platform, touching the orb. Suddenly, the rustling of leaves filled the air. The energy circling the entire theatre as all the Paladins mumbled with one another.
"Damn, Icarus got a good one!" Jonna whispered.
"Damn right he did. That's the Paladin of Light for you."

The energy materialized into a huge serpent. Which towered over all the other Guardians in the room.

"Holy...." I muttered.

The Elder's voice boomed. "Paladin Icarus, your Guardian, from this day on, shall be Polyth. The Serpent. From here on out, Polyth and Icarus will be one. Polyth, will you dedicate your life in service to Icarus, The Paladin of Light?"
"It shall be done. It is an honour to meet, you." Polyth hissed, attempting to shake Icarus' hand. He even had a sense of humour.

Polyth reduced to a normal size, snaking around Icarus' shoulders. Icarus joined us. Jonna clapped him on the back.
"Nice one, Ic! I got Celestia, but it's all good. She's real friendly. I wonder what Decen is gonna get?"

Icarus grinned at me. "Very likely a wolf. He is a hunter, a warrior who has seen countless battles."

"Hell yeah."

"PALADIN DECEN." The Elder announced my name. Here it was.

I climbed the steps to the podium. Jonna was cheering. "Get em, Dece!" Icarus gave me a thumbs up.

I approached the orb, which was swirling with orange light. I looked at my reflection. My long hair barely showing my eyes, but if it did, it would have seen the most excited Paladin yet. I wondered if I could call him nicknames. Like Fenrir. Or Hound.

I put my hand on the orb. Energy shunted into my body, and suddenly I felt my memories being probed.

A GUARDIAN SERVES AS THE PROTECTOR OF ITS PALADIN. THE PALADIN AND THE GUARDIAN ARE ONE, AND SERVES TO COMPLETE THE PALADIN IN AREAS IT LACKS. The voice boomed in my head.

Shit. I was capable of hunting already with my senses. It's all good. I lacked the aerial advantage. A dragon wouldn't be half bad.

The energy exited my body and pooled with the energy coming from the orb, and materialized.

The shape was a bit small for a dragon. Maybe it was in its mini form like Polyth? I looked closer, my heart beating at ten times its pace. The energy slowly took form... into a... person?

A girl emerged, no older than me. Probably 18 years old. She had wavy frizzy green hair that reached her shoulders. Perfect skin, her eyes lined with makeup. She looked athletic, sporting an open dress shirt, and leggings. Her eyes were piercing, green, like her hair, but almost glowing. She looked me in the eye.

"What the hell?" I muttered. Good looking, athletic. She was a popular girl type. Probably one to hang out with the chads in a high school class.
In other words, she was everything I hated put together in one person.

"Who the hell are you?" I exclaimed. "Where's my damn dragon?!"

"Paladin Decen..." The elder spoke. "No way. No. No no no no no no." I muttered.
The elder continued. "your Guardian, from this day on, shall be Merrow. The Mermaid. From here on out, Merrow and Decen will be one. Merrow, will you dedicate your life in service to Decen, The Paladin of War?"

Merrow flipped her hair behind her shoulder. My eye twitched in annoyance. "Yeah, whatever." She said nonchalantly.

Everybody was silent. I could hear some snickers in the back.

I put my hands up. "Hold on! This has to be a mistake. Where's my beast? Everybody has a badass animal, or some kind of familiar. I don't even mind a pixie. But her?! This has to be a mistake. Let's restart."

The elder cut me off, sternly. "Paladin Decen, a Guardian is to complete the Paladin in where he or she lacks. There is no mistake. Merrow shall be your Guardian, and that is final."

Merrow rolled her eyes. "Okay Cheesen. Let's get one thing clear. I'm not here because of you. I'm here because I need a job. I couldn't care less about what happens to you, quite frankly. You're like... the last person I would want to see on my Tinder."

My vision was red in rage. "NEXT!" The elder shouted.

I returned to the others. Merrow followed me as we stood next to each other, watching the rest of the ceremony.
"Ugh, don't stand so close to me you weirdo." Merrow muttered.
"Shut up, you stupid green haired..."
"Green haired what?"
"You... green haired girl..." I grumbled. Merrow smirked. This was going to be one hell of a night.

"Well... erm. That was unexpected." Icarus tried to cheer me up. "I'm sure this was for a reason. Nothing is an accident."

I glared at Merrow, who had pulled out her phone, probably texting her buddies. She caught me staring, and gave me an annoyed look. "What?"
"Could you show some respect? We're in a damn ceremony."
"Yeah, well I need to plan movie night. Could you not interrupt?"

Chapter 14

My vision changed. Merrow and I stood at the top of a tower, overlooking all of Acadia.

"You're... not bad. For a nerd." Merrow mused.
"Yeah, you're not bad either."

Merrow leaned against the railing. "Decen, what would you be, if you weren't a Paladin?"
I thought about it. "I don't know. Battle is all I know. I guess... maybe a musician?"
"Why?"
"Because I like creating things. Not just destroying. When I play music, it's just... so universal. Like even someone who doesn't understand our language could find enjoyment."

I turned to Merrow. "What about you?"
Merrow smiled. "I want to be an adventurer."
"An adventurer?" I held back a laugh.
"What's so funny about that? I like visiting new places. Maybe I could become a blogger. A personality on the internet. I have the looks."
"Yeah, okay there Ariel."

Merrow laughed. "I considered it, but I realized that I was bound to become a Guardian. It's just what I'm destined to do. Still... if I could be free..."
"I'm sorry." I suddenly felt guilty.
"It's okay. You're, not as annoying as I thought you were. I guess I won't completely lose my head if I lived with you."

"But if I ever was free. I would want to explore the world. Film it all, so I could share it to those who aren't able to travel. Who are stuck, financially, or physically. That's what I want to do."

Everything went back to the present. Merrow struggling to breathe, choking as the cyan blade from Ulthreal sprouted from her stomach. I held her tightly, sobbing and begging her to stay awake.
"Stay with me, Merrow. You got this. We got this. Please... don't leave me. Don't-"

Merrow's eyes twinkled, as she put her hand on my face, removing my goggles.
"Your eyes..." She croaked.
"My eyes?"
"Even with the soul link... still magenta. So... nerdy..." Merrow burst into a fit of coughing.

I cradled her head in my arms. "Yes I am. I'm a stupid nerd. I never even held hands with a girl before. I'm a total loser. That's why I need you. I can't... I can't do this without you."
"No..." Merrow smiled, the life in her eyes slowly leaving her. "You're not a loser."

Tears streamed down my face. "I... I lied. When I told you about why I didn't want a girlfriend. It wasn't because I saw it as a weakness... it was because-"
"You were alone, and it hurt you." Merrow finished my sentence. I stared at her.
"You... you knew?"

"You were so young. We were so young back then. We were completely different... people." Merrow was struggling with her words.
"No... stop. We need to get help. We can heal you. I'll beat up Ulthreal for you. Then we can take you back to Lazarus and-"
"You have people with you now. My job is done." Merrow's eyes began tearing up.

"Don't say that. Don't say it."
Merrow coughed. "I used to find you so annoying. But now... I can't imagine my life without you." Merrow put her hand on my hair, stroking it.
"My Paladin of War. It's an honour to serve you." Merrow sobbed as her breathing stopped. Merrow's lifeless eyes staring at mine.

I sobbed as I held the lifeless body of my Guardian in my arms.
"Decen." A voice appeared from above me. I looked up.

A man, dirty blonde hair, wearing plaid. On his hand was a serpent, and on his other, was a chain.
My eyes went wide. "Icarus? You're... you're supposed to be dead!"

I looked around, and everything was frozen in time. Ulthreal approaching me, stuck in time.

"Where are we?"
"The Motion Force. You summoned me, in your emotional ordeal."

"Icarus..." I muttered. "I..."
"It's okay, Decen. I know. I knew, from the day you put me down, to your days as Samuel Mason. The inner turmoil that you had buried deep. You hated yourself for what you did."

Icarus knelt down, stroking Merrow's hair. "She was the best of the Guardians. The most loyal, despite being so different."
"She was."

Icarus looked at me. "Now, you must face the Aspect. Knowing he had slain the one closest to you. You need to keep your centre."
"What do you mean?"
"You let your rage get the best of you that day, when you killed me. What will you do once the Aspect is gone? Will you continue to kill?"
"No! I... I hate killing. I hate consuming. I hate myself."

Icarus put his hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being yourself. But you need to remember who you are. Are you a killer, or are you Decen, the kid who just wanted to be the best version of himself?"

Tears streamed down my face, dripping to the ground. "Icarus... I'm... I'm so sorry. For everything. I wish I could apologize to everybody I have ruined. All the families I have destroyed. I feel so unworthy of everything."

"And you have a right to feel that way. But you must accept that what you did is done. What will you do now?"
I looked up. Green sparks appearing in my vision, my body vibrating with the Motion Force. "I will fight. I will fight for these people."
"And why is that?"
"Because it's when a soldier is cornered in battle, do their true colours show. A warrior from a coward."
"Because war isn't just bloodshed, is it, Decen?"
"No."

"I am a Paladin, I stand for those who fight to protect the people they love. I am one who preserves hope."

Time began to flow forward, as Icarus dissipated, entering my body. My vision, glowing green with light, stars flowing and ascending.

I am Decen. The Paladin of War.

Chapter 15

I stood up. Ulthreal bellowed in glee.

YOU HAVE AWAKEN THE MOTION FORCE WITHIN YOU. INTERESTING. WHAT WILL YOU DO, AGAINST MY FULL POWER, LITTLE PALADIN?

I looked up, my body wreathed with the green glow of the Motion Force and the red swirls of the Restoration Force.

I shot forward, with unbelievable speed. Time slowed down as I launched my fist right into Ulthreal's midsection, the momentum causing massive distortion. Ulthreal flew out of the throne room, creating a massive hole. I emerged from the mess, my soul-links returning.

"Young master, what happened? I no longer sense Guardian Merrow." Sentry asked.
"Oh no..." Celestia whispered in my mind.

"You two. Give me all your power." I commanded.

Celestia and Sentry did not argue, and I powered up, my black and blue Darkfire wreathing my body, and Celestia's purple lightning boosting my strength.

I yelled as my body gained an additional green glow from the Motion Force. I put on Wheeler's Goggles, activating my Hunter's Eye, and manifested Sentry's armour on my left arm.

I jolted forward, slamming into Ulthreal before he could process what was happening. Ulthreal flew into a building, but I was already there, grabbing him by the face and dragging him hundreds of stories down, leaving behind a trail of destroyed glass and windows as I smashed the Aspect into the ground below. Ulthreal growled, summoning hundreds of swords which flew my way.

I activated the Motion Force, dodging them all. Then closed in, but Ulthreal laughed sinisterly, blasting me in the face with a massive explosion, bigger than the ones he used against Mavus and Merrow. I took the blast head on. Then leaned forward, glaring at the Aspect.

YOU He muttered.

My face regenerated. I said nothing as I kicked the Aspect into the air, then launched forward. I winded my fist back, and unleashed several thousand punches in the span of half a second.

ACK Ulthreal groaned as he hit the ground, smashing the road and causing mass chaos.

I landed on the ground.

YOU ARE SURPRISINGLY STRONG. BUT I WONDER HOW WELL YOU FARE WHEN YOUR PRECIOUS HUMANS ARE ON THE VERGE OF DEATH

Ulthreal punched the ground, and a shockwave appeared. I stomped on the ground and time slowed down as I zipped around, collecting the civilians and putting them in a safe place. A mixture of Celestia's Blink and The Motion Force allowed me to complete the task quickly.

The shockwave levelled several buildings, causing tons of the windows to shatter. But it was too late. I had already evacuated everybody to the other side of town.

HOW The Aspect's face was incredulous.
I wasn't in the mood to give him a snarky remark. I zoomed in, powering up to Form 5.

"Celestia, boost."
"Aye aye, captain."

My Form 5 underwent a massive boost in power, the magenta flames becoming purple. I aimed my palm right at Ulthreal's midsection as I unleashed everything I had. All my emotions coming out as I screamed. All the pain. All the guilt. The loss of Merrow, the death of Icarus.

Ulthreal roared as he became engulfed in a purple light, my ultimate blast disintegrating his body.

The light died down, and Ulthreal's body lay on the ground. Barely conscious.

"What will you do? Paladin of War?" Ulthreal muttered, his demonic voice gone.

I opened my hand, manifesting Merrow's spear. "I'm going to take your powers. To save millions."

I jabbed the spear into Ulthreal's chest, his powers entering mine as Ulthreal screamed, his body crumbling to dust as his essence was absorbed.

Junon and her squad reached my position. I turned to her, wielding Merrow's spear. I took off my goggles, not hiding my tears.

Sentry manifested, carrying Merrow's body in his arms.
"Rest, my old friend." Connor laid her body on the ground before us.

Junon ran up to me and hugged me from behind. We watched as Merrow's body dissipated into a beautiful mist. I held out my hand, as the mist dissipated.

"Goodbye, Merrow." I whispered.

Chapter 16

The next few days were the hardest of my life. I knew my friends wanted to cheer me up, but they understood the shit I was going through. They left me alone. Along with Sentry, Celestia, and Bridget.

"Hey, Sam. We're going to delay our return to Corinth. I'll give you some space." Junon told me.

I put Merrow's spear on the desk. It was beautiful, like her. I never liked telling her she looked good. It would only fuel her ego. But she really was pretty. Even when she had aged, in her thirties, she was still beautiful. Swirls of ancient engravings decorated the bronze hilt. Etched on it was the Neptunian version of her name in green.
Underneath it, was an Acadi version of my name, etched in magenta. I remembered. Merrow had signed her name on my cast while my regeneration was still disabled. She told me it was custom for friends and close ones to write on the cast.

I decided to write my name on her spear, which she found weird. But over time, it grew on her.

I smiled as I ran my hand over the spear.

A notification appeared on my screen. Janna had messaged me on Wayland.
"Hey Mason! Do you want to play Stonecraft?"

I accepted her call.
"Mason! Hey!! How are you doing?"
I was quiet, unable to answer her question.

"Hey, you okay?" Janna asked, her voice concerned.

"I'm..." My voice broke. "Let's just play."

"What happened?"

I tried to keep myself from bawling. I gripped the edge of the table so hard it splintered in my hand.
"I lost someone really close to me."

"Oh... I'm so sorry. We can always play some other time."
"No, I'm... I can play."
"Was this person, family?"

"Yeah. You could say that. She was like an older sister to me."

Janna was quiet as she continued mining obsidian. "Do you want to be alone?"
"No... I, I could use someone to talk to I guess."

We continued playing. I managed to kill off a few zombies with my obsidian sword.

"You're getting pretty good at this game, Mason." Janna complimented.

"It's from playing it a bunch of times." I explained.

"Janna?"
"Yeah?"

"Have you ever lost someone important to you before?" I aimed the question directly at Janna Kull. She was an Aspect of War. She must have dealt with this before.
"Yes, I have."
"How did you get over it?"

Janna stopped mining. "I never did. I always remembered them. But now when I think about them, I smile, because I know we cherished out time together."

I thought about the times I spent with Merrow. We used to always argue, but whenever I went out, she would follow. I remembered how she taught me how to take a selfie, because I was that incompetent with technology. She called me a technologically confused idiot. Someone who just wasn't good with social media. I didn't know the difference between a post and a story. And I didn't even know what Tinder was.

But whenever I would fumble, trying to work on the interface for Facepage, she would laugh and show me how to navigate the site. If it wasn't for Merrow, I would have lived under a rock for the rest of my life.

"Hey, you there?" Janna asked.
"Yeah."

"Let me show you something." Janna led me across the other side of the little castle we made together.
"Press this button."

I interacted with the button, and suddenly, the game sky was filled with fireworks.

"Wow..." I muttered. "How long did you set this up?"
"Pretty much ever since we created the castle. I wanted to surprise you."
"Mission success, then."

Janna laughed. "Hey Mason, I know you don't want me to bring it up again. But, I'm always here if you want to talk. We're friends, remember?"

Despite knowing her Janna Kawley personality was a front, I believed her. Interacting with her, made me feel, whole. I didn't understand why. It was different than with Merrow. As if nothing mattered anymore. I could keep playing games with her, hanging out. Forever happy. "That means a lot. Thank you."

Junon let me have the next day off. I flew to the top of a building, where I had texted Janna to meet as Blackflame.

I stood at the railing. The wind in my face as I looked down at the city. I held out my hand, which glowed cyan with the Achilles Force. I manifested a cyan claw construct, similar to the one I used to wield as Decen.

"So you did it, then." Janna appeared, walking to my side. She looked at the view beside me.

"It's done." I replied.
"You look good in parkas."
"You think so?"

Janna tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. "What will you do now?"
"I need the Power Force, after that, I should be strong enough to go into the realms, and speak to the Subjects of Quinta."

"The Power Force huh. You going to kill me then?"

I turned to Janna, who had a smirk on her face. "I'm kidding, relax."

I left the railing and sat on a bench. Janna watched me from a distance.

"I'm thinking about returning to my world. There's nothing for me here." I told Janna.
"That's understandable. I'm guessing we're not playing Stonecraft any time soon, either."

I nearly choked. "Wha...What?"
"I'm not a fool, Mason. When you assumed the fighting stance back at the alley, I had my suspicions. The way you took the bandit's hits, I could tell you intentionally let him hit you."
"How did you know?"
"I'm not an Aspect of War for nothing."

Janna sat down next to me. "I'm sorry about what happened with your Guardian."
I was silent.
"You don't need to worry about getting the Power Force. I'll help you on your quest to unite the Subjects."

I wrung my wrists. Despite wearing my fitness gloves, they weren't enough to block the cold due to being fingerless.
"I have to be the one to speak to them. The prophecy speaks of me."
"Then you will. You could come with me when I go to the realm."
"I thought you had to be worthy to enter a certain realm."

Janna shook her head. "We are both beings of War. Our ties are strong, despite one being Aspect, the other being Paladin. Because of this, we are linked."
My face turned red. "How linked."
"Linked enough for me to know that you are living with the knowledge of your demise."

I sighed. "I gotta save these people. It's just how it is."
Janna looked away. "You don't have any regrets with dying?"
"I do, but... I guess I kind of just accepted it now."
"Hmm." Janna looked disappointed.

"What?"
Janna stood up. "You're the first friend I ever had. If I'm going to be honest. Even when I decided to start a new life. Not a lot of people wanted to just be friends. They either wanted my fame, my clout, or my affection."

"So what happens now?"
"I don't know. How's the Inquisition with welcoming Aspects?"
"Well, we lost a lot of our comrades to your uncle."
"So splendidly then."

I laughed, for the first time since Merrow's passing.

"I look forward to the grand tour then, Champion."

Chapter 17

"What the hell is SHE doing here?!" Adam exclaimed, pointing at Janna. Mavus yelped and hid behind Junon.

"Nice to meet you too." Janna muttered.

"Relax guys, she's with me. She's going to help us defeat the Aspects." I reassured the others.
Adam walked up to Janna, clearly not satisfied. "In the future, your kind killed everybody. Your kind put my life into apocalypse. Do you know what it's like to grow up without knowing your own mother, or even what a god damn phone is?"

Janna didn't say anything. This was probably hard for her too. She hated killing despite being an Aspect of War.

"Adam..." Junon put her hand on his shoulder. "Hear her out."

Janna ran her hand through her hair. "I have rejected my nature. I want nothing to do with my brethren. To call me an Aspect, is like asking a human to flawlessly navigate a jungle, swing on the ropes, just because they had come from apes."

Janna went up to Adam and held out her hand. "I know what I say cannot fix your trauma, but on behalf of the remaining Aspects who have common sense, I want to apologize for whatever we have done to you in the future."

Adam's expression softened. "So, what? You're just going to give Janna a place to stay?"
"If it needs to come down to that, I can share my room with her."
"Excuse me?!" Janna's face suddenly went from pacifist to red as a tomato.
"Huh? What's wrong with that?" I was confused.
"What's wrong?! I'm not sharing a room with a GUY."

"Umm... okay. I guess I could just ask Kyrael to arrange another room."

We walked to the portal that Sentry had created.

"What is the plan, Champion?" Janna asked me.
"We're going to find the Subjects of Quinta. Enter their realms and convince them to help us."
"Do you have the Blessing of the Benefactor?"
"The what?"

Janna stared at me. "You need the Blessing to enter the realms. I thought you knew that."
"Umm... NO. What the hell, why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew, being a Paladin of War."
"I'm a REINCARNATION of Decen. I didn't know I needed this Blessing of the Bacon Fact-"
"The Benefactor. So I guess we need to obtain that first."

"The portal is closing soon." Sentry warned the two of us. We stepped in.

Safe be said, everybody was shocked to see an Aspect in the Fortress.

Jason drew his katana, dragging Amana behind him, much to her annoyance. "Stand back, everyone."
I put myself between Jason's sword and Janna. "Relax, dude. She's with me."

Jason lowered his katana. Janna held out her hand. "I am Janna Kull. A pleasure to meet you."
Jason cautiously shook her hand. "I am Jonathan Crypt. Remnant of Decen."

Janna raised her eyebrows. "You're much more built than your progenitor."
"I, uh. Yes well I have been training for longer."

Janna glanced at me, making a sarcastic look of disapproval. "You've got a long way to go, Mister Olympia, if even your remnant surpasses you in musculature."

I updated everybody on the progress of my quest. My voice broke as I told them about what happened to Merrow. Kyrael gasped.
"Merrow..." She muttered. "A true heroine, to the very end. We will host a memorial service."

I nodded. It took me a while to get back in the field, but talking about Merrow made me sad all over again. Suddenly, a voice appeared from the castle.

"Sam!" Amber screamed, running up to me and crushing me in a hug. Awkward silence filled the air.
"Uhh" I mumbled, unable to make of the situation. "I'm home?"

Amber realized what she was doing and quickly pulled away. "I, I thought you were gone for good. It's been weeks... I-"
"I'm fine, Amber."

Amber sobbed with relief. "It's good to see you again, I'm so happy, oh. Who's this." Amber looked at Janna.
"I am Janna Kull of War. I shall aid with Mason in his quest to unite the Subjects of Quinta."

The two girls regarded each other. I felt awkward. "Umm, yeah. This is Janna. She's an Aspect of War. I'm a Paladin of War. Kind of figured we would make a good duo, since we're linked."
"LINKED?" Amber's voice was louder and higher than usual.

"Yes." Janna replied. "We are linked on a spiritual level. This connection will be useful in our quest."

Amber's smile melted. "I see."

I gave Janna a tour around the Inquisition. The barracks, where the soldiers stayed, the village where the inhabitants stayed in. The walls and the Garrison who protected them. Mess hall, gym, training field.

We met Conlan, who was training his soldiers in a new formation. Conlan nodded at me as I introduced him to Janna. Of course, Janna had to ruin it.

"Your strategy is flawed."

Conlan raised his eyebrows. "I'm...sorry?"
"The shield wall is useless once it is breached. With the enemy capable of explosives, a single grenade can be slipped under the crevices of your soldiers' shields. Either develop better shields, or abandon the tactic."

Conlan and Janna debated over battle strategy, but Conlan found himself completely outmatched in war knowledge. Conlan let out a hearty laugh. "You are indeed an Aspect of War. Perhaps you can teach me a few things. It would be an honour to work alongside you."

"I... suppose." Janna shuffled nervously. She didn't like war, but because she was an Aspect of it, it was basically second nature to her.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." I reassured her.
"No. This war with my brethren will require everything you have. I'll train and command your soldiers if needed."

Kyrael arranged a room for Janna. Janna looked it up and down. "Cozy."
"Yeah, well, I'm going to check up on the others. You can stay here for a while until we meet again."
"Okay."

I left her to herself and went to check up on someone important.

As I walked up the stairs to Amber's room, I remembered the day she helped me after I had freaked out.
"Sam, you can't just throw a tantrum when things get bad."
"You don't get it, no matter how hard I try, I'm frickin' cursed. There's nothing I can do. I'm just a toxic POS."
"No you're not." Those words hit me in a way that I never thought possible.

"Do something for me, okay?" Amber knelt next to me.
"What?"
"Take care of yourself. For me. I don't want you to hurt yourself and beat yourself up. Be happy. Enjoy your life."

Amber had the door closed. I knocked on it.
"Hey, you there?"
"What is it."

That hit me hard. "Can I come in?"

I heard footsteps as the door opened. Amber's eyes looked bloodshot.
"I, uh. Just wanted to check up on you."

Amber didn't say anything as she let me inside. Her room didn't look any different than when I last seen it.

"So uhh, what's up?" I asked awkwardly.

Amber let out a loose laugh. "Nothing much. Brought a girl home, did you?"

"She's going to help me in my quest. She's really strong."
"I'm sure she is."

Amber was out all sorts of negative vibes. What's gotten into her?

"Did I do something wrong to offend you?" I asked cautiously.
"No."
"Then why-"
"You're supposed to die!" Amber shouted at me.

I was speechless, stunned.
Amber trembled. "You're supposed to die, you turned me down, but you come home with her. Don't you care how others feel when you do something like that?"

"Amber..."
"Don't Amber me. I don't need to hear you right now. You've been playing me ever since you showed up to our refuge. Hiding your identity, protecting me. Was that an act too?"

I didn't know what to say. She was right in a way. I played with her feelings and kept my identity a secret. I told her about my fate, but came back with Janna. It wasn't like that, but I guess with Amber, it probably meant more than just another colleague. I knew what to say.

"I'm not dating Janna."

Amber suddenly stopped ranting. "You're not?"
"No. She's just a colleague and a friend. I need her help to find the Subjects of Quinta."

Amber slowly calmed down. "You... should have told me that from the beginning." She muttered.
"Sorry."
"You know you're so annoying when you apologize," Amber let out a small laugh.

I sat next to her. "I wish the prophecy wasn't true."
"What?"
"I mean, the dying part. I wish it wasn't true. To answer your question, yes, if I survive the war, I would stay with you."

"Really?"
"Yeah."

Amber fidgeted. This was getting weird, but I had to tell her. "But the prophecy is here. I am destined to die. My Guardian is gone, and my friends in my old life are dead. I've lived two lives already. I need to rest."

Amber was quiet. I continued. "If I start something with you, and I die. I'll break your heart. I don't want to do that. So do something for me."
"Like what?"
"Find a guy who loves you, and be happy. For me. Be happy. Enjoy your life."

Amber looked at me, understanding the reference, her eyes wide. "You-"
"Promise me." I looked at her sternly.
"I... promise."

I then did something that I never would have had the guts to do. Not as Samuel Mason, and certainly not as Decen.

I put my arms around Amber and wrapped her in a hug.