Rupture: Rise of the Demon King

by Milo Woods

  He coughed as the man approached him. “Please … don’t kill me,” Seeko said as he scooted through the dirt and debris.

  “You deserve to die,” the man said, just above a whisper.

  He swung his claymore down at the helpless Seeko, who held up his sword, using his other hand to support the blade from the attack. The claymore hit Seeko’s weapon before he was fully prepared and slammed his own blade against his chest. Without a second to react, the man slashed at Seeko again. This time, he cut into his right shoulder, gashing it open.

  Seeko screamed in pain and unleashed a blaze of fire that engulfed the man. After a few seconds, Seeko let go of his spark. The man, though, showed no effects from the blaze.

  “Die, demon!” Seeko yelled, gripping his shoulder and scooting across the ground again.

  Just then, Mori burst out of the hole in the building, blood trailing down her own arm. She drew liquid from her water-skin and shot it toward the man, and even with his quick reactions, he had trouble deflecting the water. Suddenly, Mori was swept off her feet and fell to the ground.

  The man walked up to Seeko and pointed the large sword at his face. “I am not a demon. You … You deserve to die.”

  He swung down at Seeko’s head, but Seeko moved just in time. The blade missed its target, instead catching Seeko’s other shoulder. Seeko shouted in agony and fell as Mori charged the towering man.

  She was hopelessly outmatched, her flimsy blade batted away by his massive sword. Seeko needed to help her, but his limbs wouldn’t respond. Instead, the pain engulfed him, becoming the only thing in his world. Finally, the man kicked Mori away, blasting her onto a pile of rubble with wind magic. Seeko stared at the man. No more. They would not die today.

  “Get away from her,” Seeko forced out. He grabbed onto his spark, igniting himself. He became flame and rushed his foe. The man jumped back, deflecting with his wind magic. Seeko blasted a green inferno at him, but he couldn’t keep his form much longer and pulled back. He let go of his spark, turning back into his physical body. His wounded arms fell uselessly at his sides.

  The man stood behind his blade, his clothes burning around the edges. A spiral of wind put out the flames on his clothes, and he remained in his stance. He watched Seeko, studying, ready to defend.

  “You monster,” the man said, voice trembling with rage. “You took all of these innocent lives!”

  “What? I didn’t kill these people!” Seeko yelled. “Why would I?” He managed to weakly lift his arm and light a flame in his hand. “I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to.”

  Mori limped over to Seeko, holding her weapon toward the man. He muttered something Seeko could barely hear.

  “They’re already dead. I have no reason to live.” The man’s voice rose: “But I won’t lose to you!”

  He charged forward and Seeko shot a ball of fire at him. He extinguished it with a blast of wind and continued to dash at Seeko. Seeko jumped to the side, unable to swing his own weapon effectively. Mori caught the attacker in the side with a blast of water, slamming him to the ground.

  As he got up, he said, “The Irenic Empire will pay for this.”

  Another swing and Seeko jumped back, barely dodging the swift blow. “The Irenic Empire didn’t do this! I didn’t do this,” he said in between backpedals and dodges.

  The man stopped. “Who are you kidding?” he sputtered back. “I saw them burn down Irris with my own eyes.” He looked down. “You all deserve to die.”

  His distraction gave Mori an opening to whip water around his feet. He fell to his knees. Mori ran toward him and stabbed at him, aiming her rapier at his chest. Her weapon almost reached his body before a torrent of wind blasted her through the air.

  Seeko tried to help but the agony of his arms froze him. “I didn’t burn down Irris! I’m the Hero of Endetia. All I’m trying to do is stop the demons!” he yelled.

  The man rose, looking confused. “You … the hero?”

  “I am,” Seeko replied. “I’m trying to close the portals.” Ignoring the pain, Seeko fumbled through his pocket and pulled out the necklace. He held it shakily in a wounded hand. “This closes them! I’ve already closed one!”

  The man lowered his guard slightly, seeming to contemplate this new data. He took a hard look at Seeko, appearing to now see him as something more than just an enemy, but was interrupted by an arrow burying itself in his shoulder. The three looked for the source and found Irenic soldiers standing in the street.

  “Good work, hero. You found the rebel leader,” one of the soldiers said.

  The man groaned as he pulled the arrow out of his shoulder. He held the wound and looked at the men with disgust. “No, but I’ll kill you regardless.” He bolted toward the soldiers, pushing away their arrows.

  Seeko ran up to Mori as he watched the wounded man fight the three soldiers. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

  “Your shoulders look bad, Seeko. You need to get healed or you’ll bleed out,” she said.

  He looked at his wounds. Blood ran down his clothes, dripping onto the dirt. She pulled a little water from her water-skin, and healed Seeko a bit.

  “I did what I could, but we still need you healed by actual healers.”

  “Do you really think the Irenic Empire burnt down Irris?” he asked.

  She looked over at the three soldiers fighting their attacker. “Of course not. That man is a rebel leader. He wants us to turn on them.”

  Seeko could see the hate in that man’s eyes. He could be trying to trick them. Seeko and Mori ran over to the soldiers, still fighting the angered man. The way he stood, ready to die for what he believed … He truly believed that the Irenic Empire had done this atrocity.

  Soon the man lay on the ground with the soldiers surrounding him, wounded. They shackled the now unconscious man and led him away, followed by Mori and Seeko.

  “Thanks, hero,” one of the soldiers said. “You just helped us catch one of the most wanted men in the Irenic Empire. Follow us; we’ll take you to our camp.”

  Seeko slowed his walk, and he and Mori hung back a bit. She held onto her arm, limping alongside him. “I don’t know what rebellion they’re talking about, but I don’t think that guy is the leader,” he said.

  “Are you kidding?” Mori said. “He almost killed us both. I’ve never been so overwhelmed by anybody.”

  They looked at the man, now defenseless in the arms of the soldiers. If he was telling the truth, then the Irenic Empire burned down Irris. “If he was, why would he be here, alone?” Seeko paused to let her think about it before continuing. “There would have been guards surrounding him, if not an army. Look at what he’s wearing; none of it is armor. Would a rebel leader wear no armor?”

  Mori stared at the stranger’s yellow clothing. “Maybe,” she replied. “He looks like a regular citizen, but he definitely doesn’t fight like one. But why do you care so much? He almost killed you! Even if he isn’t the leader of the rebellion, he attacked you, and he’ll pay for that.”

  Why did Seeko care? He did almost kill him. Maybe it’s because Seeko would have done the same thing if their roles had been reversed. Seeko looked at the dead. At least he liked to think he would.

  They headed west and eventually a camp came into sight, but the sun was gone by the time they made it there. Seeko followed the troops to a large tent. A fully armored man walked out of the tent, and Seeko recognized him.

  “General Todd,” said one of the three soldiers. “We found the rebel leader, Greg, son of Adaelm.”

  “Good work,” Todd said. “Tomorrow we hang him in front of the survivors.” Seeko detected a bit of venom when Todd said “survivors.” Todd paused and looked at Seeko. “Ah, I see you found our hero! Excellent. Watch over Greg and make sure he doesn’t escape. I need to have a talk with the hero.”

  The soldiers walked away with Greg, leaving Mori and Seeko alone with the general.

  “General Todd, I am Mori, daughter of Luxant. It is a pleasure
to meet you.” Mori said, curtsying to the man.

  Todd nodded, replying, “The pleasure is all mine, Mori.” He looked to Seeko and his wounded shoulders. “Seeko, right? You look like you could use some healing, but I have something to tell you before you go. A week ago, we routed the Halcyon army, but they will recuperate in Vicussa. We have them on the run and have a chance to take them out completely. Originally, we were going to have you get to the next portal, but this seems more important. Having you on the battlefield will strengthen our chances in enemy territory as well as boost the hopes of my soldiers.”

  “So I’m going into a battle as support?” Seeko asked. Sounded better than fighting another Vishoni, at least for now. “Where is Vicussa exactly?”

  “That’s right, you don’t know anything about this world,” General Todd said, smiling under his mustache. “Vicussa is a desert town, about two weeks to the west. I hope to catch the Halcyon off guard and take them down swiftly.”

  “Okay, sounds good to me. I’ll stick around for moral support, but I want to ask you something.”

  The general nodded and placed his hands behind him. “What is it?”

  Seeko took a deep breath and asked, “Did you burn down Irris?”

  Todd took a step closer to Seeko, lowering his hands to his sides. When he spoke, it sounded like it was with a heavy heart: “I had Irris burnt down in the name of the Irenic Empire. Although Irris praised us for freeing them from the Halcyon, the town was devoted to a rebel group calling itself the ‘Shadow of Dawn.’ When we seized the town, it became apparent that a substantial number of missing supplies were being traded to this rebellion. The town was corrupt and feeding an unjust cause.”

  “So you killed them all? That wasn’t even close to right!” Seeko said. He looked to Mori for support, but she didn’t seem moved at all.

  Todd shook his head. “Burning down the town was a sign to the rebellion and all others who hoped to oppose us. Maybe once the Halcyon Empire has been removed from the picture, the rebellion can be dealt with, but until then, we need to keep them in check.”

  Seeko didn’t believe that was right, no matter what the justification was. He decided to restrain his emotions. “Uh, okay … That man, however … I don’t think he’s the rebel leader. Maybe he’s part of the rebellion, but I think you have the wrong guy.”

  “He matches the description of Greg and was found inside a rebellion town. The odds are against him, but if it bothers you, convince me otherwise. Good luck with that.”

  A jolt of pain made Seeko shout.

  “For now, you should get your wounds treated,” Todd said. “You look like you could use some treatment too, Mori.” He prepared to enter his tent. “Talk to me about Greg later.”

  “Wait,” Seeko said. “Is Kazuma here?”

  “Yes, ask the soldiers. They should be able to direct you to him.” And with that, Todd went through the flap of his tent, leaving Seeko with doubts as to whether the right empire saved him that day when he landed here in Endetia.

  15: Complicated

  28 Rynr, 112 AV: Day 97

  Soldiers directed Seeko to a group of healers. They healed Seeko and Mori of their wounds within a couple of minutes.

  “I don’t know why, but I don’t want to see Greg die,” Seeko said, sitting on the ground outside of the healing tent.

  Mori looked over, disgusted at his sympathy for the man. “Then don’t watch him die,” she said. “Turn the other way.”

  “He’s innocent, at least of what they are charging him for. He attacked us because he wanted revenge. I would do the same if everyone I knew was killed as an example.” Seeko looked at the ground. He believed Greg was innocent and that enough people had died already. Maybe he could save one life. At least he’d feel more heroic if he did save him. Seeko rose, asked the nearest guard about Kazuma, and then he and Mori hunted for the captain.

  Kazuma stood in front of his tent talking to one of his soldiers. Seeko caught his attention and he looked to them. Both Seeko and Mori greeted the captain. He quickly ended the conversation with the soldier and shifted his attention to Seeko.

  He smiled and spoke. “Ah, Seeko, how ya doing? Oh, could this be the daughter of Luxant standing before me? It is an honor.” He bowed to Mori, retaining his smile. She bowed back. “It’s been almost two months! What’s the progress on your quest?”

  Seeko crossed his arms, making the cuts in his shirt stand out. “Well, we closed the portal on Mount Pharos. It wasn’t … what I expected at all.” Visions of Vishoni’s wings tearing out of his back and him pulling the necklace out of his chest skimmed his mind. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the orange gem. “I have a magic necklace that controlled the portal, but I can’t do anything with it.”

  Kazuma took a close look at the stone and leaned back. “A magic item? That’s what created the portal?” He looked away. “That’s good. I don’t know how it works, but at least ya can stop the damned demons.”

  Mori looked puzzled. “I thought that you would know about the necklaces. We were told about them before we left.”

  “I knew nothing about them until now,” Kazuma said. “Who told ya about them? Hmm … Maybe General Todd knew, but I didn’t.”

  Seeko chimed in to break confusion. “Emperor Physis told us, and he got the information from a seer named Hannet, whom we also met. I guess he didn’t tell anyone else.” So Greg had no idea what Seeko was talking about earlier when he showed him the necklace, either.

  “Maybe you’re right,” Kazuma said with a nod. “If he decided that no one else needed to know, then I trust that.” He straightened up. “It was nice being able to see ya again, Seeko, but we leave tomorrow morning, so I better get ready.”

  Seeko smiled, turning to the side. “I’m going with the army to Vicussa, but I have something I want to ask you.”

  Kazuma cocked his head. “You’re joining us to Vicussa? What about the portals?”

  “General Todd thought it would be better to eliminate the army while they are weak. I will go back to closing the other portals when it’s over.”

  Kazuma looked over in the direction Todd’s tent was in and slowly nodded. “That’s … good. What was it that ya wanted to ask me?” he said, turning back to the hero.

  Seeko breathed a deep breath and asked, “You know the prisoner they just brought in, Greg?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t. Why?”

  Seeko paused. “Everyone seems to believe he is the leader of a rebellion, but—”

  “They caught that Greg?” he burst over Seeko’s words. “The leader of the Shadow of Dawn? Why wasn’t I informed? That’s great news.”

  Seeko rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe this guy is the rebel leader. Maybe he looks like him, but it just doesn’t seem likely that he would be acting alone in Irris. I also don’t believe these prisoners deserve to be killed. Greg … that man isn’t a leader, he’s a warrior. Why would the rebel leader bother himself with attacking some random person?”

  “I don’t know Seeko, but I have my own problems. My hometown, Vicussa, is going to be attacked.” His voice cracked a little as he mentioned his hometown. “I don’t want it to happen, but it’s what must be done. Sometimes we have to let things go. Like a random stranger.”

  “I’m sorry. I forgot about that,” Seeko said.

  “I agree with him, Seeko. It’s best that you let it go.” Mori put her hand on his shoulder for support.

  “An innocent man is going to die because I got him captured. I know he almost killed me, but in his shoes, I would have attacked too.” He turned from Kazuma and walked away.

  Kazuma’s sigh could be heard behind him. “Wait, Seeko. If ya think he could be innocent, I’ll try to get General Todd to postpone his hanging. Maybe ya can prove his innocence, since it bothers ya so much.”

  Seeko looked at him and nodded grimly. “Thanks. Maybe he is the rebel leader, but it just doesn’t add up to me.”

  / / / / /

&n
bsp; After a couple of minutes, Seeko found himself in a small opening. Guards surrounded a group of prisoners in a small confined area. Greg could be seen sitting on the ground away from the other prisoners. Shouldn’t the other prisoners recognize him as the rebel leader if they were rebels? He walked up to a guard and asked if he could visit them, and she nodded.

  “I’m going to go set up our camp,” Mori said. “Come find me when you’re done playing … hero.” Mori smirked and walked through the dimly lit night.

  “It’s what I do! I am the hero!” Seeko called after her. Her response was laughter.

  Seeko walked up to the man, his dirty yellow scarf hanging around his neck. He looked away when Seeko came into his sight. “Greg?” He knelt down next to him and spoke softer. “Who are you, really?”

  The man squinted at him before speaking. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, Irenic clown.”

  Seeko frowned but went on. “I’m the only one here that believes you’re innocent. I’m the Hero of Endetia, and I’m not actually from around here. I don’t agree with the destruction of Irris any more than you do, but I can’t help if you’re going to be a jerk.”

  “I’m dead tomorrow. Please let me live my last couple of hours in peace.”

  “I don’t know why I thought helping you would be the right thing. You seem set on dying.” Seeko stood back up. “You can either die here as the leader of a rebellion, which people will eventually find out was the wrong thing to do, or you can help me prove them wrong, saving you and the rest of these prisoners.” Seeko pointed toward the group of dirty people huddled together.

  The man observed the other captives. “They will also be set free?”

  Seeko shrugged. “I have no clue. For all I know, no one will be saved. All I can promise is that I can try.”

  Greg looked up at Seeko, for the first time without hate in his eyes. “Okay, I’ll do it for them.”